Closing out the end of a great year!

2010 is at its end and I want to take some time to close it out and set the stage for the upcoming year.

Thank you to everyone who make this year great. I'd like to bid farewell and future success to our outgoing board members (Jen, Roxanne and Nancy) while welcoming our newest board members (Michael, Sherwin and Jenafer). Congratulations to David Eam and Hang Chen in their new Board roles. David is our VP of Operations, while Hang will take on a larger role as National Representative.

I would like to highlight some of the major accomplishments our organization (locally and nationally) delivered and it amazes me at the dedication and generosity of this community.

• Congratulations to the nominees and winners of our scholarships and NAAAP 100 awards and the committee selecting them. We gave $8000 in scholarships this year.
• Thanks to the NAAAP San Francisco Chapter and the convention planning team organized a stellar convention at The Palace Hotel with our first diamond sponsor, Macy's. Our inspiring keynote speakers included CIA Director Leon Panetta, banking executive Doreen Woo Ho, IT leader John Chen, fashion retailers executive Jenny Ming, and so many others.
• We partnered with great organizations that fosters diversity and leadership: the Executive Development Institute, NHSMBA, NBMBAA, Microsoft and State Farm among many others.
• We connected members and leadership opportunities and made a difference in our community.

In 2011, our team is coming up with exciting new programming and we'll roll out our plans soon. So please look out for our invitations.

With that, if you missed out, then catch up with NAAAP Seattle with this educational video created by our Marketing Committee led by Julie Pham. See you in 2011!



Best Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

Scoring big

It's Thanksgiving Day. My family and I are snowbound and staying safe and warm waiting for when the game is going to start. I took a few moments to take an online assessment on leadership and scored 11 points out of 12 maximum points. Whoohoo! That's a big score :)

The Foster Business School at the University of Washington has an 8 week series focusing on leadership and I want to share about it. It's in it's fourth episode and while the assessment releases 3 quiz questions per episode, I don't know yet how I would score since another 12 points becomes available at the end of the series. Check it out at: http://uwtv.org/fosteringleadership/

UWTV Channels

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

How do you eat an elephant?

This is an age old question that baffles alot of people some of the time and some people alot of the time. The answer though is quite simple. You eat an elephant one bite at a time. Eating the elephant whole would be hurtful and can injure you.   It would then make sense that when it comes to productivity and tackling a big project or task, you would want to take small bites and enjoy the small achievements along the way. 

The benefits are enormous when you take this approach. Teamwise, moral increases (progress is seen immediately); there isn't much re-work if a problem is found; and from a customer perspective, they see immediate value.

Let's take something else like an organization's vision.  This  oftentimes is too big to achieve in the short term. It usually takes a long time. A really long time... and what I mean by long is 10-20 years. NAAAP-Seattle, for example, was founded in 1979 starting as the AsianMBA. It is an organization dedicated to the improvement of the Asian American community promoting leadership, career development, educational exchange, professional networking, social networking, and civic responsibilities. This is an elephant in my view. While 20 years has passed, I can tell you that we're still working on it.

Each year we have an election of new Board members to take a little bite out of our Vision. Individuals taking on a leadership role at NAAAP Seattle go on to other leadership roles and for me that's just the start and signs that we're making progress on our vision. Thank you to all that's served to make NAAAP Seattle a great organization and for those serving now keeping the pathway to leadership clear and unobstructed.


Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

Shifting your view

I think you'll appreciate this next post since we all have had the experience of learning Newton's laws in Physics class. Steve Zaffron and Dave Logan, authors of the Three Laws of Performance, identify and define laws, like gravity, pertaining to the world of performance. They get to the bottom of why you can only get certain results. In a nutshell, your view of a particular situation or circumstance is associated with a specific outcome or result.

Said another way, your view gives you the actions to take to get results specific to that view. For example, if your view of life is that it’s hard. Typically that view is constrained with certain moods, feelings and thoughts. Your only actions you could take really is to complain or not do anything. And the result is obvious…no result near to what you want. Yes, you’ll get a result…just not the result you want.

