Introductions are necessary

Look up the meaning of the name Rodrigo and you might get chills down your spine. Based on various Google sites the name means: Famous Ruler, Rich in Glory, and a Law unto Your Self, someone who finishes what he starts. So why on earth would people even suggest giving nicknames and abbreviations to the President of the Philippines?

Our Christened name or given name, they say, is representative of the blessings and aspirations that our parents or single parent bestowed upon us. Many Filipinos have strong, powerful or beautiful names, it is our branding so to speak. But in our ignorance or cultural drive towards “cuteness” we choose to chop up our names into powerless nicknames. Because I shared the same name with my father, I went from Luis to Luisito to Louie to Sito to Cito all in the effort to get away from father’s overly wide shadow, in terms of names I managed to whittle my name from Warrior to little warrior!

I respect the “cute-isms” of Millennia’s and Netizens but lets not do unto Rodrigo or to ourselves what Benigno’s people did to him by coming up with a nickname P-Noy that was empty in true meaning and ended up a half born idea associated with duck eggs. What’s in a name? Maybe more than you imagined!

Filipinos are so bad at introducing themselves. The first thing I teach my students at the Development Academy of the Philippines is the importance of “Introductions.” It is partly the reason why government or political administrations don’t take off immediately. Compare how incoming cabinet members are “introduced” in the United States versus incoming cabinet secretaries in the Philippines.

In the United States, The elected President has a list of names for the team he wants. The potential cabinet member goes out with the approval of the presumptive President and meet up with key opinion leaders, key members of Congress, appear in talk shows and basically “Introduce” themselves or are introduced by the President’s communications team to the public. This is done at least a month or two before going through the confirmation process at the US Congress. The idea is to inform the public on who the candidate is for a specific position, what his background and qualifications are, why he is qualified to be a cabinet member or political appointee in terms of expertise and level of trust and confidence that the President shares with the candidate.

This way the people know what schools you went to, what religion and church you belong, your employment history, financial stats and most important of all your politics, clubs and interests that may influence your position and decisions. People get to know if you have a mental illness, bad credit or financial history or affiliations with extremists. It is at this point when any opposition may arise or develop against a potential cabinet member. This gives the appointing official a chance to replace a candidate who may have a hidden past or is considered unacceptable by those directly affected. After this, the candidate’s profile and qualifications is submitted to Congress for review and formal appointment. Generally, they screen for competency, integrity and accountability and, of course, political leanings.

In contrast, the process in the Philippines begins through presumptions made by self-proclaimed political experts and the media, leaks offered up by irresponsible staff or people rooting for someone, and trial balloons sent up by people who want a position or has someone they want to get the job.

Politicians and political advisers in the Philippines are afraid of being seen as presumptuous so they avoid talking or hinting about their list of possible cabinet members. But if you don’t have a list you’re deemed or branded unprepared and don’t have management know-how or skills. But if you come prepared with a list of cabinet members, they accuse you of assuming victory too soon. Being on a list also exposes the candidate to unexpected and innumerable family reunions with unknown or unverified relatives and turns their homes into the latest job placement bureau.

Nobody likes “Leaks” whether it’s of a medical nature, on your roof or in an organization because leaks undermines authority and subjects the process of selection and appointment as well as the organization to doubt, challenge or suspicion. When presumptions and leaks started to come out about potential cabinet members of Rodrigo Duterte, the most common comments I heard simply stated that the candidates or people on the list got there because: “they were backers” or “they bet everything on Duterte,” or “because they were schoolmates.” If it’s any consolation no one used the word “kamag-anak.”

All those comments are old, as old as the elections and appointments process in the Philippines. Once again all that may be true but someone should answer the question: “Are they Qualified?”

The bad part in all of this is that there is never a communications plan that lays out who the potential candidates are under consideration and why they are being considered in terms of expertise and qualifications. Whether you are a project director or President of the republic do not simply

fill in the blanks. Put down your priorities for staffing (who do we need first and why), job description wherever applicable, and basis for selection over and above personal or political relationships. Just because you own the company or been elected president does not entitle you to put aside smart and logical selection process.

A proper communications plan would at least make the public “informed” and ultimately assured if not confident that the administration is about competence, not camaraderie.

All eyes are now on the selection process because in this country everything is all about Competence and Connections. Either the person being appointed is a professional or he is someone “I” know. If not, we withhold acceptance and support, and if we are dissatisfied, we criticize. But if at the very start you convince the people that the person is a competent professional, it becomes difficult to criticize someone who knows a heck of a lot better than you.

Whether you are introducing a guest speaker, introducing yourself, or introducing a future cabinet member the introduction is often the first and lasting impression people have. It may also be the last introduction we get to make because after that, it’s all about impressions!

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