NU 12 by KC - new paradigm

Hi Sir,

Here is my 6th NU 12 blog - changing the traditional "management style" in our office.

Thank you!

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Crisostomo, Kathleen Lizette C.

ENTREP

NU 12: New attitude / paradigm

How effective is it to use a non-bureaucratic system within your team when the entire company is in bureaucracy?

I've been managing my small operations group for only 2 years now.   Looking back, I had no idea on how to manage people when I accepted my promotion.  I tried applying the system I have been reading from my MBA books.  I learned that the trend nowadays in the workplace is having a leaner group with less decentralization, and that was what I did. 

No one in my team is allowed to call me "ma'am", "miss" or "boss".  They all call me on a first name basis.  I maintained a very lean group of 3 senior people and 1 assistant.  I allocated each one to be accountable and responsible of their own accounts and job orders to be filled.  They have to face the clients themselves, work on their own strategies and only report to me the details at the end of the day.  I let them take leaves when they wanted to and I encouraged them to always be open with their thoughts, no holds barred.  I was only looking at the macro perspective, which is meeting the team's annual revenue and reporting to our country manager and regional office for sales performance.  My team enjoyed the freedom and flexibility, but I made sure I get to hammer those who did not perform because they are accountable for their own decisions.  I was supposed to be the last resort for all decisions.  Outside the workplace, we became friends and even had personal conversations with each other.

After a few months on working on this paradigm of non-bureaucracy and a leaner environment, I noticed how my other colleagues reacted to my team's work ethics.  Other rank and file employees would call their bosses "sir", "miss" or "TL", and some only found out I am a manager because of my email signature.  They felt my team was disrespectful or that I was too casual towards my team.  Others had to really beg their bosses for approvals on leaves and would get turned down because of client demands, while they noticed one of my team members was out on a very long vacation.  They could not reach out directly to their clients because they bosses are the front liners while my team members made negotiations on their own.  My team can easily enter a company director's office without notice while others could not do just that.  In the end I realized I am the only one in the company who created this culture for my team, and that after all, we are still in the Philippines and we were raised to have a traditional, bureaucratic system.

To be very honest, I am not sure how long my work paradigm will be effective when the rest of the company is still in a traditional setting.  Even if I let my team take leaves as they please, it still needs to be approved by my Director and HR.  Even if I give them a flexible time schedule to follow a US-time client demand, office hours are still from 830 am to 530 pm.  The other managers should still be addressed with a "ma'am or a "sir" and those from other departments still call me "ma'am".  I've had a lot of people inquiring on how to move to my team but I also know a lot who would rather stick to their usual process.

I may be challenging the status quo here, but this is how I think an employee should be in the office: you know what to do, strategize how you should do it, take responsibility for your actions, then rest because tomorrow is another day.  I'm not always meeting my sales targets but I know I made a difference in some employee's life. 3.5

NU 12 - by KC, sandwhich spread in sachet

Hi Sir,

Below is my 4th NU 12 paper.  just let me know if the embedded pictures do not upload.

Thank you!

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Crisostomo, Kathleen Lizette C.

ENTREP

NU 12: New business ideas

I'm a HUGE bread person.  I rarely eat rice and I get majority of my carbs from breads, particularly sandwiches.  I always have a sandwich for lunch and will bring it with me wherever I have coffee, milk tea or juice with my colleagues.

Back in college, I remember a classmate buying a sachet of Cheez Whiz from a vendo machine in school.  I was used to having the cheese spread in its regular glass bottle, so I thought it was cool to bring a small squeezable amount to spread to a sandwich.  When I was browsing the net earlier, I saw that an innovation where you can squeeze and spread at the same time:

<a href="http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/lengyistherealbombdiggity/?action=view&amp;current=philadelphia.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/lengyistherealbombdiggity/philadelphia.jpg" border="0" alt="cream cheese"></a>

Then I remember seeing a glue-stick type butter in an email forwarded to me by an officemate:

