Paolo Bellosillo's NU12 # 10 - First Name Basis at construction project sites

Our company is a construction company. We always deal with construction workers ranging from unskilled minimum wage earners to the skilled workers. These labor force are helpers, masons, carpenters, steelmen, electricians, plumbers, tinsmith, painters, warehousemen, and foremen. These direct labor force are handled by out indirect labor force, which are the site engineers, QC engineers, safety engineers, CAD operators, project managers, and all the staff that belong in the overhead.

Having this vast range of labor force, there exists an invisible boundary between the workers (direct labor) and the staff (indirect labor). There is an inequality between these 2 groups. This is shown in how they call each other.

I have noticed this, not only in our company but in all the other construction companies that we have worked with:

    - People within the staff group call each other by their first names

    - People within the workers group call each other by their first names as well

    - People in the workers group call the people in the staff group with their first names (of course with prefixes "ma'am / sir"

    - People in the staff group call the people in the workers group with their LAST NAMES

Calling each other by their first names reflects that they are in an equal / friendly relationship with each other. However, the simple way of calling the workers with their last names poses inequality between the 2 groups and reflects their distance in terms of their works.

I am aiming to change all these in our company. I have a goal of injecting a first name basis of calling each other, whether you are a helper, a minimum wage earner, newly hired, engineer, or a manager. They are all encouraged to call each other by their first names.

This is a big goal, since we are employing about 800 workforce. With this big goal, I have to break this down into small and manageable steps.

My first step, which I did just last week, was to set a meeting with the warehouse workers and staff regarding this. I encourage them to call each other by their first names, and I received positive feedbacks from them.

I plan to have meetings with all the departments and project sites in our company encouraging them to call each other by their first names regardless of their positions.

Calling each other by their first names will demand respect on both sides of the workforce, and will promote equality and, in the long run, good working relationship with each other.  3

Paolo S. Bellosillo

Paolo Bellosillo's NU12 # 9 - Breakfast on the Go for Drivers

Nothing can define the importance of time more than the saying "Time is gold." In my professional career, I have used the tagalog version of that thousands of times already - "sayang oras."

For me, the most important time in my day is my sleeping time. Sleeping for humans is like hybernating for computers - you start the day new, refreshed, and full of energy. In sleeping, every minute counts. It is always a struggle to meet the 8-hour sleep rule these days. With our busy lives, the longer sleep the better. So how can we lengthen our sleep without compromising the important daily tasks in our day?

Eating breakfast takes about 20-30 minutes of our time every morning on the average. That is, if you are not preparing your own food. If you prepare your own food, it will eat up your time for 60 minutes on the average.

In my case, driving from home (QC) to Makati in the rush hours in the morning takes about 90-120 minutes. It's your golden time wasted.

It's obvious that the above tasks are time-consuming and are eating a lot of your time. So why not doing these 2 things simultaneously or multi-task?

Introducing the Breakfast On The Go for Drivers. What you just do is grab the breakfast and go off directly to work. You eat while driving. This is multi-tasking at its simplest form.

Sandwiches will never satisfy your hunger and your morning nutrient needs. Quick breakfast is just too few for your stomach and will still take you about 10 minutes. For the breakfast on the go, you don't waste your golden time while satisfying your hunger and nutrient needs for the entire day ahead.

Breakfast on the go is composed of rice and "ulam" that is packed inside a tube. You can select from several different ulams like tapsilog, longsilog, bacon, bangus, etc. The ulams are already pre-cut into a bite-sized meal, and are already deboned. It will be available in all leading groceries and convenient stores.

These ulams will be packed inside a tube where the rice and the ulams will be mixed. What you do is to place the tube near your mouth, push the bottom of the tube to release the bite-sized breakfast, eat, and drive while doing it. These meals are in the tube for you to drive conveniently and safely.

Breakfast on the go will save you 5 to 120 minutes of your life, and will give you 5 to 120 minutes of precious sleeping.

