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Going Up?Making Right Choices

@ Work

Yay Padua Olmedo

OMF Literature Inc.Mandaluyong City


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All Scripture quotations are taken rom the

Holy Bible: New International Version. NIV.

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society.

Used by permission o Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Going Up?Making Right Choices @ Work

Copyright 2010 by Celia P. Olmedo

Cover design by Nixon Na

Page design by Dorothy Joy Quan-Cheng

Published in the Philippines (2010) by

OMF Literature Inc.

776 Boni Avenue

Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila

www.OMFLit.com

ISBN 978-971-009-052-5

Printed in the Philippines


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contents

ForewordMenardo G. Jimenez, Jr. . . . . . 5

IntroductionA Special Treasure? . . . . . 7

1 Reality Check:youre a bottom-dweller . . . . . 13

2 Up the Ladder:the ruit o aithulness . . . . . 27

3 Stand on Higher Ground:the best in whatever you do . . . . . 41

4 Words have Power:expletives deleted . . . . . 57

5 No Signal?Gotcha!. . . . . 71

6 Cords o Steel:the power o working together . . . . . 87

7 Real Riches:not bought with gold or plastic . . . . . 99

8 Joys Anatomy:establishing a secret place . . . . . 113

9 Fit or Mist:in the world but not quite . . . . . 129

10 Its a Done Deal!just walk in . . . . . 145


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In memory o

Cyd Latunio-Esquivel

o Campus Crusade or Christ.

Her lie may have been short,

tribulation-flled even,

but she used every opportunity to share Jesus.


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foreword

A Map for Your Journey

TheavailabiliTyo so many books on leadership and topics

related to making it in the workplace makes you wonder i

there is space or another one. But i you go through many o

these books, some are too theoretical, some are too practical,

some are not in tune with the changing times, while some

just arent interesting. In many cases, we nd business bookswritten by people who have never practiced their crat in the

real world. Though that in itsel isnt bad, Ive always ound

the most eective books to be the ones written by those who

have experienced what they are writing about. I cant imag-

ine a cook book being written by someone who doesnt cook.

It just doesnt quite cut it.Yays book is a balance o everything. While she drives

home principles, theories and more importantly values that

will help a person navigate through the corporate maze, she

draws these principles not rom textbooks but rom actual

experience, as she hersel rose rom the ranks in some o the

countrys biggest companies.


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6 G O I N G U P ?

In many respects, this book is like a map. It helps guide

you. A map cant take you to the place you want to go. Youhave to ride in a car or start walking to get there. But a map

doesguide you where to turn right or let, or what to do when

aced with a ork in the road. I you want a heads up on

what you may experience in your corporate journey, this

book will give you the insights.

Finally, a distinctive o this book is that it is written witha lot o wisdom. A lot o business books are lled with tech-

nical knowledge. But in truth, it is wisdom that will help you

make the right decisions and take the right path. God once

asked a young man what he would want most in the world.

The man asked or wisdom. And he went on to become the

most powerul man o his time.For those starting on the journey into the wild and crazy

corporate worldheres a map to guide you along the way.

Menardo G. Jimenez, Jr.

Senior Vice President/

Head, HR and Business Transformation

PLDT (Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company)


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introduction

A SPECIAL TREASURE?

amilivingup to my calling as a Christian? Do I make the

Father God smile by the cool way I respond to temptations

or challenges? Do I ever sense Him saying, Well done, good

and aithul servant! when I choose to obey? Do my col-

leagues trust me enough to share their joys or pains, knowing

that my response would be compassionate and prayerul?Or is my lie more like a candle fame, whose light fares

up, or fickers and sputters depending on how hard situations

press in on me?

Have my peers and superiors in the workplace labelled

me as a weird religious anatic who loves to preach but sorely

lacks credibility, quite insensitive to the realities around me?


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8 G O I N G U P ?

Can you relate to these questions? Perhaps, on the other

hand, your colleagues dont even know you are a Christian!Do you struggle to live Christianly in your place o work?

