Sustainable Integrated Green Farming

"BUY and CREATE ASSETS". This is my family theme kicked off this 2010.

And for me, I have toyed with the idea of "SIGF" meant to help drive farmland utilization in my hometown.

Here's some narrative:

Since the beginning of time, man tried to conquer nature. And every time, man failed and nature triumph. Man acqured wisdom and instead of fighting nature, he learned to co-exist and harness the power of nature.

Part environmental revolution, part societal and economic revolution, the integrated green farming allows man to tap on natures abundant provision, co exist with it and harness its abundant produce.

"SIGF" started as an idea to pave the way for OFW, retirees and small to medium businessmen in developing a sustainable business model. It involves an avenue for OFW, and retirees, to invest lump sump, and grow.

The model involves the following:
1. Finance arm. To manage the in and out of resource (money)
2. Operating arm. To manage the day to day and drive efficiency and effectiveness.
3. Marketing arm. To promote the product via sales forum, expo, on line and real time.

Honest to goodness model to augment income of my people. Thoughts welcome!

Reflections... reflections

As customary, Im back to my old self reflecting on the past 4 Decembers of my life. But before I outline, i would like to make a laundry list of the blessings I have received all these while.
- Decent house
- Family sedan
- Healthy kids
- Safe travel for my 1st son outside the country
- Secular job promotion handling global affairs
- Social duty of the highest order!

But unlike most reflections,what I would do now is to look back at my thoughts every december for the last 4 years and determine if there is any trend or pattern. Here they are:
1. Why is there a countdown service at the church? And does it matter?
2. On the importance of leaders behavior -both on and off work - seeing is believing.
3. Certainty in an uncertain time - of the turbulent 2008 that saw the demise and collapse of the biggest bank in history.
4. Social duty (2nd career) of the highest order - on this years assignment at our religious order!

Hmm, pretty decent accomplishment. Not without a help from my maker!!

Homestretch

Whew! It IS December 29. Two more days and its the end of a tumultous time period in the history of my working life. Consider this-

We lost as many as 25% of our department 'old timers' due to the 1Q 2009 recession. This alone resulted in roughly 1500 years of experience!

Imagine the wealth of wisdom that can be mined! Sadly there is no technology in the world today that can concisely summary, put into context or even make sense of all those years of experience.

If there is just a way for us to 'download' all those informations? Then we would not be condemned to repeat the mistakes made by our forefathers because we have learned from history.

Hmm, possible business idea? Takers anyone?

Leadership in Turbulent Times

DISPATCHES from the NEW WORLD of WORK
I Repeat Myself ...
Leading yourself in really weird times:

1. Be conscious in the Zen sense. Think about what you are doing more than usual. Think about how you project.

2. Meet daily, first thing, with your leadership team—to discuss whatever, check assumptions. Perhaps meet again late afternoon. Meetings max 30 minutes.

3. If you are a "big boss," use a private sounding board—check in daily.

4. Concoct scenarios by the bushel, test 'em, play with 'em, short-term, long-term, sane, insane.

5. MBWA. Wander. Sample attitudes. Visible but not frenzied.

6. Work the phones, chat up experts, customers, vendors. Seek enormous diversity of opinion.

7."Over"communicate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

8. Exercise—encourage your leadership team to double up on their exercise.

9. Underscore "excellence in every transaction."

What Makes an Effective Executive!

Posting a Peter Drucker thought process on leadership:

Peter Drucker asked: "What Makes An Effective Executive."

- They asked, "What needs to be done?"
- They asked, "What's right for the enterprise?"
- They developed action plans.
- They took responsibility for decisions.
- They took responsibility for communicating.
- They were focused on opportunities rather than problems.
- They ran productive meetings.
- They thought and said "We" rather than "I."

13 Fatal Errors to be avoided for Leaders

Take it with a pinch of salt:
=============================
1.Failure to accept personal accountability
2.Failure to develop people
3.Trying to control results instead of influencing thinking
4.Join the wrong crowd
5.Manage everyone the same way
6.Forget the importance of Profit
7.Concentrate of problems rather than objectives
8.Be a buddy, not a boss
9.Fail to set standards
10.Fail to train people
11.Condone incompetence
12.Recognize only top performers
13.Try to manipulate people

Practical yet powerful!

3 things

Now what?

Saying NO!

This is the first time Im posting a you tube clip. For a very important message on how to rear kids, and possibly tomorrow's leaders. It is called "the marshmallow experiment:.

The lesson? Plain and simple delayed gratification. In Asian context, we call it, PLAY NOW, PAY LATER.

Watch and learn.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0oPuAO3M8c&feature=player_embedded

The WORLD needs MEN who..

cannot be bought;
• whose word is their bond;
• who put character above wealth;
• who possess opinions and a will;
• who are larger than their vocations;
• who do not hesitate to take chances;
• who will not lose their individuality in a crowd;
• who will be as honest in small things as in great things;
• who will make no compromise with wrong;
• whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires;
• who will not say they do it” because everybody else does it”;
• who are true to their friends through good report and evil report, in adversity as well as in prosperity;
• who do not believe that shrewdness, cunning, and hardheadedness are the best qualities for winning success;
• who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular;
• who can say “no” with emphasis, although all the rest of the world says “yes.”

RPM For Leaders

Tony Robbins spoke of these principles. The RPM of powerful and successful people all have something in common - the RPM!

I recalled this as being the RESULT, PURPOSE and MASSIVE ACTION PLAN. These 3 areas seeks to answer the questions (1) what do you want to achieve, (2) why do you want to achieve it and (3) how are you going to achieve it.

A good framework to assess your life. How can I apply this today? May need to find a venue to do so.

Nothing New Under the Sun

Scripture said in Ecclesiastes 1:9-14 and I quote , "what has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun".

Hence, from this day forth, I am attempting to chronicle, with due diligence as I can be, 3 things to shape my day;

1. What 1 novel idea I have learned today.
2. What 1 new idea I have contributed to work/society that made people's lives better.
3. What 1 story I can take back and share to my kids/wife.

So help me GOD!