Let us not let social media dictate upon us

Are we always tension filled caused by the Covid-19 pandemic? Many are tension filled these days and when we ask them where it emanates they conveniently point to the havoc caused by Covid-19. This is correct to a certain negligible degree! But what really cause the useless tensions that many of us are feeling right now? It’s our addiction to social media!

Many of us are so addicted to our smart phones and laptops that we always browse facebook and other online portals to get news about what is happening regarding covid-19. Many would even uselessly comment and share news items about it not minding the psychological injury that in can cause to themselves and to those who read and receive it.

When we do this we let social media dictate upon us, we let useless tension creep into our system of thinking. And we end up what? We end up like fools and neurotic people, we end up like headless chickens swarming an unknown environment, all because we let social media dictate upon us.

The Wise and Wisdom filled don’t allow social media to dictate upon them they instead dictate on social media. How are they doing this? For example, they purposely limit their time of exposure to social media for the simple reason that they know the psychological harm that it can cause them.

So, they set limited time to browse facebook and other social media platforms. Say, 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes before retiring at night and that is more than enough for them. And what are they doing for the rest of the day? They go about their usual routines: They clean the house, they read, they listen to uplifting music and useful audio books.

They pray the rosary, they read the bible and reflect upon the word of God. They tend their gardens with facemask of course :) and they talk to their plants but let us not overdo talking to our plants because our neighbors might accuse us of neurosis :) :) :).

We can still do so much outside of social media; we can plan on how to carefully walk the post covid-19 new normal. And then we set our sights and soon after sail and carefully navigate to a bright, hopeful and faith filled future ahead of us. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Leadership, Organizational Culture and the Covid-19 pandemic

Organizational culture is the standard, philosophy and shared ideal of an organization. Organizations that have competent culture are the ones that succeed.

For an organizational culture to be pervasive; it needs to be implemented from the top management down to the lowest ranked employee of an organization. A good and competent Organizational Culture is very contagious especially when it is thoroughly implemented and lived by its leaders.

For example, in the present Covid-19 pandemic many countries are struggling to fight this pandemic. On the other hand there are also countries such as Taiwan, Vietnam, South Korea, Germany  Singapore, Israel, New Zealand and Japan that are able to contain the spread of this Covid-19 pandemic. What separates them from the other countries that are struggling to contain the spread of this pandemic notwithstanding the draconian measures that they have instituted?

What separate these countries are the competent organizational Culture that they’ve put in place. And who is in charge of putting in place this competent organizational Culture? It’s their respective leaders! 

 A good and competent Culture also attracts the best and brightest work force. For the reason that everyone would want to work for a company that has a good organizational culture. Who would not like to work for an organization that has a competent organizational culture?

For an organizational culture to be effective, it must be inculcated into the minds of the employees during their very first day of work. This is normally facilitated by orientation wherein the newly hired employee is informed about the culture and other policies of the organization. The workers are introduced to the many guidelines of their new organization. And if competently done it is expected that these employees would follow every rules and regulations of their new organization.

Does your organization have a good and competent Organizational Culture? - Marino J. Dasmarinas

How do you motivate yourself?

Can you still find the motivation to work in this era of Covid-19? 

Motivation is a positive energy that fuels an individual or group of individuals to achieve their organizational and personal goals. Usually there’s a person who motivates and there are people who are being motivated. This is usually the scheme of things.

But can we motivate ourselves considering that the pandemic called covid-19 is ravaging the world? Yes we still can! Notwithstanding the discouraging business and societal environment! We have to remember that motivation is a positive state of mind. Everything begins in the mind, if we have a positive mind and heart sets motivation is within us already.

What is important is we persist and believe in what we are doing. And for as long as we continue with what we are doing sooner or later there would be realization of what we are aspiring for.

For those who are losing heart already and is soon to give it all up. Don’t raise the white flag of surrender motivate yourself by doing the following:

1.) Pray and ask God to strengthen you!

2.) Think positive and believe in yourself because nobody else will believe you if you don’t      believe in yourself!

3.) Post inspirational quotations that will inspire you to continue!

4.) Be inspired by Motivational stories.

 5.) Work hard and never ever give up!

Saint Augustine once said: "Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you."  - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Leadership in the era of Covid-19 pandemic

In a faraway place lived an arrogant king who was advised by his people to prepare for an incoming dreaded disease. The king arrogantly told his people that they need not worry because he will immediately kill the dreaded disease the moment it arrives in his kingdom. Soon after, the dreaded disease arrived and because of his arrogance and laxity his kingdom was ravaged by the dreaded disease.

How does one exercise leadership in the era of Covid-19? Effective leaders during this time should be proactive in anticipating what can occur ahead. For example, due to the flat economic activity lay-offs of employees would seem predictable. However, a good leader/manager must not only look at lay-offs as a solution to sustain the survival of the organization. Temporary reduction of working days should also be looked at as an alternative until the economic activity begins to increase and normalize.

Ego-tripping and the mindset of I am the only voice in the organization must be discarded. Leaders who are ego-tripper and power-tripper are insecure thus they are not good leaders. Leaders during these extra-ordinary times must be humble but decisive and they must listen to the other well-intentioned voices in the organization.

Countries that are being severely ravaged by the Covid-19 virus are countries who took action reactively. They belatedly instituted measures to counter the pandemic when it was already in their territories. For example, belatedly imposing travel restrictions.

