Objective Setting

As Quality Manager, I take effort in inculcating the importance of objective setting in our office activities.  It seems however that I have not fully internalized this practice.

When we planned our trip to Manila, I knew what we set out to do. I had my own objectives.  Unfortunately, I did not ask the other members of the team what their objectives were.  Yesterday's trip made me realize my mistake.  Eyn was not happy with our frequent excursions which had us leaving the condo around lunchtime and arriving home near midnight.  I explained that we were in Manila and we were supposed to go to places and buy things that are not available in Iloilo.  He commented that it was not what he had in mind when he set out for the trip.  His objective was to have his fill of playing in Alex' computers.  To placate him, I bargained that we will go home early so that he can do what he wanted to do.  But to my surprise, he replied that there is no need for me to do so since doing such may adversely affect the fulfillment of the others' objectives.  His pronouncement made me cringe inside.  I realized that while I'd been espousing team efforts and process improvements in the office, I conveniently made a demarcation line between the office and our house.  And it should not have been so.  Eyn was not very happy because he made plans which were not fleshed out.  I felt bad because I realized that I was not able to consider his plans and include it in the overall picture. PDCA is not something that can be relegated to the workplace. It is a practice that must be made part of our everyday lives.

When Our Children Go Away to College

My daughter is now in college.  I accompanied her to Manila to ease her transition from the relatively laidback Iloilo to the forever-hurrying pace of the Metro. The trip went smoothly but my journey was not.  Into day 3, I realized that the initial months will be difficult for her, having been used to a sheltered life at home.  When she sent a text message saying she wanted to go home, I cried. It was when I realized that the initial months will be difficult for both of us.  When our children go away to college, we come face to face with the realization that we cannot shield them from life forever.  As much as we would like to spare them from pain and heartaches, we can't.  Much as we would like to claim their fears for our own, we can't.  How we wish that we can be near them always and make life easy for them.  But we know we shouldn't.  Not if we want them to be the person that we hope they will be: strong and wise and kind.
When our children go away to college, we would want to send them off with enough money and food and clothes.  We save up for college in the hope that we can accumulate enough resources to help them get by.  Sometimes, we forget that the most valuable send-off gifts are more than material.  Our most important send-off gifts when our children go to college are the core values that we have instilled in them during the early stages of their lives.
Have we loved them enough to be accepting of other people?  Have we set a good example about sharing so that they will know when to be a person for others?  Have we taught them well so that they will love the pursuit of knowledge?   Have we made them feel secure that they will have the courage to plow through when things get difficult?  Have we taught them how to pray hard so that they will have faith in the face of challenges?  Have we made them laugh so that they can share their laughter with others?  Have we  been humble enough so that they have learnt to appreciate the wisdom of other people?  Have we been confident enough so that they value their worth?  Have we been persons worth emulating?
When our children go away to college, we come to realize the full magnitude of being parents. Have we prepared them well?  Have we too, prepared well?

Nanay in the Big City

Reason for being in the Big City

I am a big fan of Newton's First Law of Motion, the one which talks about inertia, or how an object will remain as is, at standstilll, or while moving at the same speed in the same direction, unless an outside force acts on it.  I also believe that mothers have low inertia.  This means that mothers, by the very nature of their being, cannot afford to remain on a standstill or keep moving in a straight line at constant speed.  There is always an external force, and the degree of change will always depend on how big the external force is.  Well, this time, the external force is education.  Tertiary education, that is, and this Nanay has set her sights on having her daughter get tertiary education in a Big City school. ... (to be continued)