My experience as an independent contractor for the first month of January 2011

January, 2011 is a challenging month for me.    I have accepted a position which entails managing an online office, and practicing my skills in technical writing, business research and human resource management at a maximum level.  It is a surprise that I still managed to accept contract drafting jobs and contract analysis.  In conclusion, I consider this month to be my most challenging and happiest to date.

I got to open my account in Skills Page and started to plug in a lot of my activities related to the skills I specialize.  For more details, please see my skills page at www.skillpages.com/christine.carpio-aldeguer.

For the most part, working online as an independent contract is not bad considering you get to work at home with nothing to worry on other overhead expense such as transportation, clothing and make-up.  The efforts  I have done for the month proved to be very productive.  

Aside from having fun from the work that I  experienced for this month, the excellent feedback from clients provided a bonus for my self-esteem.  This is without prejudice that my profile picture has been featured as a homepage in Odesk,  my official  home for seeking international clients online.   Anyway,  I posted this blog after so many attempts of thinking what kind of article I should post for the day.  I guess this post is a very special post.  It is my way of zoning out for a while so that I can start writing articles for next month.  
 

Advantages of being a generalist

A generalist has a lot of advantages. Although there can be additional perks for specializing in a certain field, being a generalist may help you survive in a globally competitive world. A generalist helps you become available in the market, and will provide you more work. Although your present work experience may help you realize that you are already specializing in a certain field, being a generalist provides you with more work opportunities in a broader audience.

The following are tips to become a successful generalist:

1. Be open-minded. Learning new things allows you to get out of your comfort zone. It helps you enrich your mind and lets you explore a new wave of ideas. If you are psychologically ready to accept new ideas, it lessens the stress, you become inspired, it makes life interesting, and enhances your intellectual capability.

2. Be updated at all times. Invest your time for seminars, social networking and other means to be updated. The internet keeps you updated on the latest technology. Being up to date helps you become more rounded and may help you revolutionize your way of thinking.

3. Focus. Putting your mindset to everything is key. Never become sluggish and always stay positive.

Becoming a generalist is a fun endeavor. That is why it is time to start learning other areas in business. The economic conditions have changed and taking a bold step in becoming a generalist may be the only ride for you to succeed.

Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill

I. Summary of Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill

“Utilitarianism”, by John Stuart Mill, is an essay written to provide support for the value of utilitarianism as a moral theory, and to respond to misconceptions about it.

Mill defines utilitarianism as a theory based on the principle that "actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness." Mill defines happiness as pleasure and the absence of pain. He argues that pleasure can differ in quality and quantity, and that pleasures that are rooted in one's higher faculties (intellectual, moral and aesthetic faculties) should be weighted more heavily than pleasures of lower qualities (i.e. animal pleasures). Furthermore, Mill argues that people's achievement of goals and ends, such as virtuous living, should be counted as part of their happiness. Mill further argues that utilitarianism coincides with "natural" sentiments that originate from humans' social nature. Therefore, if society were to embrace utilitarianism as an ethic, people would naturally internalize these standards as morally binding. Mill argues that happiness is the sole basis of morality, and that people never desire anything but happiness. He supports this claim by showing that all the other objects of people's desire are either means to happiness, or included in the definition of happiness. Mill explains at length that the sentiment of justice is actually based on utility, and that rights exist only because they are necessary for human happiness.

II. Use of the Utilitarian Theory in Ethical Decision Making Process

From the perspective of the organizations, the utilitarian theory is the most frequently advocated theories. It is in fact the philosophical basis for our contemporary notion of democracy as well as the underpinning for microeconomic theory. The local utilitarian view can be considered from local and cosmopolitan organizational perspectives. The local utilitarian view is oriented toward the greatest good for the firm, whereas the cosmopolitan view would encompass a broader perspective that extends beyond the firm (i.e. greatest good for the society at-large).

This theory does provide an objective method for choosing among ends. Initially termed as “hedonistic calculus,” its contemporary terminology is the rational decision making process.

This process involves: identification of the problem, the generation of alternatives, the quantitative evaluation of the alternatives, the selection and implementation of the ‘best’ alternative, and the evaluation of the performance of this decision. While this process has proved to be an efficient method of resolving many organizational dilemmas, it is often found to be lacking when ethical dilemmas are considered. The impact of utilitarian decisions upon the individual or minority presents a further problem. If the greatest good for the greatest number results in the obfuscation or outright denial of individual rights, then the use of utilitarianism as an exclusive theoretical outlook may not be acceptable to those whose rights are being denied.


III. References:
William F. Lawhead, Philosophical Questions (Classic and Contemporary
Readings), 1st Edition, McGraw Hill Higher Education, 2003.