On the other hand, if your view of life is that it’s easy (or rich or fun). What actions could you now take? The possibilities are endless and they’d be very consistent with your view that life is easy. You’d certainly get a result consistent with that view.

Don't believe me? Try it on with any view you have. You'll see that this works with just about anything. Again, like gravity, its a law.

Once you realize that certain views can only generate outcomes specific to that view, you'll need to shift your view to come up with different outcomes.

If you're interested in reading more about the 3 laws of performance, you can read it from the cannon of Warren Bennis' management and leadership series.

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

Toot your horn

Toot your horn. Photo by Ev0073

We were for the most part instilled by our parents to work hard. And when it comes to acknowledgement and recognition we are humble and do not want to take recognition for our hard work. Do you agree?

In your workplaces, you will need to take credit and toot your horn. No one is going to do this for you. The benefits of this are many. For example, groups are always on the search for talent and they'll admit that it's hard to find the right person. They're on the search for people that get the job done. If they run into a person who can share about their accomplishments, they are very interested in continuing the conversation. If they run into a person who can't share about their accomplishments, then they move on to the next person. If you're currently searching for a job, then this is very important. You need to show your value to a potential company and you show this through your past accomplishments. If you don't have a history of past accomplishments and successes, then it becomes very simple and that's to go out and accomplish something.

As people, we can't read minds and to communicate we need tools.  Two fundamental tools I will talk about is the status report and the other one is sharing through conversations.

Weekly Status Reports
This tool is a weekly summary of the activities on a project. It includes what's been accomplished in the last week and what is the plan for the next week. It also identifies milestones, deliverables, risks and issues. It also provides a sense of the cost of the project. From the perspective of the manager, they get visibility into the entire project. From the perspective of the team, they get visibility into other areas that can potential have an impact on them.  They also feel included and part of a team.  From the perspective of the project manager, it's your best friend.  You not only toot your own horn, but you toot the team for their accomplishments. If you're the manager, you can toot the project team's accomplishment to their manager and up the chain giving you and the project team visibility. The CEO can see your accomplishments.  You might be asking, "what if I'm not the project manager?"  The answer to that is to send your status to the project manager in time for the project manager to update the entire project.  You'll get some added bonus points from the project manager because now s/he doesn't have to ask you for it.

I am a fan of the weekly status report as you can tell. By review time, you have a year's worth of accomplishments. In a sense you are actually building content for your performance review throughout the year.

Sharing
Have you been in a conversation with people and they don't share at all? You might as well be stuck by yourself or talking to a wall.  It's as if they don't trust you to share anything with you. You might think that they've got something to hide. Now, if you've been in this situation in either position, what could you do to ensure that people know what you're up to? Hmm. Share? Yes, share everything, not just the good but also the bad. You could get insight into what you did that helped you have a great result or insight into what you could have done better.

I'll leave it at this for now. Thanks for reading and hope to have you back here soon.

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

So you want to be a manager, eh?

Organization chart



Shuffling through my desk of old papers this weekend, I discovered an old manager feedback form I wrote for a previous manager and decided I should write about what it takes to be a manager and what it looks like for those of you interested in becoming one and being skilled and successful in the role. You might be wondering and thinking to yourself, "I can do that." And that's a good place to start - by inquiring. As a start, a manager sits within an organization having direct reports and itself being managed by another manager. They have a responsibility to get results of the organization through the work of others, namely their direct reports. They not only have their own projects, but also the projects of their direct reports. In general, they have a greater span of control and need additional skills not required by being an individual contributor, one with no direct reports.

As you think about your plan for becoming a manager, keep these areas in mind and find opportunities in your current role to build your skill and gain experience. (Also, see last month's post on Stretch Projects.) If they don't exist, then you can find opportunities in other organizations and activities, such as volunteering.

The areas I want to focus on are Communications, Development, Diversity, Team Building, Goal Setting, Customer focus, and Values. I'll stray away from the why for now and focus more on the definitions. The why's is such a larger topic of discussion and can lead to discussions regarding legal issues. If you keep your context of being a manager to someone committed to the success of their organization, you'll avoid most issues related to poor people management.