Because to be honest about it being a believer in the

marketplace can be like paddling a small and ragile boat

against a great current. Do you nd yoursel asking God,

What am I doing here, Lord?

There is no easy answer, because God doesnt see thingsrom our viewpoint. His ways are denitely higher, His pur-

poses greater. And part o His plan is that Christians should

demonstrate His love to a world that seems clueless about its

downhill ways.

We are Christians in the workplace. Were not trying to

make a big production about it. But we do hope to make adierence in an arena where pride, sel-centeredness, ambi-

tion and greed seemingly take center stage. You may be a

mechanic on a actory shop foor, or a clerk in a bank or a

trading company. Or you may be an executive assistant in a

posh multi-storey enterprise in Makati, a sales supervisor in a

mall or a call-center representative. Whatever your position,as a Christian you have been called to shine your neon light

o aithulness, integrity, and excellence, in the workplace

where He has placed you.

Please dont get me wrong. Im not saying, Expect the

workplace to be a scary place populated by stony-hearted

people. . . However, youll soon discover that mostly everyone


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has his or her own degree o dysunctionality, not to mention

values that may dier rom yours. Many o these men andwomen manage their working day quite well, either quietly

getting along in a low key way, or with fair and pizzazz and

an extremely proessional air. In the workplace youll meet

some o the nicest, most helpul, even brilliant people. . . but

there will also be some who are scary, autocratic, even. . . a

ew who are jerks.In my years as an employee working with some o the big

corporations, I had my own bouts o insecurity and I handled

some matters clumsily. I also experienced boredom at times,

and sometimes elt a helpless resignation to what I called

the ate o the have-nots. Ive been intimidated by oth-

ers intellectual prowess, indierence, and sky-high egos. Ivebeen wrung dry by urgent assignments, needed yesterday.

Was I a miracle worker? Did they really expect me to meet

every urgent demand?

I entered the workplace a sel-centered believer in my

own ability. God so ordered my path that, one day, I met

Jesus in the company I worked or, and as the clich goes my lie has not been the same since. God gently chis-

elled something more attractive rom my proud heart, and

I learned to trust Him, in spite o my ears and doubts.

Many times, I admit, I steered away rom Gods path, and

so oten I depended on my own skill and ability instead o

allowing Him to lead me step by step. But I did eventually

A Special Treasure? 9


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10 G O I N G U P ?

come to understand I was in the workplace or Gods agenda,

not mine.Rummaging through my treasure chest o workplace

memories, I have sited out lessons I believe are worth pass-

ing on. Ive tried to group them into chapters, but not every

topic stayed neatly in its compartment, and youll nd some

overlap because lie is like that, everything connects. I

trust youll see overlap with your own work circumstancestoo, and that youll identiy with some o what I describe.

Humbling circumstances. Coping with ever-increasing re-

sponsibilities. Excelling at times. Being careul (or careless)

with your words. Keeping your integrity. Valuing teamwork.

Managing money. Keeping your joy intact. Fitting in. Know-

ing what it means to live as a Christian in the work place.We all have to learn the ropes. Progress rom theory

to putting it into practice. We enjoy the rewards too

promotion, pay increases. A denite yes! to that. But as

a ollower o Christ, you cant let these material things de-

ne you. Theres denitely more much more to success

than having gold in the vault, and having the title deeds to amansion, and owning the astest ully loaded convertible in

town. It may not be easy to believe, but I am condent you

are in the workplace at the appointment o the Sovereign

God, or His special purposes.

This book has been written or Christians in the market-

place. Id like to help you avoid the pitalls o compromise,


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and recognise the rewards o living by His guidelines even

live with His empowering. Hell prove Himsel amazing. Mayyou make a dierence in the work arena He chose or you.

You are the salt of the earth.

But if the salt loses its saltiness,

how can it be made salty again?

It is no longer good for anything,

except to be thrown out and trampled by men.You are the light of the world.

A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

MATTHEW 5:1314

In my rst drat o these pages I headed this section, Pe-

culiar? rom the verse in Exodus 19 where God says Hispeople shall be a peculiar treasure. . . above all people.