Time is gold, and breakfast on the go will save your life.  4

Paolo S. Bellosillo

Paolo Bellosillo's NU12 # 11 - What's Wrong with Our Slogan "It's More Fun in the Philippines"

The first time I heard about our slogan "It's More Fun in the Philippines," I thought it was not creative and imaginative at all, does not reflect the cultures of our country, and does not reflect our vision as a nation. In entrepreneurship, slogans, mottos, and logos of businesses must reflect who they are, their promises to their clients, and what they envision their company to be in the future. This must also be applied in our country.

But then, I had no choice but to accept that slogan since it was already passed and approved (I guess) by some authorities.

Their first ads were ok, like the "commuting" where they show how we travel from coast to coast using boats, or the "humps" showing our Chocolate Hills in Bohol, or the "island hopping" showing our Hundred Islands. These ads were not excellent for me though, just fair.

But along the way negative ads using this slogan were being spread out. Like the "commuting" where we show how our jeepneys are full and there are even people sitting on the roof, or the "swimming" where Filipinos are swimming in the flood, or "parking" where we showcase our traffic in our roads. Obviously, this slogan does not promote our country very well.

The slogan also is not true most of the time. Yes, in times of troubles we, Filipinos, tend to smile, go to the malls, sing in videokes, and just smile. But it is mostly not fun in the Philippines. The traffic, corruption, injustices, crimes, terrorism, flooding, and the list goes on. The slogan does not even reflect our plans and visions for the future, because obviously we are not doing something aggressive and major to solve our traffic, corruption, injustices, crimes, terrorisms, flooding, and others. Our slogan does not really reflect Philippines - its current status and its future goals.

The slogan also uses the word "more", which is a comparative word. This means that we are comparing our country to the other countries, that the Philippines is "more" fun than the other countries in the world, which is I think not true because of the fact that lots of Filipinos prefer to live to other countries, even risking their lives being caught as TNT's. Comparative words such as "more" is a very poor word to be used in our slogan. A slogan must showcase us as Philippines rather than how better we are to other nations.

Now, I'm seeing ads in EDSA saying "hanging out: more fun in the Philippines" showing women doing antigravity yoga. This ad does not even show who we are as Filipinos, does not reflect our cultures and traditions, and is not reflective of our country. This ad showed me that our slogan is not a long-term slogan. In time, we will run out of ads like this "hanging out" ad I saw in EDSA. I believe slogans must be long-term and must last a long time.

Not to mention that we just copied the slogan to Switzerland's "It's More Fun in Switzerland." When that news came out, it was a shame for me as a Filipino.

It will be hard to promote my own country if I don't agree and am not proud of our own slogan.

"Mabuhay Philippines" is still the best slogan for me. I think we should have stayed with that slogan since the word "mabuhay" is a popular term for the Philippines, like the aloha in Hawaii. "Mabuhay" is also a word that is very deep in the Filipino language and is very hard to directly translate to English or any other language, which shows its ingenuity and uniqueness and how deep our cultures and traditions are. Mabuhay 3  <hi you sent a lot of ideas, and I like your persistence}

Paolo S. Bellosillo

Paolo Bellosillo's NU12 # 12 - Philippine Jeepneys

If there is a symbol that reflects our culture, traditions, and heritage, I can't think of anything better that our jeepneys. No other object, structure, or natural resources that can symbolize our country more than our jeepneys.

Although these jeepneys were American's scrap vehicles during the war in the past, we have adopted it and developed it us our own. In the past, jeepneys are always classy and shows our traditions. It reflects colorful images of our cultures and traditions, sayings and slogans, and our characters are a nation.

Some jeepneys show images of Jesus or Mary that reflects our strong foundation to Christianity. Some jeepneys show images of the driver's children, or even their names. Even the simple "barya lang po sa umaga" reflect our character as Filipinos. Jeepneys are very colorful and full of art that it is considered an art piece for the drivers and the commuters. Clearly, jeepneys are our symbol.

