1. e bites
[empower bites]
1Q 2012 | Issue 4
Brought to you by:
ANCHOR ON YOUR CORE VALUES,
“Anchor on PURPOSE & PRINCIPLES!
Values,
That
was
Nina
Aguas’
big
advice
during
the
Professional
Purpose & Talks
Series
3:
EMPOWER
Women@Work
event
held
last
Principles” 28th
of
January
at
7107
Flavours.
Nina,
a
highly
successful
business
&
banking
leader,
identified
honesty,
hard
work
In this issue
and
ownership,
humility
and
generosity
as
most
important
,
and
considered
herself
anchored
on
her
POWER BOOK
Catholic
faith
and
on
her
Filipino-­‐provincial
values.
2 The World is Flat by Thomas
Friedman Nina
also
regarded
herself
a
dreamer,
and
she
said,
“If
you
really
believe
in
your
dream,
nature
conspires
to
fulfill
it.”
Armed
with
this
strong
POWER TOOLS belief
in
her
dream,
Nina
rose
above
her
humble
beginnings
to
become
Recommended Websites & one
of
the
top
women
business
leaders
in
retail
and
private
banking.
She
Blogs has
successfully
managed
global,
regional
and
country
level
businesses
and
operations
in
large
global
companies
across
developed
and
emerging
POWER NOTES
markets
in
Asia-­‐Pacific
and
the
US.
Yet
above
all
Nina
credited
her
innate
3 Anchor on Your Core Values,
authenticity,
positivity
and
energy
as
blessings
that
helped
her
managed
Purpose & Principles
such
large-­‐scale
businesses.
EVENTS
Throughout
the
event,
Nina
often
referred
to
listening
to
the
“language
5 of
the
heart.”
She
said,
“When
you
have
a
heavy
heart,
you
can’t
get
to
PROGRAMS
work.”
She
believed
in
not
compromising
core
values,
and
in
attaining
inner
peace,
even
if
that
would
mean
saying
‘goodbye’
to
a
job/company.
(Continued
in
page
3)

2. 2
THE WORLD IS FLAT
By Thomas Friedman
The first 50 pages of the book (out of 600+ pages) have
already made me fully appreciate the flattening of the world,
and how and why the flat world has become so important in
today’s highly connected world.
A big personal learning is the importance of collaboration in
today’s very competitive world. With the Internet and social
media revolution, there is no doubt that the power of business
and companies are shifting to the individuals – and it’s up to
us individuals “to collaborate with others globally.”
POWER BOOK As Thomas Friedman wrote in page 11, “Individuals from every
corner of the flat world are being empowered. Globalization
& TOOLS 3.0 makes its possible for so many more people to plug in and
play, and you are going to see every color of the human
rainbow take part.”
Recommended by
Elaine Cercado Friedman identified the 10 flatteners, which included trends
like work flow software, uploading, outsourcing, offshoring,
supply chaining, among others. Throughout the book,
Friedman used examples and anecdotes from his travels and
experiences around the globe, which effectively illustrated
the flat world we live in. A highly recommended, relevant
book to read indeed!
Recommended
WEBSITES & BLOGS
Mindtools.com is a great resource for personal and
professional empowerment. They provide e-courses, e-
newsletters and community-shared practices and other
information to build and develop ”essential skills for an
excellent career.”
Last February, one of their newsletters featured “Do What’s
Right!” which I thought contained articles that were relevant
to our theme for this e-bites issue.
“Authenticity: How to be true to yourself”
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/authenticity.htm#np
“Preserving Integrity: Consistently making the right choices”
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/integrity.htm#np
“Ethical Leadership: Doing the right thing”
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_58.htm#np
e bites, 1Q 2012, Issue 4