Thats what were supposed to be: His treasure. Not weird.

Not preachy. Not snobbish. But showcasing Jesus refect-

ing His excellence, aithulness, love, compassion, wisdom,

peace, grace, and orgiveness. He will provide whatever

weapon o aith you need to wield or every situation.Enjoy your workplace roller-coaster ride; it will certainly

have its highs and lows, and it can be great un too or as

many years in the workplace as He allows. Welcome each

new experience as another lesson, another growth opportu-

nity, and another stepping-stone towards your dream. You

have His marching orders . . . .

A Special Treasure? 11


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chapter1

REALITY CHECK:youre a bottom-dweller

CenTer-of-The-universe, that was me entering the work

place. And I woke up one day soon ater that, struggling at

the bottom o a vast ocean. But I needed that. Humbling ex-periences are part o growing they help shape us and mold

our character. Welcome to lie.

Discover some relevant thoughts in the Bible.


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Consider these Bible insights:

The fear of the Lord teaches man wisdom,

and humility comes before honor.

PROVERBS 17:33

In other words, humility puts you on the right

track.

Do not despise these small beginnings.

ZECHARIAH 4:10

Its okay to start at the bottom.

A faithful man will be richly blessed.PROVERBS 28:20

Cool, huh?


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Reality Check 15

Guilty as charged

When I entered the workplace I thought I knew it all. I

thought I had it all gured out. I had perormed well academ-

ically, so I expected companies to be eager to employ me.

Dont most o us rate ourselves a little too highly?

Me? Room to improve? Need help or advice? No way!

But a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. I still had

much to learn.

Have you discovered this yet? Were you, too, ready to

take on the world? With your own perspective on lie? Your

own rules? Your overfowing condence. . . expecting to take

the workplace by storm?

World here I come!

Then comes the big thud. What happened, dude?

The baggage we bring

I had good parents who taught and modeled or me the val-

ues o honesty and integrity. But I elt the least among eight

siblings. One day, this least-valuable-in-my-amily label gothammered down rmly, like a stake deep into my heart. We

had guests or dinner and there I was, dutiul bunso (the

youngest), serving ood to our guests.

Giving me a once-over, one o the visitors asked, Katu-

long nyo? (Your house help?)

I wanted to vanish into thin air but held my breath tohear my athers reply.


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16 G O I N G U P ?

Tatay replied, Ah, yan ang pinakamahina sa mga anak

ko. (Shes the least-endowed among all my kids.)I elt a fashfood o emotions I simply could not describe.

Robbed o my sel-esteem and totally insecure, I resolved to

work harder to prove my worth.

For trying out loud

This brings us to the T-H Factor (Trying Hard). Boy, did I

try hard!

I set out to prove my ather wrong, becoming thoroughly

competitive and motivated to win. Hopelessly argumenta-

tive, I became a ery orator, representing my high school in

inter-collegiate competitions and bringing home the gold.

Getting involved in school politics, competitions and extra-

curricular activities, I became something o a campus gure,

especially in college. Graduating rom college with honors, I

had a job awaiting me in a TV network belonging to a multi-

media powerhouse o that era.

I could make it in the world ater all.

This I thing must by now be boring you. But at some

point, without God in our lives, thats what we naturally be-

come sel-centered, me-minded, hub o the universe.

I let you peek into my psyche. You have your own reasons

(or excuses?) or becoming who and what you are today.

But whatever the cause or the circumstance, all o us tend


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Reality Check 17

to have this secret sense that we are the center o the solar

system. Until something pulls us back to planet earth.

Reality check

My rst job required me to conceptualize and write copy,

scripts or print ads and TV, and radio plugs or the TV sta-

tions programs. Having majored in communication arts and

gotten excellent grades, I thought the job would be easy. But

I was in or a surprise.

Discovery one: I wasnt the hotshot I thought I was

what we learn in school is just a drop in the bucket o what

we need to know to do well in the corporate world.

Discovery two: As an employee, I couldnt dictate the

rules o the game.

