“Quentas claras”:

Does it go against our grain?

As we move into the New Year and deeper into the 21st century, we need to get a better handle on competitiveness. (The way the cross-section of our society talks about our economy, one can draw that we continue to box ourselves within a very narrow playing field? What about thinking outside the box?)

Competitiveness demands innovation and excellence; not simply innovation but excellence in innovation – from idea generation to execution to winning in the marketplace, regional and global. And innovation starts with an inquisitive, challenging and forward-looking mind!

Are our values (e.g., tradition and hierarchy, among others) inhibiting us to be more inquisitive? Still wet behind the ears, the short 10- or 15-minute the writer had with a Filipino entrepreneur (may he rest in peace; a son is today amongst Forbes wealthiest Filipinos) was like a revelation: “you’re a young – and I hope . . . promising – manager, you have to develop inquisitiveness”!

Does our dependence on OFW remittances undermine any inclination to compete regionally or globally – to pursue excellence in innovation? To simply adapt to our circumstances fails the test of inquisitiveness espoused by the Filipino entrepreneur, thus be alien to innovation and excellence? (The writer is delighted to read that Rota Philippines is successfully exporting world-class alloy wheels. He met Romy Rojas, the man behind, through his wife who was a colleague, 39 years ago; but have not crossed path since. We need more Rota, Jollibee and Splash!)

Part of inquisitiveness as practised by global companies is succession planning. Every manager must be able to answer: “God forbid, if you’re hit by a truck, who is your successor? You must have 4 potential successors and we as an organization must be committed to developing them”!

After arriving from Eastern Europe a few weeks ago, the writer was in a supermarket outside New York and was delighted that the company he retired from had the most eye-grabbing product on the shelf amid the countless competing products. It confirmed the webcast presentation from the CEO a couple of months earlier that the company’s new-product pipeline was indeed healthy.

A case of déjà vu? Many years prior the then CEO reacted to a brand that was killed by a young marketing manager in a subsidiary by intoning: “I’m very proud of you, for developing a better product than I did when I was in the subsidiary”!

While back in the States, the writer is going over the 2010 budget of his Eastern European client; he has a big smile looking at the new-product portfolio: (a) a senior R&D person is hired from a major western global company, (b) the R&D manager confirms that the new formulations for the biggest brands will deliver the benefits desired by consumers, (c) thus be compelling products, (d) yet yield greater margins and generate a robust fund for stepped up, aggressive marketing across the region and (e) go toe-to-toe with global behemoths from the West – innovation does not have to be rocket science!

For decades we have been consumed by OFW remittances. Yet for decades our economy has not taken off – from underdeveloped status: “que sera sera”? And so the ADB is talking about us suffering from Dutch Disease – we’ve had it for decades? Still we have a saving grace: Jesus’ ancestors weren’t perfect either!

Innovation and excellence can’t be skin deep – they must be a way of life . . . We must espouse “quentas claras” if we expect our grandchildren and great-grandchildren to live our dream – born to a better life?