David Lyons, Rights, Welfare and Mill’s Moral Theory, Oxford University
Press, 1994.

James Agarwal & David Cruise Malloy, “The role of existentialism in ethical
business decision-making,” Business Ethics: A European Review, Vol.
9, Number 3, July 2000.

It takes a great leader to admit mistakes

Throughout my lifetime, I only see few leaders who would admit mistakes and take full responsibility. I grew up from a proud family where admission is tantamount to admission of guilt. That is why I learned to never admit mistakes, no matter what. But when I became an academic manager, I learned there is nothing wrong in admitting mistakes. Admitting mistakes with all humility makes one a great leader.

I first experienced a leader being humble and taking full responsibility for the mistakes of his managers during the reign of Dr. Edilberto De Jesus. It was in the year 2001 when the university he worked in had an issue on the computerized enrollment. Since the computerized enrollment system was not tested fully, there were a lot of problems encountered which resulted to a breaking of the glass door at the university's electronic library, defective queuing system, complaints from students who waited for a week just to be enrolled, and complaints from enrollment advisers (faculty members) who were not educated enough on how to enroll students using the electronic system of enrollment. There were managers who were actually responsible for the negligent act. But it was Dr. Edilberto de Jesus who took full responsibility of the ineffectiveness of the untested computerized enrollment system. It took guts to take full responsibility and be accountable at that. Since then, I have learned to respect the man for being a humble gentleman.

When I learned that our President Noynoy Aquino publicly announced that he is taking full responsibility for the HK Hostage Crisis, I suddenly remembered my experience with Dr. Edilberto de Jesus. It really takes a man to publicly admit mistakes of his officials and be accountable. President Aquino is not a man of angst, he is a man who is genuinely serving Filipinos. From the moment President Aquino admitted his mistakes, I once again found another great leader next to Dr. Edilberto de Jesus.

To the people who said that a public apology from President Noynoy Aquino regarding the HK hostage aftermath is unnecessary, YOU ARE STILL LIVING IN THE DARK AGES.

It takes a great leader to be humble and admit mistakes without giving any justification. Taking full responsibility for the acts of his officials is an experience for our dear President in his first year term. Our public officials and leaders should learn from it and then move on to better serve their constituents. President Aquino's noble intentions have been clear from the beginning. No matter how people react, I still say it takes a great leader to admit his mistakes and take full responsibility at that.

Qualities of a Good Leader

Let us forget about the law for a while. Today, we will discuss the qualities of a good leader. Before I took up Master in Business Administration, I never got to know the textbook concept of a leader. I got to know such a concept only by experience as I was given an opportunity to organize projects and lead a diverse set of people.

Then I came upon this amazing book that led me to read it from cover to cover. The book is entitled: "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership," by John C. Maxwell. For brevity, here are the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership which I have always been reminded every moment of my life:

1) The Law of the Lid -- You lead not for efficiency but for effectiveness.

2) The Law of Influence -- This applies when people will follow you everywhere because you have touched their hearts, not just their minds.

3) The Law of Process -- You do not become a leader in a day. It involves a lot of patience in training and learning from mistakes. This law becomes more effective when you admit that you committed the mistake as you move on.

4) The Law of Navigation -- A leader is one who sees more than what others see, who sees farther than others, and who sees before others do. Anyone can steer a ship. But a leader must know how to chart the course.

5) The Law of E.F. Hutton -- A real leader holds power, not just the position. And power can be seen from people who have real influence during meetings. Try using this principle whenever you need to convince a lot of people in executing a program. Just try talking to E.F. Hutton, the one who has power to influence people.

6) The Law of Solid Ground -- A leader must have solid ground in terms of integrity and value. That way, people will respect you, no matter how inexperienced you are in terms of skills and education.

7) Law of Respect -- When a leader creates a major change in an organization and takes chances despite the risks involved, people who were skeptical will respect the leader once the implementation of the change becomes successful.

8) Law of Intuition -- John Gokongwei of Universal Robina Corporation has played this principle in opening Cebu Pacific and C2 Green Tea. He just read the situation and instinctively knew what play to call.

9) Law of Magnetism -- Leaders are always on the lookout for good people and allowing them to enter their inner circle. My friend would do this by hiring good people who are better than him, with no feeling of jealousy or threat of being replaced. Some good business advice: "Hire people who are smarter than you, then get out of their way."

10) Law of Connection --Leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand. I do this to my students all the time. It is called "value added" and provides good service when teaching students.

11) Law of the Inner Circle -- A leader's potential is determined by those closest to him. If you have people in your inner circle with (even the slightest) questionable track record, will that be a reflection of the kind of leader you are? A leader following this principle always surrounds himself with the best people, with unquestionable integrity and track records, no more no less.