As a manager your communications become very important as you want to encourage discussions that are open and productive. For example, when issues arise within your team, are you open to listening? Or do you blame the messenger? Can you see a deeper commitment of the message and not just the message itself? Are you able to share information that your direct reports need to do their jobs and help them to understand how your division or group contribute to the company's overall success? Do you avoid sharing unpopular news?

As a manager, you become the advocate and supporter of your team's development. This aids not only in achieving your immediate team goals, but also in providing the company a talent pipeline such that your team can move on to other roles that the company needs and provides your team a pathway for career success and their potential. You will want to show sincere interest in your direct's career by not only creating opportunities within their current role, but giving them challenging opportunities. If a training and development opportunities comes up like a conference or an outside program, can you support your direct's time away from work?

As a manager, you will definitely work with different cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives. Respecting diversity will only help to make you a better manager and ambassador for your group. What it looks like is you considering points of view that are contrary to your own and leveraging those strengths and differences. When you have a diverse group of people working for you, then you have additional skills and inputs to get your job done.

As a manager, you are not only concerned for yourself, but for your group and so team building becomes more of your focus. You'll need to be vigilant on the status of your group's integrity and morale. You'll be now seen as a leader. (Of course, you can lead also as an individual contributor.) You'll be required to inspire your team to achieve business results, effectively as opposed to burning out your team. You'll also be asked to remove obstacles and roadblocks while placing your own needs after the groups.

As a manager, you are setting the bar for your organization. This is called goal setting. Can you set, prioritize and communicate realistic and achievable goals? Do you have conversations with your group on where they are at on meeting their goals?

As a manager, you get customers as part of your added responsibilities so you'll need to take action on customer feedback demonstrating your focus on keeping your relationships positive. Sharing customer feedback with your team is also something you need to take into consideration.

Last, but not least, as a manager, whether it's integrity, operational excellence, and customer focus you are responsible for having your team be aligned to the values set at your company.

In summary, being a manager takes alot of preparation and people skills and developing these skills takes time and investment on your part.

Having read this, do you see actions you can take today that tomorrow will lead you one step closer to being a manager?

And if you're wondering about what happened to my manager who I gave feedback. Today, she is now a Sr. Executive and is very successful.

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

What would you do if you couldn't fail?

House of Hong Restaurant, Seattle -  This was the question I asked at a recently held Women of Power Luncheon hosted by Assunta Ng, Publisher of the NW Asian Weekly and Seattle Chinese Post newspapers.  Before I get to the answer of that question, though, let me first tell you that this luncheon, now in its third year, benefits one of NAAAP Seattle's partners, the Executive Development Institute (EDI). Twelve lucky auction winners from EDI's Inclusion Fusion held earlier this year got to lunch with some very powerful women. In fact, I had the privilege and pleasure of being seated at one of the tables. I'll introduce them one by one as I go through their stories.

Women of Power Luncheon (l to r) Martha Choe, Donna Giordano, Grace Chien, and Amelia Ransom Letcher (Not pictured: Sandra Madrid)

As the food arrived, Donna Giordano, President of the Quality Food Centers (QFC), shared what she thought were her keys to success(es); that was:

• to listen and learn from others;
• to take any job offered as it would lead people to know that you're the obvious choice when opportunities arose;
• to know you are in the driver's seat of your career;
• to know and articulate your value; and most of all,
• to have a positive attitude as this will assist you in achieving results, both at home and at work. 

Next, the top Girl Scout or CEO, Grace Chien, made a point to stand firm with your commitments and define successes and failures in relation to these.

Martha Choe, Chief Administrative Officer for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and also a 2010 NAAAP100 recipient, talked not only about change, but about having it be sustained and lasting. She talked about how important it is to building lasting and effective relationships and used the term, "total leadership", when addressing one's well-being: mind, body and soul. Said another way, "When you're health isn't well, neither is your leadership."

