Change – the only thing constant

Are we predisposed to change? Do we tend to look to the future – because change is the only thing constant?

The writer and his wife just finished lunch in a promenade restaurant by the harbor in a small town in southern Norway. And the wife commented: ‘do you notice that the adjacent restaurant is empty while ours is full’? And as they walked away the writer took a picture of both restaurants side-by-side . . . and a picture says a thousand words!

Clearly the empty restaurant appeared bland in the picture while the busy restaurant exuded more life and color . . . even after the customers had left. And so the writer explained to the wife that one of the techniques marketing and sales people would use to figure out how they are measuring against competition is to take pictures of competitive presentations (in stores, for example) and to compare them against their own. And without much prodding they would sense their shortcomings! But do they necessarily take it upon themselves to change for the better?

The writer was pleasantly surprised that the AA (Alcohol Anonymous) ‘change model’ was influenced by a Jesuit – that St. Ignatius was a ‘results-oriented mystic’ and would respond positively when presented with new facts. This reminded the writer of the most tough-minded senior executive he met in corporate America. Translation: people could be truly scared when he shared his mind. But his ability to change his position when presented with new facts was legendary – because he had very good listening skills. (And thus many young people learned that tough-mindedness didn’t equate to a closed-mind.) The tough-mindedness instead drove his ability to focus and execute – which he attributed to his days as a collegiate athlete.

We’ve taken ‘snapshots upon snapshots’ of our economic profile – and compared them against Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Indonesia and even Vietnam. But while a picture says a thousand words, the reflection would remain just that – a reflection – until we take action?

The writer had worked with these Asian neighbors for a decade and witnessed firsthand how they pushed economic-development efforts. For instance, in the beginning he would see a handful of business-hotel guests at breakfast time, but as time went on these same hotels buzzed with activity. And the increasing traffic of foreigners translated into greater and greater foreign direct investments. It was clear from the nationals that their countries adopted a proactive, welcoming policy to attract foreign investment.

There is no question that we Filipinos can produce great plans that satisfy academic rigor. But in economic development the test of the pudding is in the eating. For example, our neighbors focused on attracting foreign investments! It is encouraging that the new NEDA director general is looking at 25%-28% investment against the current 14% of GDP. (Now we need to focus like a laser to attain this ambitious goal?)

Are we predisposed to change – and to look to the future?