Unfortunately, most jeepneys nowadays are terrible vehicles and I am ashamed to showcase them to the world.

Today's jeepneys have undisciplined and reckless drivers. They stop whenever and wherever they want to, and they don't care about the vehicles behind them. They let people hang only on the rear and does not prioritize the safety of the commuters. They take for granted the comfort of their passengers, that they even let in people even if it is already full. They emit a lot of black smoke and contributes in polluting the air. They are noisy, not only the jeeps themselves but also the drivers and the conductors.

Most jeepneys nowadays are not colorful and does not show our culture. They try to lower down their overhead cost by not painting their jeeps and leaving their jeeps a blank canvass. They not anymore show our cultures and traditions. Jeepneys are not art anymore.

Jeepneys in the Philippines traveled from being an asset for the country to being a liability to the country.

I think we should bring back the old and traditional jeepneys that we are proud of as a country. Electric motors for jeepneys must be implemented and tax incentives for these eco-friendly jeepneys must be put up. Jeepneys emitting smoke must not be allowed to travel. Proper lanes and loading and unloading areas for jeepneys must be put up. Systems of transportation must be developed, from the timing to the travel periods. Most especially, the art in the jeepneys must be brought back showing our heritage and culture. Jeepnes without art must be required to comply. Jeepneys that show negative characters and sayings of our country must not be allowed to travel.

Jeepneys are one of our solutions in the major problems in this country. Improving our jeepneys will improve our tourism, transportation, economy because of improvement of traffic, and pride as Filipinos.

New and improved jeepneys are not only our past, but our future.  4

Paolo S. Bellosillo

Paolo Bellosillo's NU12 # 8 - Update our Building Code to Prevent the Recent Disasters in Visayas

The Philippines has several governing building codes being followed in the construction industry in building houses and buildings, and 2 of the most significant ones relative to the recent disasters in Visayas are:  (is it more of implementation?  I am familiar in the condo construction, first hand in Manila, and the building officials are very exacting)

    1. National Building Code of the Philippines (NBC)

    2. National Structural Code of the Philippines (NSCP)

Frankly, being in the construction industry for a number of years now, these codes are sometimes not followed, especially for small houses and buildings. Some contractors and builders focus on saving money more than following the codes and the safety of the end users. Yes, they do submit plans to the City Hall for Building Permit prior to construction complying with these codes, but upon execution these would sometimes not be followed. For example, instead of putting 100 steel bars in a slab, they only put 80 steel bars since these steel bars will not be seen by the inspectors of the City Hall once concrete is poured.

Also, construction projects take for granted all the other trades in the industry, in what they call the MEPF or the Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing & Fire Protection. These are the other trades that are also very important in construction projects. All buildings are equipped with these MEPF systems when applicable, which is ok. What is not ok is the seismic protection of these systems during earthquake. These systems such as pipes and conduits for water, sewer, drainage, electrical, ventilation, sprinklers, and other relevant systems inside the building are all hanging inside the ceiling, and once the earthquake hits the building, most likely these systems will collapse. There are no provisions for earthquake restraints and protection. That's scary for the end users.

The 2 codes mentioned above and all the other codes in the Philippines are all based on the American standards and codes. Practically, we just copied their code. The scary thing is that our country has a very different situation from America. Their weather there is mostly cold, ours here is hot and humid. It snows there and we have thunderstorms here. The Philippines is right on top of an earthquake zone and America is not. If we are plainly copying and basing from their codes, that only means that our building codes are wrong.

The recent disasters in the Visayas region, more specifically the earthquake in Bohol and the super typhoon Yolanda in Samar and Leyte, are clear proofs of the above paragraphs. Our building codes are based from America's building codes, meaning all the houses in the Philippines are not built to be safe during earthquake and typhoons, since America does not have these incidents on this scale. All the houses in Samar and Leyte that were hit by the super typhoon are all down. Bridges collapsed during the earthquake in Bohol. Obviously, our buildings codes are either one of the 3:

    1.) Our building codes are wrong,

    2.) Our building codes are not strictly implemented, or

    3.) Our building codes are wrong and not strictly implement

Yes, these recent disasters are something to mourn about. But mourning will not do us any good, although it is natural for us to mourn in these tough challenges. Mourning will not benefit us at all.

