Prioritization Gridlock: Finding Your Way Out

How do we prioritize when priorities collide? Which comes first, then next? How can we navigate competing priorities? Prioritizing the strategic initiatives of the business capability roadmap is a key step before we can start executing strategy at the speed of business. Eisenhower’s urgent-important principle, also espoused by Stephen Covey, provides some guidance when it comes to individual […]

When My Knees Hit The Ground

“What fortune lies beyond the stars Those dazzling heights too vast to climb I got so high to fall so far But I found heaven as love swept low” * I watched the throng of conference participants pour out of the main hall to the lobby. Like water going in different directions, creating eddies as […]

n x Failure = Success (Fail Fast, Recover Quickly, Learn Well)

A long, long time ago, I thought I was invincible. A typical teenager! Do you know someone like this? I was eighteen years old and on my third year as a chemical engineering student in a selective university. My grades were always better than most so I was relaxed about passing my exams. After all […]

At The Speed Of Business: Strategy To Execution Through Business Architecture

New processes and systems are in place. But it is still difficult to get a key business report! The Chief Customer Officer is waiting for one and is becoming impatient. It looks like the whole business operations department has been marshalled to deliver it. He heard they needed to validate and reconcile masses of data! A new strategic […]

Thoughts on Feminism: Our Differences, What Unites Us

Once a year, a group of women come together to share a weekend retreat at a seaside location in the middle of winter. Why winter? Less crowds, close to Mother’s Day, perhaps. I don’t really know. A Patch of Diversity The seasoned traveller among them takes charge of looking for that perfect house to rent for […]

Time to Breathe (Being Quiet and Still)

A few weeks ago, I temporarily parked my blogger’s ‘pen’ to take the time to breathe, to renew and refresh my spirit. Now I’m back! I would like to share with you what happened, why I chose to be quiet and be still. “The procedure went really well.” I heard the doctor say those few […]

All Things New (We Get Sharper With Age)

“How do you stay so positive in the middle of all these #*^&* Joyce?” said Joseph* who sat across from me. It baffles my colleagues when I turn up each morning and greet them with a cheerful “Good morning”, a brilliant smile, and an upbeat attitude. We worked in a very tough environment, with challenging goals, in […]

Beautiful, Beautiful Philippines (May Peace Be Yours in Abundance)

The slaughter of the Philippines National Police – Special Action Force personnel #fallen44 in #Mamasapano have troubled me deeply. Where is peace? What is the price of freedom from the clutches of terror, greed and corruption, ineptitude and disunity? Where is justice and righteousness? Where is the dream that my country of birth will soar again? Though […]

Making New Memories

“All these pieces Broken and scattered In mercy gathered Mended and whole … Amazing grace!” It was the end of winter, but the house and yard still looked bleak from the street.It was empty, of course. Which made it look more lonely, dejected.The shrubs were overgrown. The garden looked tired. I turned off the key in […]

Crucible Moment

“Tell me of the time you experienced a crisis and how did you handle it?” Phil, the interviewer, asked me. “Do I tell you of the worst personal crisis I ever faced or do I just mention one of many I have handled well at work?” I thought. “The worst crisis I ever faced was not at work, Phil. Would you like […]

Welcoming 2015 (Readers Across 90 Countries)

90 Countries! In early July 2014, I opened my blog to the public, the big wide world. Six months later, my readership has spread across 90 countries, simply because people shared the posts with their social circles. The four largest reader groups come from the Philippines (Naturally! I was born there and I have family and friends who […]

Soar Like The Eagle … It’s A Brand New Year!

“Our dream was to demonstrate that you could run a business in India without corruption and create wealth, legally and ethically.” ~ Narayana Murthy, co-founder of Infosys Technologies, as quoted by Bill George in ‘True North’ “One of our major customers conducted a comprehensive review of their purchasing activities, on the heels of allegations of fraud. After more […]