mga amuyong

Noong nag-uumpisa pa lang akong mag-trabaho, I was fortunate enough to have worked under people who are great bosses. Particularly yong unang venture ko sa Saudi.

I was too young then and full of apprehensions. Kaya nang makita ko ang magiging unang boss ko, I must admit I was a little frightened. He was a big, bearded old man. And his voice was even bigger – parang may boom box sa lalamunan pag nagsasalita. German pa kaya hindi ko masyadong maintindihan ang sinasabi. Nanghihingi pala ng kopya pero nag-isip pa akong mabuti kung kape ang hinihingi. Copy, coffee… try hearing it from a German.

But he turned out to be a caring soul. Palibhasa wala palang anak from his wife, kaming workers niya ang ginawa nyang mga anak. Laging may pasalubong na home-baked goodies. Kung wala, aabutan nya ako ng 100 riyals and ask me to buy the gang a cake from our cafeteria.

In short, he looks and sounds intimidating. Pero mabait. Pagdating sa trabaho, pinababayaan nya kami to work on our own. Walang tinge of slavery na typical sa mga German.

Nang umalis sya, an American came. This one, kahit medyo matanda na rin, is a snappy dresser. Naka-maong and boots. And his clothing exactly reflects his personality – easy going. Ganon din ang style in working, do as you please, as long as tama ang mga reports na binibigay mo sa kanya. He gives you the freedom, walang strict rules. Which only encouraged me to do my job even better.

Then a Briton came. Another jolly fellow. Kahit medyo kuripot like typical brits, magaan din katrabaho. At dahil nga kuripot, I learned from him the value of money. Na dapat ang pinag-hihirapan mo every day and every minute, may kinapupuntahan na mabuti.

Moreso, later on I found out na suffering from the big C ang misis nya. And I admired his guts even more. Ganon pala kalaki ang problema nya (and probably the reason why he was such a miser) and yet he manages to be a jolly person everyday.

At kung puro promotions ang inabot ko kay German at Kano, kay Bitoy na nag-umpisa ang paglilipat ko ng sponsor (sa mga taga-Saudi, big deal ito coz it’s changing status from a contractor to a direct hire employee). Big stuff from a big guy with a big heart. (Just another way to say kung gaano kalaki ang utang na loob ko sa taong ito).

Nang umalis sya, doon na ako nagkaroon ng among Saudi. A sharp, loud and highly ambitious young man. Who at first ay pinagtitimpla ako ng tea nya as if I was his teaboy.

Sa kanya ko naman natutunan kung paano i-treat ang isang amo who has the tendency to use (or abuse) you in things beyond your job description. Diplomasya pala ang kailangan. Talk to him objectively and he will listen. Present a logic like “you are paying me so much on a per minute basis to waste that minute in making your tea” or something like that was my argument. Tinanggap naman.

Sa kanya ko rin natutunan that it is important to do self-evaluation. Kasi nga he was aiming for higher position, tinawag nya ako one day and asked me to evaluate him. I told him he was good but his weakness is his being impulsive. Pag may issue, he says something without even thinking. Tinandaan ko ito because it was not just his weakness. It was mine too.

Nang umalis ako sa Saudi, I worked in Makati. Isang management consulting firm where my previous American boss was the Managing Director (obvious ba na sya ang kumuha sa akin). Our CIO was a Brit, at ang COO namin ay isang young, lanky but good looking white South African.

Poging sya not only from his looks but more on his enormous charm. Masarap kausap. And makes you feel genuinely appreciated lalo na sa trabaho. Sa kanya ko naman natutunan ang isang very important skill in life – people skills. Something na magagamit mo not only in work but in the real world as well. Dahil wala nang gagaling pa sa taong marunong makitungo sa lahat ng klase ng tao. Be able to communicate with all – be it janitors, managers, drivers or company presidents. Sabi nga nya, “years down the road, it is not the work that you remember, it is the people you worked with.” True di ba.

Well those people were my bosses years ago. Ngayon, ah well, it’s an entirely different story. But as for these bosses I had, I was only thankful to have worked with them. Wonderful people. Wonderful bosses.