What's best to do is to rise up and learn from them. We have to update our building codes to prevent these types of disasters from happening again. We have to take into consideration the worst things that could happen. All the houses and buildings must be strong enough to withstand the super typhoons like Yolanda and the earthquake that happened in Bohol, or even stronger ones.

Updating our building codes is only the first half of the equation. Strict implementation and execution of these codes completes the equation.

Human beings survived all the test in time because they have powerful brains that allowed them to adapt to their surroundings and learn from their mistakes. 3

Paolo S. Bellosillo

Paolo Bellosillo's NU12 # 7 - "chARTity" to market paintings of underprivileged

I am always fascinated with arts paintings. It is one of my passions in life. I have always wanted to buy art paintings of all kinds, portraits, landscapes, and abstracts.

The beauty of any art paintings is in the eye of the beholder. If someone paints a face of a person and it does not look like a real person when the painting is finished, it is not necessarily an ugly painting.

Beauty in art is not the finished product itself, but its the work and the effort that brought the finished product. In the above example, if the painting of a face did not look like a real person when finished, but the painter was able to draw that way because of his frustrations in the government, that art is beautiful.

Buying art paintings are very expensive. It will cost you in the range of P5,000 up to P500,000! That's frustrating for art lovers like me but does not have the capital to purchase one.

Now, consider this. What if the buying the piece of art will not only cost you less, but will also allow you to help the needy people? That, in my opinion, is a good investment for your money.

That is "chARTity" - a non-profit organization that lets the artistic talents of the underprivileged and the disabled shine and be recognized by the privileged ones. It will be a charitable institutions that sells the art paintings of the underprivileged and disabled people, and all money and recognition will directly go to the person without any profit to the organization.

Not only will the organization offer affordable art paintings, it also allows people to help the needy.

An art painting that is supposed to look like a beach shore but turned out to look like a swamp, but was painted by a child with cancer, is a magnificent art piece that is worthy of displaying at our homes.

That is CHARITY and ART put together - "chARTity."

 4 <great idea and name

Paolo S. Bellosillo

Paolo Bellosillo's NU12 # 6 - Creative Scrap Business

A scrap yard is a dirty business - literally. It involves trash of other people. But who says there is no business opportunity in this dirty, taken-for-granted business?

If we harness our creativity and imagination, we can turn an ordinary scrap business into an excellent and socially responsible business.

Our company is a construction firm. After every project that we finished, scrap materials are always plenty. Cut steel bars, pipes, paint containers, bent nails, damaged tools, and beyond-repair equipment that cannot be of good use for the company and are ready for disposal. Monthly, we generate almost P10,000 worth of scrap materials from our construction projects, and we sell them to scrap yards.

Resourcefulness is the ability to find quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties given the scarce resources available. It is one of the best characteristics of human beings that allowed them to survive in the harsh conditions of the earth such as the Ice Age and the World Wars. And this characteristic is what separates us from all the other creatures in the planet.

I am thinking of putting up a Creative Scrap Business - a small business that will integrate creativity and resourcefulness with an ordinary scrap business. The idea is I will buy scrap materials from other companies such as our own company on a cheap "per kilo" price, and these will serve as my raw materials for my products.

From there, I will ignite my creativity and resourcefulness. I will use these scrap materials to create something that will be useful, and sell it to people at a profitable price.

Scrap metal sheets, short pipes, and deformed steel bars can make a lamp shade. An empty pail of paint, some scrap metals, and a few plastics can make a flower vase.