12) Law of Empowerment -- Only secure leaders give power to others. A person who does not know how to mentor and delegate without fear of being removed is not a leader, but an angsty know-it-all.

13) Law of Reproduction -- You become a leader when you create leaders.

14) Law of Buy-In -- Before a leader influences someone to enroll into his vision, he must make an example of himself. Providing a good background for yourself is key before influencing someone to buy into your vision.

15) Law of Victory -- Leaders always have a winning mindset. They always strive for victory with a positive attitude.

16) Law of the Big Mo -- Whenever you have led a team to win its first International Business Plan Competition in Harvard, don't you want to multiply that kind of recognition a hundred times? Everything starts with little progress, but if you break the momentum by cutting the budget for training students, you have committed a violation of the Law of the Big Momentum.

17) Law of Priorities -- A leader must not sit and wait for his people to deliver. He must know what his priorities are when leading a large group of people. He must evaluate his strengths and weaknesses. Evaluating his capabilities will help him prioritize.

18) Law of Sacrifice -- When you become a leader, you lose the right to put yourself first. Take for instance Wang Chua-Fu, Chairman of BYD, the largest electric car industry in China. From the moment he put up BYD, he would always think about the people working for him. Never did he think about himself once revenues increased. He had adopted a simpler lifestyle by living among his people and acquiring cars for purposes of learning and scrutinizing the parts.

19) Law of Timing -- When to lead is as important as what to do and where to go. You become a great leader because you took the lead at the right time.

20) Law of Explosive Growth -- Opening a lot of opportunities to potential leaders in your department will multiply into great results in the long run. Potential leaders can provide more vision for growth. That is why it is better to give more opportunities to potential leaders and
deny opportunities from individuals who have no vision for improvement.

21) Law of Legacy -- A leader will always leave a legacy, a permanent imprint of what he has achieved. If you call yourself a leader, have you already done so to show the world what you have accomplished?

It is not easy to follow all the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. But it would be nice to take small steps and try to take a big leap once in a while. That way, you can assess whether you have become an effective leader.

Handling Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is committed by an employer, employee, manager, supervisor, agent of the employer, teacher, instructor, professor, coach, trainer, or any other person who, having moral ascendancy over another. It is committed in a work, education or training environment.

In a work-related environment, sexual harassment is committed if sexual favor is made as a condition for hiring or in granting favorable terms and conditions of work; if it is made that would impair employee’s rights or privileges under existing labor laws; or the above acts would result in an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment for the employee.

In an education or training environment, sexual harassment is committed if sexual favor is made as a condition to the giving of passing grades, or granting of honors or scholarships or other privileges; or the above acts would result in an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment for the student.

When dealing with sexual harassment, every situation varies. However, there are two important things to remember:

Say no. One legal requirement for sexual harassment is that the conduct be "unwelcome." Make sure the harasser knows that you consider his or her conduct to be unwelcome. Tell the person that his or her behavior offends you. Firmly refuse all invitations for dates or other personal inaction outside of work. Do not engage in flirtatious response, or otherwise send mixed signals. Direct communication (whether orally or in writing) is better than ignoring the behavior and hoping it will go away.

Report harassment to your employer. It is very important that you report the harassment because your employer or coordinator must know or have reason to know about the harassment in order to be legally responsible for a sexually harassing conduct. Tell your supervisor, your human resources department or some other department or person within your company who has the power to stop the harassment. It is best to notify them in writing, and to keep a copy of any written complaint you make to your employer. Describe the problem and how you want it fixed. This creates a written record of when you complained and what happened in response to it. If there is a policy which employees are supposed to follow when reporting harassment, you should follow the policy to the fullest extent possible. While you may not think complaining will do any good, your company may later claim it would have stopped the harassment if it had known about it.

The following are other strategies which you may also want to try at this point:

Write it down. As soon as you experience the harassment, start writing down exactly what happened. Be as specific as possible: write down dates, places, times, and possible witnesses to what happened. If possible, ask co-workers to also write down what they saw or heard, especially if the same thing is happening to them too. Others may read this written record at some point, so be as accurate and objective as possible. Do not keep the record at work, but at home or in some other safe place where you will have access to it in case something suddenly happens at work.

Keep your work records. A harasser may try to defend him or herself by attacking your job performance. Keep copies of any records of your work performance, including copies of your performance evaluation and any memoranda or letters documenting the quality of your work. If you do not have copies of relevant documents, try to gather them (by legitimate means only).

Talk to others. If you can do so safely, talk to other people at work about the harassment. You may find witnesses, allies, or others that have been harassed by the same person or who would be willing to help support you. Tell supportive friends, family members, and colleagues about the abuse. Telling others about the harassment not only can give you much needed support, but it can also be important evidence later.