To Trust and Respect Our Colleague

This is my experience when I was still an officer in A unit. There was a time when the activity level was very high because of the pressure from Management to fill the manpower needs for both the Branch and the Head Office. I was expected to adapt our schedule in order to fulfill those needs. It was something usual to forget the time or forget to eat. Maybe some of you have felt this, too. Sometimes our family became less of a priority because of work demand. It didn't mean that our family was forgotten.

I was greatly helped by my dear colleagues in A team to fulfill the demand. They held a significant role in supporting unit activities. The tight work demand didn't give me much time to give detailed explanations about the work list so I started to delegate and give full trust to my subordinates in supporting our unit activities.

One example of their support was to handle all of the preparations before I traveled out of town for my unit activities. I wrote down a list and they quickly prepared all the materials. I still checked the list but I soon learned that I didn't have to check the things or materials one-by-one. Every time I needed the material, they were available and systematically compiled. I really trusted them with those tasks.

To trust and respect them as my colleagues is the most important thing for me. It never crossed my mind that "I'm the Boss" or "I'm the senior" who knows it all and my colleagues have to submit and obey all my commands. I appreciate everything they have done. When mistakes were made, which is human, I was willing to understand and to deal with them with an open mind and a big heart. Perhaps not all of the mistakes were because of them, maybe I was responsible for some parts. That is why we try to communicate difficulties and problems. We try not to get overwhelmed by the problem but instead, we try to focus on finding the effective and efficient solution.

An indirect result of doing all the things mentioned above will be to make the working environment more solid, more supportive, more tolerant, and will bring into reality all of the goals of our beloved company.

I hope my personal experience will open your heart to the knowledge that trusting & respecting our colleagues is a first start to creating a positive environment that is conducive to success.

THE BEAUTY OF OPPORTUNITY & TRUST

I am a type of person who believes everything is possible to happen when there is an opportunity, a person works and God helps. Nobody wants to be a looser! Everybody wants to be successful. Does opportunity, however, come to everybody?
Several years ago, we recruited an office boy. I hired him because he really needed a job. He looked neat and had good manners, more than suitable for an office boy. He would always come on time and work enthusiastically. There was something special about him, in that whenever he finished his job and had spare time, he would always try to learn something beyond his routine job. This made me “notice” him.
Several months later, I saw a further opportunity for his advancement. I felt "sorry" that he only was an office boy because his abilities were far beyond that position. So I gave him a chance to become a Messenger. Working as a Messenger, helped him improve his communication skills as he was able to interact with more people. His potential was even more obvious later after he took a night class to continue his studies. His persistency to grow and to be success made me decide to give him an opportunity to become a marketing staff. I gave him the opportunity with the condition that if he failed, he would be demoted to his office boy job again. (I just wanted to show him that it was not an easy decision and without risk.) After taking a psychology test, he then started working as a marketing staff.
My intuition was correct, he was capable as a marketing staff. With some polishing, he became the marketing staff who had the highest booking and low past due ratio. It was amazing. I had made the right decision. He was very thankful for the trust and opportunities I had given him. I only asked him one thing in return and that was to show his gratitude by continuing his good work performance. Thus he would make me even "happier".
It appears that nothing other than himself can block someone’s success.

WHAT IS BFI CORE VALUE?

1. MUTUAL TRUST AND RESPECT FOR EACH OTHER
Means you have to walk the talk. Under promise and over deliver so people will always believe in anything you say and do. It’s not easy to earn trust and respect from other people, so once you’ve got it, hold it tight in your hands.

2. TEAM WORK
Simply stated, it is less me and more we, because none of us is as smart as all of us.

3. TO STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE
Your goal should be perfection. Excellence will be tolerated. Make your upper limit, no limit. If it can be done better than do it!

4. Try to create CUSTOMER SERVICE ORIENTED Working Environment
The purpose of the business is to create and keep customers. But first, you must earn and learn to keep your internal customers. Serve well, do well, live well, it is what life is all about.

Don’t just memorize the Core Value, but make it your personal life style. A thousand words will not leave so strong impression as one deed.

Don’t just talk about it, do it!!
Together, let’s make BFI a better place for living…