Most materials can be combined creatively to create a furniture or an abstract art for home decorations. Abstract art is the trend in decorating our homes. This business creates abstract arts with a twist of creativity, resourcefulness, and thinking outside the box.  3. (please be more specific)

Scrap business has never been out of its box until my proposed Creative Scrap Business.

Paolo S. Bellosillo

Re: Paolo Bellosillo's NU12 # 5 - Dog Playground

Everybody says that having a dog is just like having a child. You feed it, you bathe it, and you spend money for it.

It is no doubt that Filipinos have a soft heart for dogs, especially if they are their pets. They spend so much money for their best friend. They even put their dogs in salons, spa, and pedicures.

Having a dog playground right in the middle of Manila may be a great idea, and a profitable business.

I have a Siberian Husky, and he is very active and hyper. The only time he is able to run is if we jog in the morning and if I let in out inside out backyard. But it seems that our backyard is very small for him. I wanted to have a playground for him where he can be free to run as fast and as far as he wants, do anything he wants, dig as deep as he wants, without me worrying about him getting away.

That's he concept of my proposed business. A dog playground. My customers will be those who want to set their dogs fee from running as fast and as far as they want without being worried, and play with other dogs. Dogs are happy when they are free, and so as their owners.

I will buy a vast land, probably about 1000sqm, and put a high fence all around it. It will just be an open space, and i will put some dog toys in there. Customers can bring in their dogs for a fee, and they can leave them there without worries.

I will also put a restaurant ir cafe beside the land for the owners to relax ans watch their dogs play around.

Future investments may be putting a dog spa, salon, pedicure, and maybe a restaurant for dogs. It will be a haven for the dogs.

Man's love or their dogs, their best friend, is reflected by setting them free and letting them experience the world, just like our children.  4  vg

Paolo S. Bellosillo

Paolo Bellosillo's NU12 # 4 - Productivity - The In Basket

Productivity applies to all individuals in all situations, whether at work, in school, or at home. No matter what the situation is, you have to do an activity as productive and as efficient as possible.

Your brain is only capable of storing small amount of memory, and it will tend to forget all the input in a matter of minutes. You can't rely on your brain to collect and recall all the things that you have to do. You have to have some sort of an external collection of the things that you have to do and not to rely on your brain. So what do you do?

Sometimes the simplest solution is the most effective. For you to be productive, you have to have an "in basket"

An "in basket" is an external system outside your brain that helps you collect, recall, run though, and process all the projects and activities that you need to do, whether today, next week, or next year. It's the simplest way to be productive, and it's just a small invesment. All you need is, yes, a basket or a paper tray.

The idea is to put all the activities that you have do in the "in basket." If you have to call someone, set up a meetin with a client, buy a new tv, prepare for your birthday party, or do this and that project, make everything tangible by writing it in a piece of paper and put it in the "in basket." The idea is you collect all the things that you have to do in a centralized system. This will relieve your brain for thinking about so many things, and you are sure that you won't miss anything.

It is important that at the end of the day, you have tackled all the things in the "in basket" and if possible, empty it.

In this very simple way, you will never forget anything that you have to do. Improving your productivity is as simple as having an "in basket."

Paolo S. Bellosillo  3

   

Paolo Bellosillo's NU12 # 1 - How to Improve Employee Performance

Paolo Bellosillo's NU12 # 1 - How to Improve Employee Performance

Employees are the most vital asset of any company. That's why they are called Human Resources, because like any other resources, employees needed for the company to operate and succeed. It is without doubt that employees is the most important resource of companies because they are the brains and muscles of the entire company. These brains are gifts from God and it can be used to your advantage if you know how to do it.

1. Befriend. Make friends with your employees. If you are connected to them on a personal level, it is more likely that you will be connected on a professional level. It is said that how employees act at home is reflected in how they act in the office. Making connection with your employees is like bridging the gap between you and the employee, and they will be able to pen up to you any thought that he/she has. Befriending an employee opens the door to cooperation, and will surely lead your organization to success.