Other countries took action proactively they closed their borders ahead of time. They immediately quarantined and monitored those whom they suspected to be carriers of the Covid-19 virus. They also proactively imposed travel restrictions ahead of time.

Leaders who are talkative are also strongly admonished to do away with this ego-infested mindset. Because this only exposes their incompetence the more they talk the more that they waste the precious time of their employees. Excessive talking is cheap during times of emergencies. What the people wants from their leaders are concrete acts of leadership.

In times of crisis such as this pandemic Covid-19 virus the actions and pronouncements of leaders will surely determine their fate in the organization. The best leaders are those who are able to tow their organization outside the door of the crisis. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

The wise and wisdom filled leaders listen first before they speak

The story is told about a leader who called for an important meeting among his direct reports. He did so because he wanted some changes effected in his department. When the meeting started the leader talked lengthy about his plans for their department. After he spoke he gave the limited time that they had to his subordinates to share whatever ideas that they may have.

After all of his direct reports were through sharing their ideas he found out that their ideas were very different from his own ideas. He was now in a dilemma on how he would reconcile this gap.

Typical, egotistical and authority drunk leaders always speak first during important meetings. They do this to emphasize their authority and to let everyone know who is the boss and master of their organization. In doing so, they highlight their selfish, autocratic and ego-driven intentions and behavior.   

On the other hand, when a leader lets his direct reports speak first he is silently telling them that their opinion and ideas matter. That they are important and that they have a voice that needs to be heard. When we listen first we are silently able to align their ideas to our ideas and we can adjust our intentions without prejudicing their intentions. So, we can easily arrive with a win-win outcome.

When the leader is the last to speak it doesn’t mean that he is weak, that he is relinquishing his leadership and authority. As matter of fact he is actually strengthening, solidifying and reinforcing his leadership and authority. This also shows that the leader is wisdom filled, confident and humble. – Marino J. Dasmarinas    

Humanize your leadership

The story is told about a slave driver manager who would always treat his subordinates as expendable machines. That needs to work hard day in and day out. This was always the scenario for so many months until the subordinates had enough of the slave driver mentality of their manager.

So they talked to the said manager and warned him that if he would not change his foul behavior towards them. They would petition for his replacement. Aware of the repercussion if his subordinates would petition him he therefore changed his way of treatment towards his subordinates.

Organizational leadership is not only about the achievement of organizational goals, targets and objectives. It is also about humanely treating our employees. What use would it be if we are able to achieve our organizational targets when we don’t treat our employees humanely? If we treat them like robots?

We have to be aware that organizational leadership is not all about meeting the organization’s objectives and goals. It’s also about treating our employees rightly and humanely. So, how do we humanize our leadership in the midst of the frenetic pace of an organization?

Number one is we have to be inclusive when exercising our leadership function as much as possible. To be inclusive means that we consult and solicit the ideas of our subordinates before we do leadership decisions. The beauty of inclusive leadership is we convey a message to our subordinates that they are not simply employees. That they too are decision makers and vital members of the organizational family.

Number two is we have to be helpful. Many leaders choose to stay in their ivory towers and look and lead from afar. For the reason that they are already leaders they choose to create distance rather than mitigate the distance by being helpful towards their subordinates. When we are helpful towards our subordinates we create an invisible bond with our subordinates. Invisible bond which we can always activate whenever we want to activate it.

Number three is we have to be up close and personal in the right manner with our subordinates. Some filthy minded leaders take advantage of being up close and personal with their subordinates by despicably trying to build sexual relationship with them.

Being up close and personal with our subordinates simply means that we try to get to know them better and personally. For example, we try to know their family and once in a while inquire about how their family is doing etc. And it ends there.

There are infinite benefits when we humanize our leadership primary among this is we increase the intrinsic motivation of our employees. Therefore, try to humanize your leadership and see the transformation that it would bring to the behavior and motivation of your subordinates. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Why is there a need for leaders to learn more?

The story is told about a young man that got promoted to a leadership position in the land development company which he works for. The Chief Executive Officer of the company saw a promising future for the man. She therefore told the young man: “Keep on learning: Learn from your mistakes, learn from your interactions with the people in this organization and learn by taking a post graduate course for it would help you ascend the organizational hierarchy.”

Why is there a need for leaders to learn? Because leaders who learn and who use their learning are effective leaders, why? For the simple reason that they don’t stagnate, they make their minds work and it strengthens mental activity which reinforces their leadership skills.

If exercise is for the strengthening and development of the body, learning is for the strengthening and development of the mind. If a person is not anymore willing to learn it certainly would hasten his/her advance to the geriatric ward of life.  Henry Ford the founder of the Ford Motors Company once said: “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty.”   

We increase our value as a leader when we have an appetite for learning. Because it open us new avenues for promotion and other opportunities in the workplace. And it makes us desirable for piracy by other organization that would offer higher compensation.

But many are not inclined with learning anymore for the simple reason that it would entail burning the midnight oil/candle. It entails sacrifice, effort and time however everything that is invested into learning is worth it. Perhaps not immediately but it surely will come in handy in the future when there’s an opportunity for promotion.

So, keep on learning: Read books, read articles and commentaries that relates to your field of interest. Use google to the hilt to learn more.   For learning is the elixir of the mind. – Marino J. Dasmarinas