<a href="http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/lengyistherealbombdiggity/?action=view&amp;current=butter_stick_type.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/lengyistherealbombdiggity/butter_stick_type.jpg" border="0" alt="butter stick type"></a>

When I went to Malaysia last month, I was surprised to see a tube version of a hazelnut sandwich spread:

<a href="http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/lengyistherealbombdiggity/?action=view&amp;current=Hazelnutspread.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/lengyistherealbombdiggity/Hazelnutspread.jpg" border="0" alt="hazelnut tube"></a>

New Business

Because sandwich preparation has now become easier for everyone, and with the event of more D-I-Y stores, I started thinking of developing my own "make-your-own-sandwich" concept store.  This is not the common store where you just tell them what you want in the sandwich and wait for it to be prepared.  In this store, you prepare everything from scratch by yourself and you pay by the weight.

First, the customer has to select the types of bread he prefers (wheat, white, foccacia, Panini, ciabatta, etc.).  Then he selects his dressing, sauce, jam or spread using a dispenser similar to the one being used in frozen yogurt shops:

<a href="http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/lengyistherealbombdiggity/?action=view&amp;current=qooladispense.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/lengyistherealbombdiggity/qooladispense.jpg" border="0" alt="qoola pic"></a>

The customer then adds his desired toppings from a variety of fruits, vegetables, meats (cold cuts, tuna, chicken slices, burger, etc.) and other spices and toppings such as cheese.  The sandwich is then weighed and the customer pays for the cost based on the weight indicated.  Should the customer want to have the sandwich heated, pressed or grilled, he may request for it at an added cost.  In this manner, the customer has more control on what and how much of each should be on his sandwich.  This will also make the customer feel he is getting what he actually paid for, as opposed to the disappointment he can get if the sandwich he receives is not what he expected:

<a href="http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/lengyistherealbombdiggity/?action=view&amp;current=20962_1333707104345_1281066881_959368_1566073_n.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/lengyistherealbombdiggity/20962_1333707104345_1281066881_959368_1566073_n.jpg" border="0" alt="burger burger"></a>

Risks

The freshness of the ingredients, the cleanliness of the store and the safety of materials need to be monitored constantly.  Chances are customers will actually get to touch the food items because they are creating the sandwiches themselves.  There should also be personnel assisting each item category (bread / dressing, jam or spread / fruits and vegetables / protein / extra toppings); however, the customers will still put the ingredients in the sandwiches by themselves.

Admittedly, Philippines is a rice country and not necessarily a sandwich country.  People may not necessarily think of sandwiches for lunch or dinner but this challenge will serve as an alternative for people on the go, particularly employees who have little time but more budget and flexibility to choose what to eat.  Because they also created their own sandwich, they will be more comfortable knowing what really goes into what they are eating.  How many times have we asked ourselves, how exactly did they cook this? 4

NU 12 KC- What pisses you off at the School

Hi Sir,

Below is my 2^nd NU 12 blog.

Thank you!

KLC

ENTREP

NU 12: What pisses you off at AGSB?  What must be done?

DISCLAIMER: I’m writing this blog while I’m hungry; hence, I must be delusional.  These are just my opinions. J

It’s April 2012.  Vacation time for most students and summer time fun for almost everyone.  It’s the crucial week after holy week when people just look forward to taking a break or traveling to combat the rising heat in the metro.  For most Ateneo MBA students though, this period is called third trimester of the school year.  While my father and siblings are out playing golf and my mother is maximizing the capacity of a beauty parlor, here I am at home typing a paper for school while sipping a cup of white coffee and chewing on a banana muffin.  Not a bad way to end my Saturday.

Everyone seems to be in “chillax” mode these days except for the MBA students and professors.  I have always taken Saturday classes and this is the first semester where I only took weekday classes.  Previously, I could afford to go out to have lunch or dinner in Powerplant Mall because of the flexibility of a Saturday schedule.  On weekdays however, I could only rely on our cafeteria to satisfy my hunger.  For the last few weeks, I have noticed a decrease in the amount of food being served.  The alternate food stalls are also closed.  This did not happen last semester where we could still ponder on the food choices in the cafeteria even up to before 9 pm.