Companies ollow standards and procedures which dic-

tate perormance quality, and as a newbie you just have to

abide by them. Some bosses guard the system against out-o-

the-box thinkers who may rock the boat or challenge long-

held corporate values. I never learned that in school. I never

knew the boss might even be my main challenger, inhibit-

ing the creativity I brought to the workplace.

My supervisor in the TV station was a veteran journal-

ist. His smile was as rare as rain in April, as they say. But

his mellow modulated broadcasters voice had women callers

swooning. I only they knew! This was the man who made

me eel so incapable and unsure o mysel.


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18 G O I N G U P ?

A cum laude on your diploma may have opened doors

or you, but in the workplace, your superiors judge you not byyour resum, but by results. Can you deliver the goods? No

matter how well you scored academically, you are a green-

horn when you rst step through the portals o the corpo-

rate world. Here are people whove been there, done that.

It didnt take me long to discover I was at the bottom o

the ood chain. Just like Oscar in the movie Sharks Tale. Hethought himsel invincible until he woke up and realized he

was just a small sh at the bottom o the big ocean.

Starting from scratch

Whats it like at the bottom o the ood chain? To be the

small ry that the top men and women chew up or breakast?

The rst day you reported or work, you were probably

given a position description. Mine said copywriter, and

detailed my duties and responsibilities. Note, however,

the last line: Perorms all other unctions as delegated by

superiors.

Other unctions can mean literally anything. I youre

at the bottom o the totem pole, theres no one lower down

or you to boss around. You may be called on to requisition

supplies, deliver memos to oces on another foor (we didnt

have the internet when I started work, okay?), make coee

or guests, and run last minute errands.


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Reality Check 19

Then, theres another catch. Youve been hired, yes, but

you may still be on probation. What?! Isnt that or the likeso Hollywood pasaway (wayward) stars like Paris Hilton,

who ater being jailed or a short period, must show evidence

o good behavior?

Well probation in the work place has its similarities.

As you work your way through a probationary period, your

bosses will watch like hawks, ne-tooth-comb your charac-ter, scrutinize you or any tendency to start a rebellion or

cause unrest, discover i you will be trainable, or scan you or

leadership potential.

My rst three months in the company were a disaster, at

least rom my point o view. Feeling choked every time my

writing got the red ink, I planned on leaving the job at theearliest possible opportunity. My real nature was rearing its

ugly head. I was too proud to accept that I was still a learner.

Or that someone could be better, or perhaps wiser than me.

Wow, that attitude in a new worker really sucks! And its an

attitude easier to observe in others than to recognize and

correct in onesel. Do yoursel a avor. Take an honest lookat yoursel now, and make the adjustment.

Close call

My boss reported to a lady manager whom I regarded as the

epitome o sophistication and success. Her mirthul voice

and her laughter were the counterpoint to my boss dead-


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20 G O I N G U P ?

pan severity. She also appreciated her sta, and passed out

compliments or the accomplishments we turned out. I de-termined to model mysel on her.

She gave me leeway to express my ideas and work with

the departments artists. Then she let loose the reins, allow-

ing me to get involved in producing station plugs with the

help o mainstay talents and technical sta. Soon I was do-

ing some editing, musical scoring, voice-overs, and even di-recting or station commercials. Wonderul!

But I still elt restless; I wanted out.

Then early one morning beore going to work, I turned on

the radio and got only static. Groups o anxious employees

were milling around at the gate o the TV station. Barbed

wire and uniormed military men prevented us rom going in.President Ferdinand Marcos had declared Martial Law and

all media enterprises had been padlocked.

For what seemed an eternity to those o us in the in-

dustry, broadcast companies and newspapers apart rom

those owned by amilies close to the administration were

banned rom operating. Ater the dust, so to speak, had set-tled, more media enterprises were allowed to go on the air

again. I ound mysel working or another TV station.

But it was a close call. You dont realize the value o hav-

ing a job until someone snatches it away rom you without

giving you the chance to ght. Let God be the one who de-

cides i and when you should move to another workplace.


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Reality Check 21

A bit wiser

Martial Law or not, lie continued. Businesses started to

rebound.

