Management Formula

Leaders have character

While watching the evening news, I realized how intelligent people easily diminished their character without really trying.

The Greek word for character means “tried and tested” and “proven to be reliable”. So when a legal “genius” like Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago speaks, we expect people to listen. Unfortunately, I think that she has a credibility problem. It seems that every time she opens her mouth, it is to the defense of her President. Worst, her President also has below zero trust rating.

A person may speak like a fast-talking machine, or quote the Bible or recite the Constitution of the Philippines backward, but without character that person can be compared to a jester who lacks humor.

Do we have schools for character building? I guess our intelligent government officials, to become effective communicators and leaders, must go back to school.

What do you think?

Are we smarter than 5th graders?

Are you smarter than a 5th grader?

I guess most of us will answer in the affirmative. But every time I watch the show, I wonder why most adult Americans seemed to be not as smart as a 5th grader. In fact, some of them find first grade questions difficult to answer that they need to depend on their classmaters answers. I actually have no doubt that the Filipino grade 5 students can also answer most of the questions.

It does not follow, however, that adult Filipinos are better than the Americans. All you need is to watch Wowowee and Eat Bulaga- two noon time shows – and you will surely be entertained by the answer contestants give to simple questions like 102 – 2. Or the English word for Papaya.

I was not surprised therefore when some pro-Erap rallyist were interviewed on how they understood word PLUNDER. Out of the seven persons interviewed, seven gave answers which will make Estrada laugh out loud. One said that it is not right for Erap to be imprisoned simply because he has many wives. Another one, scratching her head said she forgot but assured the interviewer that she knows it before.

I don’t know if I should be bothered. But I was thinking: if we don’t know simple knowledge like the three primary colors, how could we come up with big ideas that will help transform the world into a better place? People are fighting for something they do not understand. So, I wonder why some people are not fighting for what they understand.

What went wrong with our education? Are we smarter than 5th graders?

Pay for Big Ideas

I just had a short conversation with a future friend. Alma is a program director of one of the training arms of European Chamber of Commerce. We were exploring the possibilities of partnership in soft skills training programs.

During our conversation, we talked about costing (read: my talent fee!). We did not come up with definite rate yet. I actually don’t have a flat rate. When others are proud to say that they are worth 5,000 per hour, I say that I am not a laborer. I caught myself smiling when she said that they usually rate the facilitators “based on experience.” Let me tell you why.

Two things came to my mind: (1) people rate their training fees based on the number of hours, and (2) people rate their training fees based on experience.

Why Not 5000 Pesos per Hour

I don’t have flat per hour rate. In my previous entries, I explained that a lot of people thought that they are paying you for that eight hours that you are conducting a workshop. Some “high caliber trainors’ are happy with 40,000 pesos. Cut it into half-day (about four hours) and they will be happy with 20,000. People here in the Philippines think that it is actually immoral to be paid 5000 pesos for each hour of talking. And people pay you for that amount, that means you are “big time”.

Professional trainors spend countless hours which unfortunately people don’t know until he started opening his mouth and moving people to change. Professional trainors have the discipline of theater actors who keep on improving the delivery of their role though they have been acting on stage for years. You don’t pay professional actors based on the length of time they stay on stage.

I customized programs. Sometimes, I spend weeks to come up with one good program that will help a company, and even the various kinds of people, all with different purposes, in my public seminars. One HR managers once said that since I have already delivered Customer Service workshop many times, I don’t need to prepare anymore. In an attempt to get discounts, the manager betrayed his lack of ideas about the purposes of training– and he does not know that no one size fits all.

How much will I charge you for one day seminar? I think I can charge 200,000 for one day. I can also conduct the seminar for free. Very much like an actor, right?

Why Not Just Based On Experience

Because experience is just a matter of years. People say that experience is the best teacher. That is not true. A well-evaluated experience is a good teacher, but even that is not enough. I am not saying that I don’t respect experience. I do. And I listen to old people when they tell their stories. I want to learn from them hoping that I will not repeat their past mistakes.

Yes, I am still young, but I don’t lack experience. But I don’t charge people because I have experience. You know, when it comes to knowledge and skill, experience has another face. That face is called OBSOLETE. Obsolete,and ideas based on wrong paradigm, are still taught in universities. And Oh My! because they are taught by “experienced” people they are accepted without question.

I conduct seminars almost everyday not only to gain experience. Experience is just a stepping stone.So, if your eyes are still on the “experienced” guys, you might miss the goal.

Pay for the BIG IDEAS

What is your big idea? That’s what people come for in your seminars. They expect that because of their time with you as you share your big ideas with them, they will see the beautiful change in their lives happening soon. It can be an hour, a day, or a week.

But Still People Don’t Know Our Big Ideas

Yes, that’s why I find it easy to understand why people always look for “experienced” consultants. You cannot simply gamble your money with a young speaker like Jef Menguin.

For example, I have been attending Transco Toastmasters meeting for more than two years now. Not even for once I was able to conduct workshop there. My competition, according to them, have 120 years of combined experience in the business. “It does not matter much what you can do. The tale of the tape–the cv–decided your fate.” However, a simple reading of their handouts will reveal that they are simply giving techniques which we all have already learned in college which, unfortunately, do not work in the workplace.

Last time I heard, they were looking for other consultants with impressive long years of experience. The Train the Trainors workshop they had with the ” experienced ones” did not work. Will I submit a proposal? Most likely not. I have more pressing matters to do. I look for those who pay not for the hour of work or for the long years of working, but for those who would be interested with big ideas.

Value of repetition in speeches

Persuasion is a task of skill. You must bring to your aid in speaking every available resource. An effective weapon at times is a “remorseless iteration.” Have the courage to repeat yourself as often as may be necessary to impress your leading ideas upon the minds of your hearers. Note the forensic maxim, “tell a judge twice whatever you want him to hear; tell a special jury thrice, and a common jury half a dozen times, the view of a case you wish them to entertain.”

On Memorizing Speeches

Some of the most highly successful speakers carefully wrote, revised, and committed to memory important passages in their speeches. These they wove into the body of their addresses in such a natural manner as not to expose their method.

This plan, however, is not to be generally recommended, since few men have the faculty of delivering memorized parts so as to make them appear extempore. If you recite rather than speak to an audience, you may be a good entertainer, but just to that degree will you impair your power and effectiveness as a public speaker.

There are speakers who have successfully used the plan of committing to memory significant sentences, statements, or sayings, and skilfully embodying them in their speeches. You might test this method for yourself, tho it is attended with danger.

If possible, join a local debating society, where you will have excellent opportunity for practice in thinking and speaking on your feet. Many distinguished public speakers have owed their fluency of speech and self-confidence to early practice in debate.