Man of Style

This HR guy had some nerve calling me up at my company (who happens to be the master reseller of QlikView here in the Philippines).

He wanted to speak to me in person about this matter that he was calling about - he didn’t say what.

I forced him to tell me what it is about so that I didn’t waste his time or my time.

It was about a Business Analyst position in Singapore to work on QlikView for one of their clients.

I flatly denied it and told him to call back in a year. I didn’t even ask how much they were offering. It wouldn’t matter that I earn a lot because the cost of living in Singapore is extremely high.

In any case, they are apparently keen on getting one as he gave his contact number asking if I could refer anyone.

QlikView is taking off pretty well and I expect that the need for consultants will increase but there remains a gap as the number of people who know the software is small. High demand, low supply = high salary. Time to make myself more expensive. =)

Ann Mulcahy, CEO of Xerox has a lot to say about her experience in running a huge company. Excerpts below.

On assessing a job candidate:

“They have more to do with behavior and culture than they do with competence and expertise. Generally speaking, the people you talk to have the competence and expertise. That’s how they got to the interview. So then the most important aspect is whether it’s a good fit. And so I always ask the question, why are they choosing us, not so much why we should choose them. I really want to hear about what they could do for the company and why they think it would be a place they could be successful.”

I believe in this as well. I am usually the one who picks who the company interviews. I know what most people are capable of and I don’t ask those technical questions that cannot be answered unless they are put to the test.

On finding herself looking for certain qualities in a candidate more than she did several years ago:

“Adaptability and flexibility. One of the things that is mind-boggling right now is how much we have to change all the time. For anybody who’s into comfort and structure, it gets harder and harder to feel satisfied in the company. It’s almost like you have to embrace a lot of ambiguity and be adaptable and not get into the rigidness or expectation-setting that I think there used to be 10 years ago, when you could kind of plot it out and define where you were going to go.

“I think it’s a lot more fluid right now. It has to be. The people who really do the best are those who actually sense it, enjoy it almost, that lack of definition around their roles and what they can contribute.”

On how she senses whether a person has that quality:
[referring to the answer of the previous question]

Part of it’s from their experience. I think seeing how much breadth someone’s had, and their appetite for not just vertical career ladders, but their appetite for what I call the horizontal experiences, where it wasn’t always just about a title or the next layer up. And that there was this desire to learn new things, to kind of grab onto things that were maybe even somewhat nontraditional.

Those kinds of experiences I think bode well for someone who’s going to be open and adaptive in this job environment.

*

Main article here.

I was sitting in the office of a prospect in one of the most dynamic companies in the Philippines with its own building along Ayala Avenue.

My companion remarked to our prospect, “You have a nice view here in your office.” To which she replied, “Yes, I have a nice view. But I’m so busy I can’t stop to enjoy it… and smell the flowers, as the cliché goes.”

It’s just so ironic that I remember this statement from a letter my Dad gave me right before I graduated from high school. He told me that I should stop sometimes and smell the flowers.

I haven’t been doing that at all - not to my surprise. I wheel and deal with some of the largest companies in the Philippines. I walk the talk with the product I am selling. I feel that I am at the top of my game even though I am so busy and stressed juggling meetings, doing proof-of-concepts, speaking engagements and attending events.

I just wonder when will I stop and smell the flowers.

Today was an extremely busy day. At the end of this post, you will again ask what I do for a living.

Woke up at around 6:30 am to get ready for our banking event. We invited the heads of the top banks in the Philippines and help them through the downturn by investing in our Business Intelligence solution, QlikView. We got some pretty good response and looking forward to meeting with all of them in the next couple of weeks. The breakfast at Manila Peninsula was exquisite. We had over 6 kinds of cheese, different kinds of Danish pastries, bacon cooked to a crisp, ham, hashbrowns, sausages. The best part was the omelettes with olives, ham, cheese and mushrooms. Event ends at 11:30am.

We talked more with our Regional Manager about upcoming deals and other new stuff in the pipeline. Then we headed down to Greenbelt 5 and ate at the posh Terrace at the 5th for a late & light lunch. Very good food with good service and a great ambiance.

Went back to the training venue and continued with normal business. What I didn’t expect was what was coming afterwards.

We headed to Sofitel Philippine Plaza for dinner at Spiral.

We started off with drinks and our Thai partner recommended Brazil’s national drink: Caipirinha. 3 out of 6 of us got one. Really smooth drink in which you don’t feel the alcohol much. The buffet opened up and it was another culinary journey…

I ate 2 rounds of main courses consisting of Prime Rib, prosciutto, salmon & tuna sashimi, futomaki, and 8 different kinds of cheese.

It was followed by dessert which consisted of pistachio gelato topped with crushed pistachios, chocolate mousse, creme brulee, churros, and mango cheesecake.

All of that was washed down with a vintage 2007 White Bordeaux wine from the Château Mouton Rothschild . Exquisite wine with full body and smooth flavor.

So, what do I do for a living? I sell Business Intelligence software. =)

Connecting to a banking CEO who recalled that he was working with my dad way back when he was still branch manager. Amazingly small world.

Talking to a room full of Philippine Banking CEOs, CIOs, CFOs, Presidents and VPs.

I recently added the link to my LinkedIn profile to my business cards. Just in time for our banking event wherein I’m meeting CEOs, CIOs, CFOs, Presidents and VeePees.

Hope I add at least one CEO/CIO to my professional network!

I teach a Business Intelligence class with the end goal of recruiting students into the company I’m working with now. One of the goals I had from the very beginning is convincing my students that a career in Business Intelligence is a fun, different and exciting experience that will propel them to greater heights than a regular career at large consulting companies. I mean, why become a regular Java, .NET or PHP developer when you can be involved in something high-level such as Business Intelligence?

This is a chat excerpt I had with one of my students:

i really like ur company nmn tlga eh
i like how ur work sounds
i like the idea of business intelligence
and i can tell ur boss is someone who knows his shit well

Have I succeeded in accomplishing that goal? I think I have. =)

If you ever testify in court, you might wish you could have been as
sharp as this policeman. He was being cross-examined by a defense
attorney during a felony trial. The lawyer was trying to undermine the
policeman’s credibility.

Q: ‘Officer — did you see my client fleeing the scene?’

A: ‘No sir . But I subsequently observed a person matching the
description of the offender, running several blocks away.’

Q: ‘Officer — who provided this description? ‘

A: ‘The officer who responded to the scene.’

Q: ‘A fellow officer provided the description of this so-called
offender. Do you trust your fellow officers?’

A: ‘Yes, sir. With my life.’

Q: ‘With your life? Let me ask you this then officer. Do you have a
room where you change your clothes in preparation for your daily
duties?’

A: ‘Yes sir, we do!’

Q: ‘And do you have a locker in the room?’

A: ‘Yes sir, I do.’

Q: ‘And do you have a lock on your locker?’

A: ‘Yes sir.’

Q: ‘Now why is it, officer, if you trust your fellow officers with your
life, you find it necessary to lock your locker in a room you share
with these same officers?’

A: ‘You see, sir — we share the building with the court complex, and
sometimes lawyers have been known to walk through that room.’

The courtroom EXPLODED with laughter, and a prompt recess was called.
The officer on the stand has been nominated for this year’s ‘Best
Comeback’ line — and we think he’ll win.