When addressing work life-balance, "there is no perfect balance and it's a matter of balancing daily or weekly based on what is important to you. Put another way, if you are on your death bed, would you regret having gone to one more meeting?"

(l to r) Sandra Madrid, Carol Butterfield and Sandi Heddington

Now, Amelia Ransom Letcher, VP Corp Diversity Affairs at Nordstrom, rallied around people first and effective communication. Can you imagine the power in having people believe flowers grow in concrete? Getting to this level of effectiveness can help you become very influential.

Sandra Madrid, Sr. Advisor to the Dean, UW, shared a story about her own career transition. She was let go from the UW after 20 years of service. Her main point was to be part of a community because no one can do it by themselves. It was with the community's support that she got her job back at the UW.

As by now, I'm guessing you want to know what they said when asked, "what would you do if you couldn't fail?" I asked this question because throughout our careers we face fear and indecision and having gone through this themselves, they would give really good insight. Well, in short, the answer was not surprising. To paraphrase what each one of them said, "I would do anything".

Given that we're already on the topic of powerful women, I would like now to take a moment to let you know about the Women in NAAAP! program, which is our own program created and developed to build competent and confident women leaders within NAAAP and within the Asian Pacific community. If you don't already know about it, you can visit our website.

Special thanks to Char Grinolds of EDI and Assunta Ng, Publisher of NW Asian Weekly and the Chinese Seattle Post newspapers for creating a great meeting.

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle

President

Where are they now? Andy Yip, NAAAP Seattle President 2007-2008

My name is Andy Yip, President for the National Association of Asian American Professionals – Seattle Chapter from 2007 to 2008. I am a registered principal at my firm Raymond James, with a focus on estate planning and investment portfolio management. In my past careers, I have led numerous leadership positions including being the state manager for Prudential Financial. In 2007, we were the number one firm for Prudential in the entire nation. After much hard work and teamwork in achieving that, I became independent and had my own operation in Mercer Island, WA with my business partner.

NAAAP-Seattle gave me the opportunity to get in touch with the Asian American community and since then, I have gone on to serve many other community organizations, such as:

• Interim Executive Director, International Community Health Services Foundation
• President, Hong Kong Association of Washington
• Acting President, International Examiner
• Vice President, Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce
• Treasurer, Newcastle Chamber of Commerce (2009)
• Advisor, Collaborative Artists EastWest

Being on the board of an active organization also broadened my network, I was able to meet many young professionals that are passionate about their communities; found many mentors that have been where I was and formed many valuable relationship with key personnel across various industries.

It is exciting to see many new leaders are taking the lead at NAAAP-Seattle now, and I am proud to continue serving as a member of the Executive Advisory Board of NAAAP-Seattle, having input on the direction of the organization, and continue to bring resources to foster the next generation of leaders.

To those that are still on the fence of deciding whether to become part of this great organization, just know that NAAAP-Seattle leaders are all about giving back to the community while elevating their professionalism in their own career path. You will find many excellent mentors, great friends, fun activities, and top notch training.

i work, i play, i NAAAP!

Regards,
Andy Yip
NAAAP Seattle President 2007-2008

Leaving a Mark on the University of Washington (UW)

Photos by Lori Call © Alabastro Photography

Mark Emmert after six years of having been the University of Washington President has accepted the honorable position of President of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). In a farewell event at Kane Hall last week, many acknowleged his contributions to the history of the university. He is leaving the University of Washington having many achievements including creating new colleges: the UW College of the Environment and the Department of Global Health, which was done in collaboration with the School of Medicine and the School of Public Health and with tremendous support from the Gates Foundation.

