What am I most Proud of?

The question that Coach Elizabeth Hoban asked me a few months ago, “Raju, looking back at the last 2-3 years of your professional life, what are you most proud of?” still rings in my ear. Though I briefly responded to that question I still feel, given the fact that it was asked on TV and I had to be brief, that I still want to share the details and the depths of that story.

There was a time, a day in the year 2005, when I was invited by, a friend and a missionary, Jay Tabana, to speak at a large socio-civic get together in Naga City, Philippines. The impression I got from Jay’s invitation was that I was to speak about business leadership to a large audience of 300 to 400 people. This was one of those gigs which we speakers regard more as a marketing mileage rather than an effort at putting food on the table. I took on the assignment and carried a bagful of books to sell to cover travel and lodging expenses.

After a long and a bumpy overnight journey by bus from Manila to Naga, I was put up in a little hotel, upon arrival, at dawn. By noon I was picked up by Jay and chaperoned from the hotel to the venue in a little, metal-upholstered ride on a tricycle to the venue.


Upon getting down I was looking for signs of a large crowd or even a large hall but Jay and his companion led me into the living room of a high-ceilinged, old wooden house. In the living room I leaned against an old-fashioned bar thinking this was just a stop and I’ll soon be led into a hall. When my eyes connected with those of Jay’s he seemed as much surprised and worried as I might have looked at that time. He slowly walked up to me and he said, “This is it. This is where you speak.” “Oh, okay” I said, “you think this room can squeeze in 30 or 40 people?” “I think it might,” he said and then left me hanging with a youngish looking boy who seemed to be the caretaker of the place and who seemed to be all starry-eyed about having to look after me, an expat, and a speaker from the big city. In my shaky and broken tagalong, I asked him if the audience will be coming in soon. “Opo!” he replied excitedly but politely.

At the end of thirty minutes of waiting, six young ladies and a handsome gentlemen, all in their early seventies walked in and, after wishing me a, “Magandang Hapon po!” settled down randomly about the room. I glanced at the housekeeper and he beamed me a large toothy smile and gave me a "thumbs up" sign. It was my time to wire up the mike and get up on the stage.

Now what I haven’t told you is that when I went into this speaking, training and changing other people’s lives’ business, I’d made up my own version of a Professional Speaker’s Athenic Oath.

I swear by Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and Arts, to keep according to my ability and my judgment, the following Oath and agreement:
To consider dear to me, as my mentor, she who taught me this Heart of Public Speaking; to live in common with her and, if necessary, to share my goods with her; To look upon her children as my own brothers, to share them wisdom and hope.
I will serve one or a thousand at a time and never shy away from sharing. I will speak regardless of speaking tools and comforts like a mike, a lectern, a podium or planned notes. I will speak in the sun, the shade or pouring rain and I will always deliver on my promises.
I will sweat, bleed and labor to preserve the purity of my profession and my arts. In every hall I speak, I will speak only for the good of my listeners, keeping myself far from all intentions of ill-doing and personal gain.
If I keep this oath faithfully, may I enjoy my life and practice my art, respected by all men and in all times; but if I swerve from it or violate it, may the reverse be my lot. This I swear!”


So, I began to speak. The crowd of seven in my halls were all small business owners who, for decades, had been making and selling Filipino sweets like Polvoron, Peanut Brittle and other Native Candies. I spoke about persistence, patience, systems, structures, branding, succession planning, packaging and distribution, building teams, hiring and training right and building business that would last not just their lifetimes but become a legacy and a bequest to their families and to the nation. They were happy and thrilled. They asked a lot of questions, shared their fears and their hopes and at the end of three quick hours, they shook my hand, gave me a few toothless smiles and walked out of the halls.

The thing that I am most proud of today but was surprised about it then was that throughout those three hours I’d forgotten that I was there to give a speech in English! Another person, another being from inside of me had reached out and connected with my customers in a language of their mothers--Tagalog with a smattering of English. Yeah! This is true. I know it because I still have to collect from those customers whom I sold my books on credit as they walked out of the halls. Unless, of course, I have already collected in kind and spirit from them in another place and another time. In all cases, i am sure, someone up there is maintaining a good book of accounts.

