My Cats, My Life!

Hi everyone.  I am here to update you on what happened to the cats we saved during the successive strong typhoons here in Manila, Philippines.  Originally, we secured 6 kittens and their mother, right?  Unfortunately, 2 kittens with white and black furs died due to injuries.  I didn't witness the actual crime(?!) but I saw one of them with a broken leg.  I should have not allowed them to go outside for some extra moments and fresh air.  I am so guilty.  I am so sad and woke up a day after that with melancholic despair.  

Anyway, I will be sharing with you some delightful moments that somewhat ease our agony.

 True enough, when the cats become a memory that memory becomes your treasure.  Hail to the cats!

My First Livestreaming on YouTube via Lichess.org

My First Livestream @YouTube

Taking Care of My Team: Action Plans

 "In preparing for a battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable." - Dwight Eisenhower

This line of thought has become my guiding principle, especially in this time of the pandemic.  Planning will always be useful in taking care of my team. 

As a community leader, there is a constant need to support the well-being of our people. Today, I will share with you two of my action plans that will help improve the Department of Education (DepEd) employees' productivity.  How can I do that?  Well, allow me to share with you my intended plans after this training on virtual leadership.

1) Clearly Communicate Expectations. At DepEd, planned and deliberate use of communication is necessary to produce enthusiasm and open the support of employees. There is a strong need to establish personnel expectations and hold colleagues accountable for their work promises. 

2) Help Apply New Knowledge. DepEd leaders must apply techno-dexterity skills and provide coaching and mentoring opportunities and apply technical skills to assist staff in accomplishing projects at hand. By this, the support you will get from your colleagues will grow astronomically and will also ensure the development of others. 

There are other items that I can discuss, but the above-mentioned plans will be a good start.

Revising My Virtual Team Meetings

 The Department of Education uses virtual meetings (VMs) in place of face-to-face interactions due to the Covid-19 pandemic and this has become the new normal. The government is able to save financial resources because VMs are quick to arrange, inexpensive, and they bring the most relevant people into the meeting.

However, virtual meetings can be hard to organize and need a different approach than regular meetings.  As such, specific guidelines that are useful must be injected to make a great impact on the quality of your virtual meetings.

I will share three useful guidelines that you can use which are essential and effective during the meeting.

• Launch the meeting.  The moderator sets the norms (turn on the camera, mute the microphone, and focus on the tasks at hand).
• Keep the meeting moving. By just looking at the outline, the timekeeper could take note if the meeting is 10 minutes behind or advanced. This will keep the attendees on track with the discussion.  
• Collaboration doesn't just happen, it's planned.  Use virtual tools to collaborate, this will be engaging to the attendees. A good example would be the use of Jamboard by Google and there are more applications on the internet.  

There you go, ladies and gentlemen.  I hope that these guidelines will help you in the next virtual meetings.

Let me end by sharing this important phrase during this virtual time, "Employees who Zoom or Google Meet together, stay together."

My Current Leadership Challenge

Dr. Margaret Mead, an American cultural anthropologist, stated that "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

The COVID-19 pandemic had somewhat opened a series of roadblocks in the lives of public leaders.  Gone were the days when the Department of Education (DepEd) officials were so active in delivering outputs through balanced workshops and seminars, the usually effective collaboration between and among stakeholders were no longer evident, and the teachers who constantly facilitate learning through classroom tasks had been likewise halted.  

DepEd is in crisis and due to this catastrophe, one of the roadblocks I experienced was the lack of interest in growth and learning. 

With things becoming virtual, our officials must not fall into the trap of the status quo and continuously strive for the best.  Employees must take the time to develop their skills for them not to be left behind.  There is a need to be curious and continue to learn from each other.

The virtual leadership action that supervisors need is co-activating new leaders.  This concept extends to shared leadership, as overseer, we must identify and monitor potential leaders.  Reverse mentoring must also be employed to update not only our colleagues but our superiors.

To achieve virtual leader excellence, there must be trust in our co-workers and one must be willing to share information with them, favorable or not. This will highlight the leadership values and earn team members' trust that the team needs to know and has to know.

As public servants when the going gets tough, we do not merely lead to survive; we lead for all to thrive. 

A Noble Cause from the Rotary Club of Manila

Hi there!

I had the opportunity to be the Rotary Club of Manila's recipient of generosity for people with diabetes at Claro M. Recto High School this morning.  I thought that I will just receive some sets of medicine like Losartan, Metformin, and many others at the back of my mind.  But lo and behold, I got more than what I expected.

 Salute to the transformational presidents of the Rotary Club of Manila for giving more to the unfortunate people of Manila with diabetes. 

Hoping that your group will truly be rewarded.