This Saturday morning, the amount of food being served is back to normal but several alternate food stalls remained closed.  I went up to San Francisco Coffee to get my fix of their hot chocolate which I do every Saturday, and this time they are also closed.  I started to think if these actions were caused by the summer break of the Law School students.

For three weeks now, I have also noticed regular church goers in the Ateneo Professional Schools Chapel being informed by our security personnel that there are no masses because of the summer break.  “We in AGSB are not in summer break”, I told myself.  If food supply is being decreased due to an expected decrease in population of students within the building for the next few months, I would understand but not without shaking my head in disbelief.  However, if other functions within school also have to cease because of this, I don’t think this is acceptable—especially if we are talking about religious obligations.  We also had college summer breaks in Ateneo in Loyola Heights and the population also decreased, but other units did not stop functioning.

I was browsing through Facebook last night when I saw one of my classmate’s status messages: “wala pa ring grade sa _______. Huhu”.  I checked my AGSB account and realized all my subjects last semester have no grades yet.  I just had a final paper defense earlier this morning, so I would understand the state of my subjects.  I don’t understand though why we don’t have grades in other subjects where the requirements have been completed one week prior to finals week.  I have no personal problems on this since I pay for my own tuition but I have classmates who need to get their grades for a reimbursement from their company.  I see some of my professors around school but I also know some who are outside the country and then I get reminded again—ah, it is summer break.

Why do we have to stop moving because others have also stopped?

If we are all on summer mode, can I now wear flip flops to school?

I must be overreacting but I think the regular activities in school should not halt just because another function has halted.  The AGSB population continues to be in motion throughout the entire calendar year and we all need the school management’s support for the entire year as well.  The food should continue to flow, masses should continue to take place and professors should still be present for us to confirm the results of the past semester’s hard work.  I think we can all agree on these.  If there will be changes because of the summer culture, then even those who are in school should enjoy the summer experience with a few lenient changes on their own.  It’s hard to stop when you are on a momentum, but even harder to recover when you lose that momentum.

I’m still looking forward to my next weekday class and hope that the milk tea stall is open again. 3

<We cook our own food, or buy elsewhere, why dont we appoint a committee or a group to handle the class food requirements, or order food? Let us focus on solutions, that we could do
 and not rely on the leadership. That would have made the grade of this submission higher.

<  I submit my grades at once but there seems to be an IT infrastructue problem at the school.>

Regards,

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NU 12 - New Spending Habits by KC

Hi Sir,

Below is my blog for NU 12 (New spending habits / routine).  If the images do not load, just let me know.

Thank you,

Kathleen Crisostomo

Crisostomo, Kathleen Lizette C.

ENTREP

NU 12: New spending habits / routine

"Kuripot" is the best word to describe me, but not without a reason.

I once had a La Sallian boyfriend who maxed out my credit card and left me with PHP 20,000 worth of debt and collections letters from lawyers.  I was 21 years old, a fresh graduate from the Ateneo, struggling with a minimum wage salary, and now literally penniless with no savings whatsoever.  The man disappeared without paying me.  On an afternoon where I found myself crying while doing a 1-2-3 (riding a public vehicle without paying for it) from Cubao to Alabang, I swore to myself right then and there—this is not happening to me ever again.

That was when my attitude of extreme thrift and money-consciousness started.

I realized during that time how important money was for survival.  It might sound strange for some people to hear that I only realized that after college, but you can only imagine the burden of not being able to admit my problem to my parents!  Paying it off is one thing; getting back on my feet to start over again is another.

Daily Accounting

For several years now, I have been tracking all my savings and expenses, following the formula: EARNINGS – SAVINGS = EXPENSES.  The common misconception for most people is that they follow the wrong formula: EARNINGS – EXPENSES = SAVINGS.  With that kind of mindset, they will not be able to save up anything.  I started doing my list manually with an old notebook and a collection of receipts.  Soon enough, I started to use MS Excel as suggested by my father who all these years has been managing monthly his personal cash flow statements.

