It appears we are beginning to put reality on the table – when a presidential adviser admits to our inability to arrest poverty. We may be inching forward to objectivity? It is not only poverty that we need to confront. The greater the complexity of the undertaking the greater is the need to prioritize and focus. It’s counterintuitive – that’s what large and complex enterprises learn all the time! For instance, we must prioritize in order to provide Juan de la Cruz the basics of water, food and power. We must prioritize our strategic industries in order to invest at the right levels and get the bang for the buck. We must prioritize our efforts to truly address our rankings in competitiveness and corruption and economic freedom.
Beyond objectivity, we must establish clarity of purpose – as opposed to falling on our instinct of inclusion. Dispersing our efforts reduces our ability to overcome major challenges. For instance, our GDP per person is miniscule – and thus, the only option for us is to prioritize and focus. (We instinctively come up with a laundry list of initiatives yet over several decades they weren’t done – i.e., we missed the true north or the genius of the (GC) Greatest Commandments!)
If the ultimate in man’s quest, salvation, is attained via the simple GC, how can man’s lesser endeavors demand more? In world-class enterprises they incessantly drill two things to attain sustainability or economies of scale: (a) in a new venture, the object is critical mass; and once it is reached, (b) the object becomes dominance. Both demand discipline and a forward-looking mindset. To achieve critical mass the focus is on margins; and to attain dominance, the focus is leadership. From follower one must become a leader. A leader is always two steps ahead, and comes up with compelling products with healthy margins. Ergo: you satisfy one (a) and you satisfy the other (b) and vice-versa.
Having just spent several weeks in the country, the writer wondered if we have forgotten that even the Creator focused on one thing at a time, instead of using his magic wand and cramming the work of ‘seven days into one’? Everyone wants to get ahead or a piece of the action – and given our culture of inclusion (just say the magic word, ‘paki’), we struggle to prioritize? The developed parts of the world point to respect for time and space as facilitating their ability to prioritize and focus. And poorer Vietnam is showing us the way to accelerate agriculture development (they’re going hi-tech and we’re still talking small scale?) by shifting from follower to leader, for instance; and our neighbors have shown us how to be economic tigers.
Many years ago the writer visited Papua New Guinea on business. There were tales of tribal conflicts he had heard but the very first village he visited gave him a sense of how civilization was advancing. He was introduced to the village chieftain and sat next to him as school children proudly demonstrated their culture through dance and music. And after the show the writer’s group distributed product samples. The people were in their best behavior, patiently waiting for their turn.
If these village people could queue and patiently wait for their turn, they probably wouldn’t engage in tribal conflicts, having learned to respect time and space? This was running in the writer’s mind – because the hotel where he stayed was fenced and well secured though over cocktails and dinner community personalities were naturally warm and friendly. As the writer traveled to different parts of the world, it would occur to him how much people have learned to respect time and space. And the more they did, the more progressive they were.
At a Lenten retreat the writer received a little prayer card and on the back was written “12 little things Filipinos can do to help the country”. The first reads: “Follow traffic rules. Follow the law.” It’s probably a call that it’s time to focus on the basics and our strategic industries, and respect time and space?
Beyond objectivity, we must establish clarity of purpose – as opposed to falling on our instinct of inclusion. Dispersing our efforts reduces our ability to overcome major challenges. For instance, our GDP per person is miniscule – and thus, the only option for us is to prioritize and focus. (We instinctively come up with a laundry list of initiatives yet over several decades they weren’t done – i.e., we missed the true north or the genius of the (GC) Greatest Commandments!)
If the ultimate in man’s quest, salvation, is attained via the simple GC, how can man’s lesser endeavors demand more? In world-class enterprises they incessantly drill two things to attain sustainability or economies of scale: (a) in a new venture, the object is critical mass; and once it is reached, (b) the object becomes dominance. Both demand discipline and a forward-looking mindset. To achieve critical mass the focus is on margins; and to attain dominance, the focus is leadership. From follower one must become a leader. A leader is always two steps ahead, and comes up with compelling products with healthy margins. Ergo: you satisfy one (a) and you satisfy the other (b) and vice-versa.
Having just spent several weeks in the country, the writer wondered if we have forgotten that even the Creator focused on one thing at a time, instead of using his magic wand and cramming the work of ‘seven days into one’? Everyone wants to get ahead or a piece of the action – and given our culture of inclusion (just say the magic word, ‘paki’), we struggle to prioritize? The developed parts of the world point to respect for time and space as facilitating their ability to prioritize and focus. And poorer Vietnam is showing us the way to accelerate agriculture development (they’re going hi-tech and we’re still talking small scale?) by shifting from follower to leader, for instance; and our neighbors have shown us how to be economic tigers.
Many years ago the writer visited Papua New Guinea on business. There were tales of tribal conflicts he had heard but the very first village he visited gave him a sense of how civilization was advancing. He was introduced to the village chieftain and sat next to him as school children proudly demonstrated their culture through dance and music. And after the show the writer’s group distributed product samples. The people were in their best behavior, patiently waiting for their turn.
If these village people could queue and patiently wait for their turn, they probably wouldn’t engage in tribal conflicts, having learned to respect time and space? This was running in the writer’s mind – because the hotel where he stayed was fenced and well secured though over cocktails and dinner community personalities were naturally warm and friendly. As the writer traveled to different parts of the world, it would occur to him how much people have learned to respect time and space. And the more they did, the more progressive they were.
At a Lenten retreat the writer received a little prayer card and on the back was written “12 little things Filipinos can do to help the country”. The first reads: “Follow traffic rules. Follow the law.” It’s probably a call that it’s time to focus on the basics and our strategic industries, and respect time and space?
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