The lesson I recalled during this experience and which still resonates in my heart bring forth the words of my dear, departed mother who used to always say to me, “Son, those who don’t know how to dance generally blame the floor.” If you really and truly and wholeheartedly want to accomplish something then come rain or shine you will accomplish it and the whole material, emotional and spiritual world will conspire to help you accomplish it too.

Here is the clip of Coach Elizabeth Hoban asking me that question, “What am I most proud
of/” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0Zl8v6oe1k

The Leader as a Storyteller...Part 1

Several years ago at a talk for a Call Center Training Institute in India, I was
asked by one of the participants, “Sir, What makes a perfect leader?”
The first thought that flashed through my mind was that the young gentleman
asking the question had not experienced life yet and, in response, a smile grew
on my face but I held the smile back and went through the images and the ideals of several leaders I had studied and read about.

Abraham Lincoln was good but yet he was assassinated. There was someone who wasn’t too happy with him thus Lincoln could not have been perfect. Mahatma Gandhi was known for his staunch authenticity and he helped free a nation but still some found him flawed and shot him too. Currently known and respected leaders also have had their ups and downs, and they too cannot be deemed to be“perfect.”

Our perceptions of leaders and the concept of leadership run the gamut of brave, strong, sensitive, democratic, visionary, action-oriented, creative,
constructive, transformative, situational, emotional leaders and more. Thus,
there is no perfect description or a theory about leaders and leadership. It is
like that story of six men who could not see the elephant but drew their
judgments based on what body part of the elephant they were able to touch.

The one who held the trunk of the elephant thought the elephant was like a big
fat-water hose, the one who touched the elephants leg thought it to be like a
tree trunk and the others thought the elephant was a rope, a wall, a horn,
and a fan depending on what body part they were able to touch or grasp.

Now the descriptions of leadership may be diverse, and sometimes downright
ambiguous, but the tools of practicing leadership are limited and many a time
well defined. Tools such as active listening, clear imaging, creative planning,
awareness, action and the science behind inspirational storytelling come quite
handy to affect the acts of leadership. Through fables, parables, anecdote and
corporate storytelling, leaders can put across, quite quickly, hard to comprehend
concepts. Through story telling leaders can heal broken hearts and inspire
their armies. Through storytelling leaders can catalyze change and inspire
action and excellent performance. Through story, leaders can help the world
realize and understand truth.

The power behind storytelling is best highlighted by this little folk tale from
Israel.


Once upon a time, a long time ago there lived these two beautiful women in Israel. Their beauty was legendary and the people of Israel loved them both immensely.

One day, as is normal for all celebrities, these two beauties became insecure
and uncertain about their beauty and about their status in life. So out they
walked on the high streets of Jerusalem to see if they still drew any attention
and applause. On the streets, the bolder of the two stepped up and ahead of the
other in all her glory but nobody even glanced at her. “That is impossible.”
she thought and became a bit more bolder[excuse the grammar] and marched onto
the streets clicking her heels. This time, at her brashness, people turned their
faces away in disgust. She was devastated and in response, in her boldest form
ever, she stomped down the streets of Jerusalem again. People
ran into their homes and slammed shut their doors in her face.
Heartbroken and in deep shame, she swore never to expose herself again.

The other beauty, meanwhile, put on her best multi-colored coat, stuck some flowers in her hat and bells in her anklets and swung out onto the street with her purse. She waved at strangers, smiled at the Rabbis and laughed with the kids at play on the streets. The people of Jerusalem fell all over her. “Beautiful! Lovely! Celestial!” they all shouted. She was one with them and one of them!

The secret was that there was really no difference in how they both looked. What
really set them apart was the fact that the first one was called Truth and the
second one’s name was Story.

When leaders, for influence, use stories five things happen .Stories;

ACTIVATE the WHOLE BRAIN
Though we all use the whole brain in all we do but there tends to be, because of years of training and programming, a tendency towards left-brain domination in our interactions. When faced with a story our left brain dominance takes a back seat and our interactions become holistic and easy.

SEEP through CEREBRAL DEFENSES
For reasons similar to the previous point and for reasons of self protection we tend to ward off with logic anything that is new and unknown to us. When faced with a story our conscious and more cognitive mind draws back its analytical claws allowing new ideas and information to be exchanged with lesser resistance than normal.