In words said at this event, President Emmert built a diverse administration based on merit and knowledge-based perspectives. In addition, his focus on social justice and responsibility led to the Long Journey Home event, in which Nikkei graduates of 1941-1942, who had been denied the opportunity to complete their higher-education at the UW during World War II, were honored with degrees .  This also served as an opportunity to recognize present and future generations of Japanese Americans and more broadly the Asian American community. The University of Washington was the first university to advocate providing honorary degrees to the Nikkei graduates of 1941-1942. Other universities, such as Berkeley, have since followed the leadership of the UW. (Note: You can read more about Japansese American history at Densho)

Photos by Lori Call © Alabastro Photography

Phyllis Wise will take on the role as President of the University of Washington. It's definitely a first, since she will be the first Asian American woman to hold the position. His wife, DeLaine, accomplished herself, will be leaving with Mark after having made contributions to the community in terms of environmental sustainability and wildlife preservation.

Congratulations to Mark, DeLaine and Phyllis on their new roles.

Thanks to the University of Washington, the Executive Development Institute, and UnionBank for organizing the program. Special thanks to community leaders Ted Yamamura, a former NAAAP Seattle President, Diane Adachi, Dr. Testu Kashima, Dennis Yamashita, and Dr. Phyllis Wise for their speeches.

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

Stretch projects

"Everybody stretch for growth and development!"
Photo credit: Tom at HK 2006

Ever hear of the 70-20-10 learning model?  Its principle is the percent of time allocated to any given learning activity: 70% of your learning can come from real-life or on-the-job experiences (aka stretch projects), 20% can come from others like coaches, mentors or sponsors, and the last 10% is in the classroom. Read more.

Companies recognize the value of having people work on stretch projects, both core and non-core to the business, because it gives new skills to their employees giving their companies a competitive advantage. You should always be aware of why you're doing any project or task and create value for yourself while doing them. The key message here is to accept them openly and face them head on, because these small steps will lead to bigger and brighter opportunities!  Here are a few scenarios that will help you recognize if and when you're in a stretch project.

• You've been asked to run a project that will improve your project management skills, when in fact your core job is that of a developer or tester.
• There is a re-organization in your group that certain tasks fall on you that you've never done before.
• You're asked to lead a business turnaround or implement a process change in your group.
• You've just been elected to the NAAAP Board of Directors making policy and funding decisions.

Could you now see what you're doing is fulfilling on some higher goal for the company as well as yourself? If not and wanting additional development, then ask yourself if you're in a rut. If so, a good thing to do is to seek advice from a collegue or mentor 2 levels up. As a guideline, for most professionals it takes roughly 2-3 years, and as quickly as 18 months, to master a given role and once done are encouraged to look for newer, more challenging roles within their organization as they'll have a greater potential in contributing their new skills to contribute to the success of their company or even get promoted.

Thanks for reading and hope to see you back again.

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

"The Power Grid" - An EDI Leadership Navigation session

Federal Way, Wa - At the Weyerhauser Headquarters last friday, Executive Development Institute (EDI)Leadership Navigation program participants met for its 7th session entitled Gamesmanship: Knowing Your Field of Play and How to Create Wins and learn from executive mentors on organizational politics. (Note: the Leadership navigation program is for mid- to senior level professionals having displayed managerial, entrepreneurial and leadership skills.)

I had the privilege of sitting in and taking part in the discussions.  The session's distinguished executive mentors included George S Kikuchi (US Postal Service Executive, retired); John Okamoto (Executive Director, Washington Education Association); Jenette Ramos (Director, Business Operations, Fabrication; Boeing Commercial Airplanes); and Marvin (Ray) Risco (Vice President of International Operations at Weyerhauser).

What I learned was that organizational politics are as old as the history of business. This session looked at the role of power and politics within organizations.

I widened my awareness, gained a better understanding and tools needed to be able to assess the relevant “rules of the Game” and developed effective strategies and skills to succeed in any organization. More importantly, I wanted to be a much more skillful player.  For example, George mentioned to gain power yourself, you need to start with yourself, expand your circle of influence, and be aware when power is granted to you because identifying the invisible power grid underlying the field of organizational dynamics allows us to appreciate what’s really happening versus what we hear or see taking place. Knowing this gave me, I think, a significant strategic advantage in being able to influence decisions, move projects along and close critical deals.