I keep 1 file per calendar year of expenses.  This helps me manage how much I have spent and earned for the entire year.  I have a tab for each month of the year and another tab for the accumulated total year worth of expenses.  There are no exclusions to the data being inputted.  I showed this to one of my classmates, John Ng, and he was surprised to see that even a PHP 9 Cloud 9 chocolate bar was not spared.

I start off with the beginning balance, also known as my monthly budget, and next I put my estimated savings and then the breakdown of possible expenses.  Should I have other forms of earnings such as commissions from work, I indicate the breakdown on separate columns.

Here is my breakdown for the month ending March 2012:

Here is a sample of my daily expense list for the first 2 days of March 2012:

I sometimes exceed expenses, but I make sure it has little effect on my savings.

The Expenses

A huge chunk of my earnings goes to my credit card which I am planning to completely pay off by the middle of the year.  I plan to say goodbye to my credit for good.  It hurts more to pay in cash but it makes you more responsible to know you could lose everything in a snap.  Better to have no cash than to be in debt.

Unlike most women, I do not like shopping.  Honestly.  I like fashionable clothes, bags and shoes but I do not live for them.  My idea of shopping is browsing the net or reading magazines to check what looks good so that when I go the mall it only takes maximum of 1 hour for me to shop.  I sell my old clothes and shoes in eBay and I earn extra for selling things I no longer need while being clutter-free at the same time.  I also buy clothes in eBay for a quarter of the original price in malls.  What I do spend money and time on is to go to our neighborhood tailor and have old clothes altered for only PHP 50 – PHP 250.

I treat myself out once in a while in forms of wellness and food.  Again, I try not to overspend.  I prefer our neighborhood massage service for only PHP 150 than to pay almost PHP 1,000 in a posh spa.

As much as I can, I do not ride taxi's or FX's unless really, really needed.  They take so much out of my pocket.  I would rather walk or take public transportation—a non-air conditioned one is just fine.  I ride a shuttle from Las Pinas to Makati for a whooping PHP 70 when I can ride a bus for only PHP 36!  I walk from AGSB to EDSA (Estrella) every night when I have classes and I do not mind.

I invest a lot in sports from equipment, running gear to specialized drinks.  Sports take a load on my expenses but I believe it's better to invest now than to invest in the hospital later.  I used to joke at the idea that the money I win during competitions can be used for future injury recovery—until I actually got injured because of running using the wrong pair of shoes (I used to wear Vibram Five Fingers Bikila).  I am saving up on another pair of running shoes for long distance runs.  In spite of this, I make sure I do not overspend on sports.  I never buy for the brand name.

The Savings

Majority of my savings go to my tuition fee.  I pay for my own MBA education which is not cheap, but what I have been learning for the last 3 years has been worth more than what I could possibly spend.  I am also continuously preparing for my "contingency fund" in case I get unemployed for any reason or for other emergencies.  My goal is to keep at least 3x of my monthly salary as a cash back-up excluding all possible expenses.  I have not yet reached that level but I will get there soon.

Savings should also turn to investments.  Last year, I was able to save enough to buy 3 pairs of running shoes, a hydration belt, join 13 races and to travel in 3 new locations.  This year, I plan to save up to travel, join long distance races, buy a new gate for our house and possibly invest in the stock market.  I believe the key to saving is dreaming.  If you dream big, you will save to reach it.  My first major investment was in second year high school when I bought my own mobile phone using my PHP 50 daily allowance.  My parents do not want to buy me one but because I really wanted it, I made sure I get it.

April 2012

I am writing this while here drinking milk here in Malaysia, looking at the little Ringgit I have and making very strict computations on what to do tomorrow.  But like what Vivien Leigh said in Gone with the Wind, tomorrow is another day.

I am astounded by people who do not have savings.  I end up asking, "what is wrong with you?" while looking at their new Zara shoes.  I believe people do not need traumatic experiences for them to start managing their money wisely.  It's all about discipline and dreaming.  You should know what you want and start working on how to get it.

Sent from my iPhone via MY MAXIS 4