INVOKE CREATIVITY and INCLUSIVENESS
Upon hearing stories our mind assumes it’s going to play and have fun… and this invokes creativity and a desire to participate. The right brain moves in and views the proceedings from a bird’s viewpoint. There is fun and lightness in this whole-brain approach and makes the listener much more participative because he feels part of the story forming and creation.

CATALYZE RAPPORT and ACTION
Since whole-hearted participation is not just a mental thing, stories also rouse us into wanting to do something, to model the heroes in the stories we hear and perform other acts of courage. Stories also, because of their playful nature generate laughter and, Daniel Goleman in his book The Primal Leader claims, laughter nurtures the open loop nature of man. Stories thus build rapport amongst players at work and catalyze action and teamwork.

ANCHOR Ideas and Values into our EMOTIONS for LIFE
Stories, intrinsically and essentially, highlight strengths, positivism and idealism thus firming up old and new values to make us emotionally strong. Through storytelling all concepts and facts anchor themselves into our emotional brain and in our long-term memories.

Thus, effective leaders, teachers, trainer, mentors and coaches know and recognize the power of storytelling and usually deliver, hard to digest truths in the form of a story.

Leader as a Storyteller Intro.wmv

Action & Innovation

After years of reading, writing, researching, teaching and working with businesses at enhancing creative thinking in workplaces I have come to one happy conclusion. The conclusion is that at the core of all efforts at coming up with creative ideas, and innovating products and processes lies the fact that “action speaks louder than words!”

People in research, design, planning, marketing and strategizing constantly bleed and sweat over what wonderful thing to do next and how to come up with an idea that will rock the world and save money at the same time. Consultants like myself, catalyze the bleeding and the sweating further by dishing out multiple, hair-brained techniques and methods to “enhance creativity in individuals and organizations.” The whole circus is a vicious circle of futility rather than creativity and creative thinking. The power truly lies in A C T I O N and execution. Though, I am tempted to, I will not quote Nike over here. Nope!

What businesses need to learn and master is the ability to go out on a limb again and again. Individual and organizations need to learn to live with ambiguity and risk. The world outside; the economy, the ecology and the mind of the masses is and always will be in a constant flux. Market conditions will change, trends will change and the world will turn. Speed and action to market is important. Pro-acting to feedback and corrections is important. Getting into the thinking, designing and delivering into the pit is important.

It is vital that organizations not just follow a three-step, a five step or a seven-step method into higher creativity and breakthrough innovations but also give priority to conclusions and ends. Start backwards if we have to but constantly put something out there into the midst of the market and let the world decide if your ideas are worth the paper they have been brainstormed upon. Yes!

Authenticity and Public Speaking

Deep within your brain lies the amygdala_ also referred to as the “reptilian brain.” This part of the brain exercises no logic, rationality or order. It thrives on passion, fear, and rage.

The “fight or flight” syndrome during public speaking, originates from here. Manifestations of this syndrome are sweaty palms, increased heartbeat, a parched throat, and knocking knees.

Once, I observed a sales director of a large multi-level marketing company who had the habit of calling for a round of applause every few minutes during his speech. In the din of the applause, he’d gulp in air to soothe his fears and then continue.

Remember that fear always lurks behind perfectionism,
Confronting your fears and allowing yourself the right to be human can, paradoxically, make you a far happier and more productive person. – Dr. David M. Burns

A much better way to manage this fear is to constantly reach in and reclaim our authentic, inner being. Authenticity is achieved, as discussed earlier, by an honest appraisal of our objectives, purpose, and ulterior motives. After this, even if the structure and style of our speech is not that great, it becomes what my kids call “real”.

Many years ago, Mario Garrolinni, a speaker friend of mine died in a motorcycle accident. Several of his friends from the speaking and training business turned up to give eulogies at his wake. They all spoke with eloquence, wit, and style but the speaker that outshone them all was an old and humble mechanic from Mario’s factory.

He came up stooped shoulders, wrung his hands in agony, and stumbled through his words while clutching at the front of his shirt. He spoke of how much he loved Mario and shared happy little anecdotes of their friendship.