3. 2
1
3
ANCHOR ON (Continued
from
page
1)
should
learn
to
ride
through
the
times.
On
blending
&
standing
out
YOUR CORE “Where
do
I
as
an
individual
A
case
in
point
–
there
are
more
fit
into
global
competition
VALUES, and
opportunities
of
the
day,
and
men
than
women
in
the
how
can
I,
on
my
own,
collaborate
boardroom,
and
for
the
same
top
PURPOSE & with
others
globally?”
(Thomas
executive
position,
women
are
Friedman,
The
World
is
Flat)
paid
lower
than
men.
Her
words
PRINCIPLES
of
wisdom:
Just
keep
going!
Fight
Nina’s
concise
advices:
Speak
up!
Raise
your
hand!
Expand
your
it
out!
Live
your
life
through
your
(Continued) eyes!
Project
self-­‐confidence!
If
network!
Sadly,
not
speaking
up
is
By Elaine Cercado sometimes
seen
as
incompetence.
there’s
one
advantage
women
Nina
said.
has,
it’s
charm!
Our
four
other
distinguished
Our
other
distinguished
panelists
panelists
also
gave
the
following
shared
very
wise
advices:
practical
tips:
• Understand
yourself
–
your
• Communicate
well!
Listen,
values
and
priorities.
Learn
to
pause
then
comment
(don’t
react
say
“not
now.”
too
fast).
Empathize.
• Know
what
you
know
and
• Be
personal!
Touch
the
human
what
you
don’t
know.
Ask
heart.
Show
you
are
a
finely
help.
Don’t
pretend.
Don’t
be
FilipinoJ!
Make
a
difference!
afraid
to
“fail
forward.”
• Excel!
Focus
on
your
core
competencies.
Find
your
passion
• Prepare
for
every
occasion.
and
shine
through.
Synergize-­‐ Singaporeans
are
known
to
be
understand
what
others
in
your
thinkers,
want
data/facts,
and
team
can
deliver
and
contribute
have
the
kiasu
and
kiasi
your
best
to
achieve
team
goals.
mentality.
On
achieving
adaptability,
On
anchoring
values
in
a
agility
&
success
modern
&
changing
society
“To
endure,
you
need
to
“Values
should
be
anchored
in
continuously
adapt,
improve
or
principles
so
that
your
life
will
change
rapidly.
You
also
need
to
POWER NOTES communicate
clearly
and
have
a
changeless
core
and
inner
source
of
security,
guidance,
consistently
–
upward,
sideward,
wisdom
and
power.”
(Stephen
downward.
Maximize
every
Covey)
challenge
and
opportunity
to
“Values should be develop
and
prepare
your
self
for
Nina’s
key
question
was
“What
anchored in principles so bigger
roles
and
responsibilities.”
matters
most?”
She
said
that
no
that your life will have a (Elaine
Cercado’s
Power
Notes/Blog,
one
should
be
so
worried
about
2008)
changeless core and money
that
one
couldn’t
walk
inner source of security, away
from
it.
Throughout
the
Nina
pointed
out
the
reality
that
guidance, wisdom and talk,
Nina
kept
saying,
“Listen
to
achieving
success
in
today’s
power.” your
heart!”
–
an
indication
that
turbulent
world
is
very
challenging.
When
asked
how
could
one
b e
the
answer
to
‘what
matters
- Stephen Covey most’
could
be
found
somewhere
secure
at
work,
Nina’s
answer
was
“no
one
is
secure.”
One
could
and
there.
e bites, 1Q 2012, Issue 4

4. 2
1
4
ANCHOR ON (Continued
from
page
3)
Indeed,
this
was
one
of
the
most
interesting
parts
of
the
event
–
as
Other
values
considered
important
YOUR CORE by
our
panelists
were:
integrity,
Nina
has
put
it,
“The
heart
(love)
is
a
global
language.”
VALUES, passion,
excellence,
being
engaged,
integrity,
honesty,
respect,
and
Nina’s
advices
about
building
and
PURPOSE & humility.
They
all
agreed
such
‘old-­‐ sustaining
relationships:
Don’t
fashioned’
values
were
n on-­‐ substitute
human
interaction
w ith
PRINCIPLES negotiable.
Facebook
and
twitter!
Understand
the
impact
of
smile
and
thank
you!
(Continued) On
building
&
securing
personal
Follow
the
golden
rule
(treat
wealth
others
how
you
w ant
to
be
By Elaine Cercado
“As
we
work
hard,
we
should
make
treated)!
sure
that
your
efforts
do
not
got
to
waste.
At
the
same
time,
we
should
Nina’s
advices
to
those
looking
for
define
our
priorities
and
decide
what
love:
Let
love
find
you.
To
put
it
will
make
us
happy.
If
we
thoughtfully
reflect,
happiness
may
romantically,
“Life
is
living
–
for
be
simple
and
being
financially
someone
who
lives
because
of
sound
just
becomes
the
icing
on
the
you.”
For
love
to
find
you,
you
cake.”
(Roland
Pagdanganan
on
must
present
yourself
as
“lovable.”
Money
Management,
F
Magazine,
2011)
Here
are
some
tips
from
our
panelists
on
how
to
be
lovable:
All
the
panelists,
including
Nina,
• Be
a
good
listener!
Don’t
go
into
shared
the
same
advice:
Live
within
solution
mode!
Don’t
be
your
means.
Don’t
spend
more
preachy!
than
you
earn!
• Stay
pretty!
Be
confident!
More
specific
advices
included:
When
asked
what
they
considered
• Use
credit
wisely
as
critical
success
factors
in
• Look
at
your
investments.
relationships,
the
panel
“Don’t
go
into
instruments
you
enumerated:
time,
honesty,
don’t
understand.”
(W.
Buffet)
POWER NOTES • If
you
are
helping
out
family
communication,
reliability,
grace,
respect,
sincerity,
reaching
out,
and
members
/
relatives
–
make
giving
attention.
recipients
accountable
(so
they
would
value
the
money)
Each
woman
who
attended
the
• Say
no
to
vices
(gambling
event
had
her
“tapau”
(takeaway
“The quality of your life included)
package)
–
be
it
about
career
or
will be in direct • S.I.S.S.
(save,
invest,
share,
personal
development,
financial
or
proportion to the types spend
–
in
that
order)
relationship
management.
But
of relationships you
what
is
essential
to
all
aspects
is
the
choose to build.” On
finding
true
love
at
the
right
anchor.
Find
your
anchors
–your
time
and
place
core
values,
purpose
and
principles
- Mick Ukleja “The
quality
of
your
life
will
be
in
–
and
be
firm
with
them.
Once
you
direct
proportion
to
the
types
of
are
firmly
anchored,
you
are
relationships
you
choose
to
build.”
strongly
empowered!
(Mick
Ukleja,
author)
e bites, 1Q 2012, Issue 4