I want to thank EDI's Executive Director, Starr MacDonald and session facilitator, Colleen Yamaguchi for granting me this privilege. Thanks!

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

A Noble Profession

I returned to Seattle after the Convention last Wednesday at 4pm and with my roller luggage I shuttled off to the Seatac Mariott across the street to where the State Farm Agency Information session was being held and was just about to start. I have known about these sessions but due to my schedule, I haven't been able to attend until now. It's quite different than what I expected and I am so glad that I went. First and foremost, this event was strictly a business opportunity information session; that is, an event providing information to start an agency in which attendees are introduced to the selection and training process.

What you'll learn at an agency information session (the facts):

• There are 17000 independent contract agents in the U.S.
• Largest insurer of autos and homes in the U.S.
• Over 93 insurance and financial services products to offer clients
• State Farm Insurance is A Fortune Top 50 Company
• Being an agent is a fantastic small business opportunity involving:
• Building relationships in the community
• Client centered sales and marketing activities
• Leading and motivating people
• Being the CEO of a small business and dictating your financial worth
• More at the State Farm website.

What you'll experience:

• Real agents sharing their experiences
• Making State Farm executive connections

What they are looking for in individuals:

• Entrepreneurial Spirit
• Relationship building
• Sales ability
• Leadership Skills
• History of success
• High integrity
• Self driven and self motivated
• Risk tolerant
• Competitiveness
• Financial wherewithal and credit worthiness

With that, our next professional development event is on Wednesday, September 8th from 6-9 pm at the Seattle Design Center.  We are partnering up with NHSMBA, NBMBAA and State Farm to discuss career transitions with a panel of speakers from various professions and to perform resume reviews. Click here to register.

Event details: http://seattle.naaap.org/Events.do?id=8338

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

2010 National Convention - San Francisco

(Top) Richard Lui (HLN and MSNBC); Palace Hotel (Second row from top) "The Language of
Innovation" by Comcast (Third row from top) National Board Meeting; Comcast panel (Bottom) NAAAP Seattle; Garden Court at the Palace Hotel

More about the Convention: http://beta.myx.tv/naaap-2010/

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

Where are they now? Albert Shen, NAAAP President 1996 - 1997

Albert Shen, Exec. Advisor to NAAAP Seattle

My name is Albert Shen and I am the owner/founder of Shen Consulting, a small engineering company specializing in project/construction management and engineering services in the aviation and transportation services market. In 2009 Shen Consulting was awarded the City of Seattle Mayors’ Small Business of the Year Award.

I served as NAAAP National President 1996-1997, NAAAP National Convention Co Chair in 1998 and NAAAP Seattle President in 1999. Since my days at NAAAP I have gone on to serve with many diverse boards in the community. Including running my own business (Shen Consulting, Inc.) I serve as:

* The Council Chair for the Seattle Chinatown International District and Preservation and Development Authority (SCIPDA)
* Board member of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
* Commissioner for Washington State Commission on Asian and Pacific American Affairs (CAPAA)
* Board President of the NW Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans Political Action Committee

My NAAAP experiences opened up many new networking opportunities and friendships nationwide and to this day, I still stay in contact with some of the great people I worked with. Having served in numerous leadership positions at the national and local level, those experiences enabled me to develop skills that translate to where I am today. The experience gave me many opportunities for public speaking, which is one thing many Asian-Americans absolutely dread and more importantly gave me the foundation in developing skills in governing a board of directors and fundraising skills for non-profits. These 3 fundamental skills are what every Asian American professional should have in their own resume if they hope to develop their careers in this more globally competitive modern work environment.

In addition I have been actively involved with local and national level politics in both fundraising and advocacy for economic development. Thru my political activities I have been able to meet many of our political leaders and have exchanged many ideas to better the livelihood for all Asian Americans. Politics is often a feared word when it comes to Asian American professional advancement and we often forget that politics is just as and perhaps even more important for Asian Americans and NAAAP. From my days on the board, I can remember many of the executive board members who were elected officials from my days and were always encouraging NAAAP to be more politically aware of the issues impacting Asian Americans.