His language was simple. He wasn’t stylish or educated. As he spoke, there were tears and laughter in his eyes. After he finished there were tears and laughter in the eyes of everyone present. He was speaking the plain truth in simple words, authentically. Whenever, I get anxious or egotistical, I remember that old, humble Filipino mechanic and I simmer down and tap into my own authentic nature.

I am also not a big believer in the adage of “fake it until you make it”. I’d rather be honest, work hard and straight, and then “make it” so I don’t have to “fake it.” There are times that when you confess ignorance or inexperience you expose yourself to humiliation. But, confessions of truths can also make you endearing and human.

One day, Herbert Lee from Macau, a speaker/trainer friend of mine, spoke about how important it is to expose your inner self to create a better rapport. “You gotta open your hearts!” he cried. To prove this point to his audience he unbuttoned the front of his jacket, yanked his necktie off, and grabbed his shirt by the collar as if to rip it off. The audience leaned back and gasped, not knowing what was coming next. They didn’t want to see a nude speaker! With a flourish, my friend tore the shirt off his body, leaving his jacket on. The audience erupted into amazed laughter when they realized his shirt was a trick-shirt designed to be ripped off and away from under his jacket!

Herbert, though, had made his point that one must expose himself to be accepted and to be liked by his audience.


Sincerity and openness are major factors that can help you overcome your fears. While preparing to deliver a speech, ask yourself the following questions.

First, is the content of my speech true?
i. If there are facts, numbers or anecdotes that you are not sure of, not using them will cut down your anxiety.
Second, Am I telling half-truths and avoiding facts?
ii. If you are vague about concepts and are avoiding the real issues just so that you can fulfill the task of presenting, then you will be doubtful and fearful.
And third, what is my ulterior motive behind all the statements and suggestions?
iii. If your motives are well meaning and will truly benefit the audience, it becomes easier to speak with power, style and confidence.

This tapping into our authentic nature, expressing truths and overcoming anxiety through deep introspection forms the most important layer of the Heart of Public Speaking.

the birds, the bees and the flowers up the wall!

Just the other day someone asked me if I’d heard about Vertical Farming. I said I had but wasn’t too thrilled about it.

“Why?” he exclaimed surprised.
“Uh, because it is trying to correct a problem originally created by ourselves.”
“How is that? Doesn’t it make sense that people will not have to go far out of the cities to get their needs filled?”
“That does make sense but it is a stop-gap solution. The question that we really need to ask ourselves is what has driven us to live in such tall structures, what has driven us to live in such a congested manner and what has driven us humankind to be one of the largest numbers of inhabitants on earth?”

The truth is that we have really overcrowded the earth. There are billions of us digging into the crust of the planet, ‘de-treeing’ the forests and ‘dam-ming’ the rivers and the oceans in the name of progress. We are converting everything into wrought iron, plastic and mortar and then piercing it into the heart of the earth and erecting structures which shoot miles into the sky in defiance of nature and natural forces. We call them skyscrapers and we think that is “oh' so smart of us as a civilization.” How far away is that kind of thinking compared to inventing electric saws to chop down trees or throwing sticks of dynamite into the ocean so the fish will pop out of it dead and murdered.

Every time we as a race and as a society have taken a decision we have believed it to be the smartest decision ever. When we split open an atom we thought that was a scientific breakthrough until it was also used as atom-bomb to kill thousands. When we conquered the oceans we believed that to be an achievement until the waste and spills from our tankers began to poison every single inhabitant that lived in the waters. We are thrilled at being able to fly from one continent to another at breakneck speed not realising that that just gets us doing the digging, the de-treeing and the dam-ming much faster and much more globally. Somebody has to just stop and ask. ‘Why? Where are we going with all this activity? What is the higher purpose? What is the universal vision?

Is our long-term goal to be the most populated species on earth? Is our purpose to smelt plastic, metal and mortar into horrendously vertical constructions, pump up the rivers onto the 141st floor so we can wash our hands after nibbling on frog-legs and celery plucked from the farm next door? Einstein was wrong when he helped us unleash nuclear power but he was right when he said, “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.”