2. Work Environment. Giving employees the good and right working environment is essential. Their environment, where they work, how soft their seats are, how big their computer monitors are, how air-conditioned the office is, affects the employees work attitudes and habits. Giving them the best working environment is important to them. Work environment must also be cleaned, properly maintained, and pleasing to their eyes. Other than that, the work environment must also be strategic in a way where the flow of their work is smooth. The location of the departments, the offices, the photocopy machine, the pantry, is essential. By giving them the best work environment, they will be able to bring out the best in them.

3. Inspire. Inspiring your employees is the best way to capture not just their minds but their hearts as well. By setting good example to your employees, they will be inspired by you and more likely do the same. It is wrong to assume that as your rank goes up to management level, you are more allowed to be late. It's the other way around. As you assume higher position in a company, the more you must not be late. More so if you are one of the owners of the company. Inspiring your employees brings out the best in them and they will be giving their best for you without you having to instruct them to.

4. Well Being. For the employees, work is not their life. Their life is at home, and work is just a way to improve their lives. Providing them proper well-being is necessary for the improvement of their performance. Giving them benefits such as exercises and time off is crucial. Extra-curricular activities such as sports fests and outings are also vital to the improvement of their performance. Good well-being means good performance.

5. Care. Show your employees that you care for them. Show them that profits for you are not top priority, and caring for your most vital assets is the priority. Care for them, and for sure they will care for their work.

Improving the performance of employees takes more than just the technical aspects of the job. It's also about the non-job activities that you do to motivate them to improve their performance. It only takes determination and focus to achieve your goals.  3  <I like your persistence and spirit.  Keep this up Paolo>

Paolo Bellosillo's NU12#2 - Warning: Your Money may be Skimmed

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Paolo Bellosillo <paolo.bellosillo@yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, Sep 15, 2013 at 9:26 PM
Subject: Paolo Bellosillo's NU12#2 - Warning: Your Money may be Skimmed
To: "profjorge.entrep.nu12@blogger.com" <profjorge.entrep.nu12@blogger.com>, "profjorge.entrep.selfdev@blogger.com" <profjorge.entrep.selfdev@blogger.com>, "www.profjorge.entrep.nu12@blogger.com" <www.profjorge.entrep.nu12@blogger.com>, "profjorge.entrep@gmail.com" <profjorge.entrep@gmail.com>, "profjorge.entrep.sentrep@blogger.com" <profjorge.entrep.sentrep@blogger.com>, "profjorge.entrep.ateneo@blogger.com" <profjorge.entrep.ateneo@blogger.com>
Cc: "profjorge.entrep.nu12@blogger.com" <profjorge.entrep.nu12@blogger.com>, "profjorge.entrep.ateneo@blogger.com" <profjorge.entrep.ateneo@blogger.com>, "profjorge.entrep@gmail.com" <profjorge.entrep@gmail.com>

I lost more than P120,000 in just a week.

Apparently, our ATM Cards and these ATM Machines are not safe. 2 months ago, I checked my ATM account and I was shocked to find several withdrawals worth P30,000 per day. These withdrawals were done at around 12 in the midnight so the withdrawer would not be limited to my daily withdrawal limit of P30,000. The total amount withdrawn from my account was more than P120,000.

I reported the incident to my bank and to BSP, but after several communication letters they will not credit back my money.

I viewed the CCTV footages of the unauthorized ATM transactions and I saw a caucasian man with a hat that covers his face, and he appeared swift and relaxed. He's an expert.

Criminals developed a skimming device that they attach to ATM machines, and this device will capture your PIN and your ATM Card. Last December 2012 I withdrew from an ATM Machine in Eastwood Mall, and it was reported by Megalink that that machine was skimmed during those times. This was how my P120,000 got away.

Be careful. Criminals these days are very smart.  <Hi Paolo, what is your countermeasure?  how do you outsmart the skimmers?>

Paolo S. Bellosillo

--

Prof Jorge Saguinsin

PROMOTING ENTREPRENEURALISM

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