Overall, there were many lessons that I learned during my countless days at NAAAP however the one lesson that stands out for me that I will always remember from all the NAAAP people I met is that: All our parents, no matter where they came from, immigrated here to the United States so that our generation can build a better life for ourselves. Because of their sacrifice it is our responsibility to be generous to others and always give back to our community so that what they started will never be lost and we must never lose our cultural identity.

With that, I am excited about this new generation and we get another opportunity to come together at the 24th Annual Gateway to Leadership Convention and Diversity Career Fair presented by Macy's. I'll be attending and hope to meet you.

Regards,
Albert Shen
National Association of Asian American Professionals
President 1996-1997
NAAAP Seattle President 1999

Join us for the 24th Annual National Leadership Convention and Diversity Career Fair presented by Macy's

The National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP) cordially invites you to attend the 24th Annual National Leadership Convention and Diversity Career Fair in San Francisco on August 12-15th. In the spirit of our vision "We make leaders!", the conference will address your present needs to prepare you for the realities of the future. You will also have an opportunity to participate in innovative workshops, listen to inspirational speakers, network with a diverse group of accomplished professionals, and find that dream job at our Diversity Career Fair.







Register now at http://www.naaapconvention.org/

NAAAP Seattle Board of Directors

2010 NAAAP Masquer-Asian Ball

SAVE THE DATE!

NOVEMBER 6, 2010
Masquer-Asian Ball | Newcastle Golf Course

Buy TICKETS
Early Bird Registration ends October 15th, 2010 | $80 Members | $95 NON Members | $100 Join as a Member with ticket
Buy a table | $375 Half | $750 Full

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Premium | Gold | Silver | Bronze  Download the sponsor package.

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2010 ©National Association of Asian American Professionals Seattle
Website http://seattle.naaap.org/

Conversations worth having

(L to R) Rachel Valdez, Beto Yarce, Murthy Kalkura, and Gil Gido

Last night at Tutta Bella on Stone way NAAAP Seattle and the National Society of Hispanic MBA's (NSHMBA) hosted a conversation with local entrepreneurs and members sharing the Secrets of Success.  I had a front row seat since I  had the priviledge of moderating.  On the panel were business owners: Beto Yarce of Cintli; Rachel Valdez of 16 Copenhagen; and Murthy Kalkura of 4AM Corp.
 
My overall experience from walking in the door to leaving can only be described as time well spent. Many who came either had a business or had an interest in knowing what it takes to start and run a business and this brings me to why I am writing - conversations. Conversations, I believe are key ingredients when it comes to running a business and even more so, leadership. Conversations can either be worth having or not having.  For me, those not worth having don't convey action. In fact, conversations lead to some result in business; for example, starting a business. They can end in no, maybe or what we would all like to hear, YES! It seems simple enough, but yeses move businesses; so as an entrepreneur, it's important to know when you are having a conversation that will lead to a yes. For example, yes, to a sale; yes, to accepting a new contract; and yes, to opportunity.
 
So what else can lead to a yes?  Well, I overheard and was engaged in many conversations last night and each had an element of authenticity, passion and free exchange of thought. There seemed to be no judgements or disinterest that I heard. As an entrepreneur, you get skilled in being authentic, passionate and inclusive and you start listening for opportunities that you can yourself use or pass onto your friends, clients and collegues. For me, it surely is a different experience when hearing, no, right?
 
Great! Since I want to provide you with short and timely information that you can use now, I'm going to end here. I know that I can't cover everything in this post. So, if you want to know more on having conversations that lead to yes, then you'll want to hear what Jack Canfield, a well-respected success coach, says, "it all starts with asking." http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=403944388995


With that, I want to give a special thanks to Christine Chen Velazquez of Chen Communications, Geraldine Rodriguez of NSHMBA and Hang Chen of NAAAP Seattle for organizing the event and giving folks an opportunity to have conversations worth having.
 
Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

Who moved my cheese?