Mankind’s intentions are essentially good but mankind’s decision making is dependant only on the intellectual, emotional resources available to it from the environment and that which is true in the present moment. All wisdom is gained in hindsight by connecting the dots backwards. Very rarely have we practiced creativity and creative thinking which is not demand driven, which is not circumstantial and reactive.

I am not offering answers because I do not have any. I am just raising questions and inviting caution before we coerce our flowers and fauna to scramble up on horrendously vertical skyscrapers. I am inviting long-tem concern, thinking in systems and a refrain from applauding our own thinking and actions before we drive the birds, the bees and the flowers up the wall again!

Why Coaching Sales Creates Champions

Though early on in my career I did not get any sales specific training I was fortunate to intern under several successful sales champions. My mentors had learned their skills through the school of hard knocks and over a long period of time. Mentoring me, though, was far from their minds and all they really cared was if I made enough sales and if my success at sales put money into their coffers. Amazingly though, and such is life, I picked up a million little lessons from them which over time gave me an uncanny and an unfair advantage over many sales people and endeared me to my clientele and the market I played in. The learning was in-depth and the growth was exhilarating and long lasting. Years into the profession, when side by side with my mentors I had developed an uncanny and subtle set of playing rules which almost always helped me close deals and serve my clients consistently and to the benefit of both sides.

Over time, I realized that the art of selling was not just an art but an extremely refined science. The rules of this science, in the past, were learned through by getting into the pit again and again. Today, the culture of learning through long and strenuous interactions over a l o n g period of time does not need to be continued. It still has its benefits but keeping in mind the principle of “Anything can be accomplished if the task is broken down into small enough steps,” from the school of Nuero Linguistics Programming, a sales leader can transfer these uncanny and subtle set of playing rules to almost anyone willing to learn and wanting to make a success out of his sales career.

Across the world trainers and sales consultants like me have now packaged these playing rules into principles and practices which can be mastered in a matter of months if not weeks. Gone are the days when a successful sales person or a team leader would get on stage and boost the spirits of his teams through stories and admonitions towards sales success. Today, the name of the game is Sales Coaching—and, it is potent and powerful in real time and in measurable terms.
Sales Coaching brings about a multitude of benefits at the individual, the team and the organisational level.

At the individual level, sales coaching starts with the assumption that if you can dream it then you can achieve it. This becomes an extremely powerful a paradigm for the sales person because it starts with the belief in her potentiality, its helps unleash her latent strengths and it helps her leverage on her own past successes no matter what field or discipline she comes from. Sales coaching, at the individual level, instead of imposing the manager’s or the organizations belief systems on the salesperson helps her uncover her own driving values. It help her fine tune her skills in complete alignment with her own beliefs and potential.

At the team level, Sales Coaching, helps distribute work load and challenges based on personal preferences and competencies of each player. It helps teams eliminate links which may be weak and move from strength to strength to strength. Steven Covey highlights this synergy of strengths by creating a metaphor of loading a single wooden plank with a measured downward pressure, followed by laying another layer of a wooden plank on the first one. The downward pressure and weight thus carried by two wooden planks not just doubles in tandem to the number of planks but increases multi-fold. Such is the power of Sales Coaching for a team. It strengthens each player individually and then bonds them together with their strengths thus reducing team weaknesses. At the practical level, a manager-cum-coach can assess individual strengths and assign tasks and territories to build on strengths instead of just logistical and market demands.

At the organizational level, Sales Coaching helps in the following ways:

• Essential knowledge and organization culture is retained and enhanced in the process.
• Employee engagement and thus retention peaks up because of increased performance and satisfaction.
• Alignment of personal, team and organizational goals are constantly aligned thereby boosting rapid and sustainable growth.


In summary, the business of old-fashioned sales training has taken on a new and a vibrant face. Instead of sweeping statements about successes and successful behaviour during sales it now is a fine-tuned, highly refined and custom made one on one learning. It is not just faster, better and cheaper but it is also creative, conscientious and constructive. A well-designed sales coaching program addresses the needs of individuals, teams and organization in the areas of culture, processes, characters, visions, and competencies. A well designed sales coaching program also provides knowledge, skills and true wisdom for playing well in the pits, where the true action is.