5. 5
VIBRANT INSPIRATIONAL TALK by MS. NINA AGUAS
NETWORKING
ENGAGING PANEL SHARING
EVENTS
Guest of Honor:
Ms. Nina Aguas, Most Recently MD-ANZ
Empower
Women@Work Panelists:
Talk.Panel.Networking Ms. Che Yaneza, AVP-MediaCorp
LEARN. BE INSPIRED. BE EMPOWERED! Ms. Marge Pagdanganan, MD-Citibank
Ms. Paulette Lirio, MD-PDLC Asia
28 Jan 2012 Ms. Cecilia Beltran-Chiew, Director-Anixter
7107 Flavours, Marina Sq
Moderator:
Ms. Elaine Cercado, MD-DPU Management Consultants
e bites, 1Q 2012, Issue 4

6. 6
EMPOWER
MENTORING
PROGRAMS
CALENDAR
OF
EVENTS
W@W
(Women
at
Work)
28
March
2012
CEGOS
Asia-­‐Pacific,
our
Global
Learning
Partner,
• Ideal
for
new
/
experienced
professional
women,
Launch
Event
or
working
moms,
or
women
who
are
shifting
careers
Email
depowerinu@me.com
if
you
are
interested
to
• Focus
is
on
finding
passion
&
mission,
balancing,
know
more
about
CEGOS
learning
solutions
and
empowering
self
&
others
May
2012
(date
to
be
confirmed
soon)
YP@W
(Young
Professionals
at
Work)
Professional
Talks
Series
4:
• Ideal
for
new
/
young
professional
men
&
“Empower
Your
Creative
Performance”
women
Featuring
a
w orld-­‐class
Performing
Artist
• Focus
is
on
career
development,
n etworking,
time
management,
stress
management
and
Email
depowerinu@me.com
for
details
emotional
intelligence
M@W
(Managers
at
Work)
OTHER
BITS
• Ideal
for
experienced
professional
men
&
Download
past
e-­‐bites
[empower
bites]
issues
women
who
are
managing
teams,
individuals,
businesses
or
projects
November
2010,
Issue
1
• Focus
is
on
developing
/
managing
self,
others,
https://files.me.com/ecercado/e124xh
work
situations
and
business
February
2011,
Issue
2
https://files.me.com/ecercado/wlprul
Program
options
&
schedule
September
2011,
Issue
3
• One-­‐to-­‐one
or
small
group
mentoring
over
three
https://files.me.com/ecercado/57bli3
to
five
sessions,
depending
on
agreed
focus
• Ideally,
one
session
every
week;
one
session
lasts
about
two
hours
For
more
d etails,
d ownload
https://files.me.com/ecercado/ogd6p9
To
inquire
or
to
book
a
session,
email
depowerinu@me.com,
subject:
EMPOWER
Mentoring,
or
call
+65
6271
0208.
e bites [empower bites]
A newsletter published by
de’POWERinU Management Consultants LLP
Registration No. T08LL0335D
“If you really believe in
30 Keppel Bay Drive #07-42
your dream, nature Singapore, 098650
conspires to fulfill it.” Tel +65 6271 0208
Website www.depowerinu.com
- Nina Aguas Email your feedback or suggestions to
depowerinu@me.com
e bites, 1Q 2012, Issue 4