Day: October 12, 2016

When They Go Low, We Go High

When They Go Low, We Go High

Michelle Obama’s quote from the recent Democratic convention will go down as one of the greatest quotes ever.

And I’ve been thinking about what that quote means for me as an American in the Philippines.

I often talk about why I love the Philippines and how I have so much faith in the Filipino people.

My passion comes from way down deep and is has been unshakeable during my 5+ years of living in the Philippines. Talking about analytics in the Philippines has been the time of my life.

Although there have been bad times. Burned by bad partners, taken advantage of by greedy individuals and flustered by arcane bureaucracy. But they haven’t stopped me.

Because when others go low, I keep going high.

Trying as much as possible to do the right thing. Valuing integrity and accountability over success and profit. These things are the high road.

As a guest in the Philippines, I strive to show appreciation and gratitude whenever possible for the once in a life time opportunity to chase my dream of empowering Filipinos with analytics.

There have been and will be detractors. Roadblocks and hurdles will continue to be a burden. Perhaps even a rift between the governments of my home county and my adopted country may cause more challenges.

But as long as I keep going high when things go low, I will survive.

My faith in the Filipino people has not diminished.

In fact, it has only gotten stronger.

My Analytics Story – My passion is solving problems by bringing together the best talent, cutting edge technology and tried and true methodologies. DMAIPH is all about empowering people towards better Decision-Making through the use Analytics and business Intelligence. This is what I do best. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly for a free consultation about getting more analytics into your career and your business.

Advertisement

Three More Reasons I Love the Philippines

I recently blogged about three reasons I love the Philippines; the geographic location of the Philippines, the Heart of the Filipino and the opportunity to fulfil my destiny of empowering Filipinos with analytics.

The blog post as generated more buzz and had more views then just about anything I have published in the past year.

It is an honor and a blessing to be able to do what I do, to speak, write, blog, and talk about analytics to Filipino students, professionals, and businesses.

Recently as the amount of rhetoric between my country of birth and my country of choice has risen, I have come to appreciate three more things I love about the Philippines.

First, I love the healthy political discourse between those who see the future of the Philippines as a more independent country with those whose lives have been positively impacted by foreigners like me.

Everyone has a right to their opinion and I spend a lot of time reading them and considering them. As an American who has cast his lot, so to speak with the Filipino people, I will always respect even those who I disagree with.

Second, I love the fact that President Duterte’s rhetoric is forcing the American government to reflect on its relationship to the Philippines.

This too is healthy in the long run. The relationship between the two nations is very complicated when you consider the various twists and turns of our shared history. We need to have a continual dialogue about how to evolve together for the better good.

Third, my passion for empowering Filipinos to use data in their decision-making only gets stronger.

4.6

In a time of change, it is more important than ever to balance emotion with fact. A balance of meeting the emotional needs of 101 million people with the data that can competently predict the impact of various decisions is super important.

The upward momentum enjoyed by analytics and data science in the Philippines assures me once again, that I am in the right place at the right time.

There are many reason to love the Philippines… I could and someday soon will go and list more.

In the end though, to me, it is all about the simple fact that destiny has placed me here to do something important.

And that simple fact is truly a divine gift that makes me love the Philippines.

My Analytics Story – My passion is solving problems by bringing together the best talent, cutting edge technology and tried and true methodologies. DMAIPH is all about empowering people towards better Decision-Making through the use Analytics and business Intelligence. This is what I do best. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly for a free consultation about getting more analytics into your career and your business.

Why I’m Sticking with the Philippines

The past few months have seen a lot of negativity from President Duterte and his leadership team in their  comments about the state of U.S.-Philippines relations. Add to this the uncertainty around President Trump and his vision that suppresses globalization and threatens outsourcing.

The comments are sometimes a challenge for me to listen to as my connection to the Filipino people runs deep.

I grew up in Vallejo, California which has one of the largest and most vibrant Filipino communities outside of the Philippines.

The majority of my friends from elementary through high school are either Filipino immigrants or the children of Filipino immigrants.

My first crush was a Filipina. My junior prom data was a Filipina. I ended up marrying a Filipina. My brother married a Filipina. My son spent a year going to high school in the Philippines.

I not only love eating Caldereta and Adobo, but I can cook them really well.

I’m a huge fan of Jennylyn Mercardo and English Only Please is one of my all time favorite movies.

I have no problem riding in a Jeepney.

When I was working as an Analyst at Wells Fargo, I was deeply invested in making our remittance product the best in the business. I also volunteered to engage the Filipino community of almost 4 million at numerous events and promotions.

IMG_1310

When I finally had the chance to move to the Philippines to set up my analytics business, I did so to fulfil my destiny… to empower Filipinos to use more analytics in their business decision-making.

To date I have hired over 200 Filipinos, have spoken at dozens of schools in the Philippines and have provided analytics training to thousands of Filipinos.

Like just about any American who spends quality time in the Philippines, I love the Philippines.

No matter what happens between my government by birth and my government by choice, I will always feel that deep down inside my place is in the Philippines.

Because the heart of the Filipino is truly special in this world.

And that is why I am sticking with the Philippines.

My Analytics Story – My passion is solving problems by bringing together the best talent, cutting edge technology and tried and true methodologies. DMAIPH is all about empowering people towards better Decision-Making through the use Analytics and business Intelligence. This is what I do best. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly for a free consultation about getting more analytics into your career and your business.