A bit wiser and denitely humbled, I let the broadcast

world and joined a large manuacturing rm as editorial

writer in its public relations unit.

Looking back and reviewing the positions and companies

eventually added to my resum, I am amazed at how God

steered my path in spite o my skewed sense o sel in

those early days, and my constant whining.

Am I teachable?

Do the opportunities or learning ever stop? Never. Whatabout the humbling? Those opportunities keep coming too.

The more responsibilities I handled, the more I realized

that I knew very little. But I was discovering that each job

presents opportunities or learning too dierent ways o

understanding situations, or people, or even Gods some-

times mysterious ways. Key to making the most o each ex-perience is attitude, having a teachable spirit. It starts with

acknowledging your limitations. I ound I learned more

quickly too, when I realized that what was important wasnt

my set o abilities what was important was allowing Gods

grace and gits to work in me (or you), as He gives us wisdom

to persevere.


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Reality Check 23

and now is that since committing mysel to the Lordship

o Jesus in my lie, I have the Holy Spirit teaching me dailyto guard my heart and humble mysel beore God. As I write

about this here, I hope I can save you rom some o the grie

o learning these things the hard way. Rather than try-

ing to manipulate every situation, train yoursel to let God

choose your appointments. Let Him be the one to lit you up.

I learned, too, as I progressed in my proessional lie, notto underestimate the value o the man or woman in his or

her rst job. The working man has value, no matter how ar

down on the organizational ladder he is. He may be the jani-

tor who sweeps the foor and polishes your table everyday. Or

an oce clerk who photocopies your reports and makes co-

ee or you. All o us are learners, and work attitude is moreimportant than a job title. A certain Brother Lawrence used

to practice the presence o God even as he worked in the

monastery kitchen. You may have heard this line rom an

old hymn by George Herbert, Who sweeps a foor as or the

Lord makes that and the action ne.1

Microscopic

Do not despise these small beginnings, says the messenger

o the Lord in Zechariah 4:10.

Do not pooh-pooh a small role. Sometimes a small part

is our opportunity to learn, or the opportunity that puts us

1 The original quotation is rom Martin Luther.


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24 G O I N G U P ?

in the right place at the right time or something greater. A

small role is important because it is part o a team eort. Wesee examples all around us in the world o nature. The world

o ants demonstrates or us that each responsibility is im-

portant. Worker ants take care o the young and the queen.

Senior-citizen ants take care o digging and other nest work.

In microscopic ant-land, youre in the big league i youre

promoted to oraging or ood, in act the most dangerousunction.

We too are microscopic in the grand scheme o things

in the expanse o Gods creation. And as science unolds

the intricate details o our make-up, it only bears out King

Davids assertion in the book o Psalms, 139:1314, that he

had been knit together in his mothers womb and that hehad been earully and wonderully made. As a precious cre-

ation o the Creator God, you denitely play an important

role, wherever God has placed you now. No matter what

role you have been assigned, no matter how inexperienced

or experienced you may be, your God-appointed task must

yield one hundred percent commitment. Even in the corpo-rate world, you serve the Lord God.

From the bottom up

I you start at the bottom, theres no way to go but up. A valu-

able lesson young proessionals must learn early especially


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Reality Check 25

i they come to the workplace as aggressive and I-me-and-

mysel-centered individuals is that honor and promotioncome more readily to those willing to learn, those who are

willing to get down and get greasy doing what might seem

to be menial tasks, and experience inconvenience along the

way. Oten we will be challenged to do something weve

never done beore. These tasks can be pretty humbling and

possibly involve some risk-taking.Bosses oten try to inspire and motivate subordinates with

rhetoric such as Ride the boat with us so we can inhabit

that isle o overfowing abundance with our vision and mis-

sion. Or, Have a slice o that great pie called market share.

Strive or that towering spiral known as sales growth. All

these, o course, translate to you receiving your pay every15th and 30th o the month.

Honestly, the salary is not the most important part o the

reward. For those who are aithul, willing to learn, and will-

ing to start rom the murky bottom, something ar more ex-

citing and rewarding awaits.

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