Leaders are agents of change. They look at change in a positive light responding to the needs of their organizations to grow and be successful.  And they are really good at managing change, too, ensuring those impacted will understand and accept the benefits of the change.  Now if you are undergoing change and need some information on dealing with change, you will want to read, "Who Moved My Cheese?"  It's a really great primer on change.



Visit the Red Tree Leadership and Development website for more: http://www.redtreeleadership.com/whomovedmycheese/

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

NAAAP President, Brad Baldia, visits Seattle members

NAAAP Seattle Summer Picnic (l to r) Claire Ding (Secretary), Lloyd Hara (King County Assessor), Bob Hasegawa (11th District House Representative), Gil Gido, Vanessa Diego (member), Brad Baldia (NAAAP President)

Brad Baldia, NAAAP's President based out of Philadelphia, paid us a visit making a special appearance at our annual member appreciation and membership drive picnic at Lake Boren park. His day-long visit was packfilled with meetings and phone calls including meetings with potential speakers and sponsors. Luckily for him, Seattle showed him alot of sun :).

Being President takes alot of preparation, you know, and from my witnessing of his actions, Brad's qualified. Brad's background includes attending The Hill School, an elite private boarding school in Pottstown, PA; receiving a  BA in English and Biology from Bucknell University and a Masters in Public Health from Temple University. In 1995, Brad served as a White House Intern in the Office of Presidential Personnel.

He currently works as the Director of the Southeast Philadelphia Collaborative. In addition, he works extensively with Asian community organizations on a local and national level, such as the Philadelphia Mayor’s Commission on Asian American Affairs and the National Association of Asian American Professionals (Brad is Founding President of the Philadelphia Chapter and was elected in August, 2006 as Executive Vice President of NAAAP National and National President & Chairman in August, 2008).

At the picnic, Brad spoke to our members on the benefits of being a NAAAP member and showed the bigger vision of NAAAP.  At the end of it all, it was exciting to have him here at least for a day and we wish his return soon.

Read about the event at the NAAAP Seattle Blog: http://naaap-seattle.blogspot.com/2010/07/politicians-presidents-and-butter-miso.html

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

Leadership on the Colorado River

In the Fall of 2007, I flew down with 12 of my friends to Prescott, Arizona for a 21-day rafting and kayaking trip down the Colorado river through Grand Canyon National Park. The off-peak timing of our trip ensured privacy and solitude. We were alone. And unlike any other place on earth, cliff bands surrounded the banks and turns of the Colorado river.

We rented four inflatable rafts and two kayaks and packed them full with our gear as well as a 21-day supply of food and water. Knowing the raft could be subject to turbulence, each piece was tied down securely. The safety of the crew was a priority, so my friend Randy Johnson, a certified swift water rescue instructor, took a leadership role in the event one of our rafts flipped. Our ages ranged from the youngest being twenty-five to the oldest being sixty. In our midst we had qualified raft guides but equally we had novices and recreationalists, like me, on the trip.

With paddles in hand and our life jackets on, we set out in the early afternoon. Our two kayakers led the way scouting for rapids. In the first part of our trip, the waters lay still, so we paddled hard to move our rafts and took in the beauty and peacefulness of our surroundings. It was when we bonded. We laughed and made jokes, even about the unmentionables, like flipping the raft and if we flipped who would we save if we couldn’t save everyone? Seriously, everyone agreed that saving everyone was of utmost importance. Besides, the waters were cold measuring 50 degrees Celsius and dying a cold death and drowning was not anyone’s first choice of going out.

We passed Deer Creek and Black tail Canyons, where the rocks jutted out casting shadows along the river and then we passed Cosmic Chair Canyon, where it gets its name from a rock with Indian engravings.

A few hours had gone by before we even hit our first rapid. The Bedrock rapid as this one was called was 30 feet at its widest and about 200 feet long and categorized as a Class 3 (medium) rapid. A rapid is a shallow section of river where the water takes a steep decline on bedrock increasing in velocity and speed. This bedrock is resistant to erosion and large rocks litter the pathway. If the speed of the rapid is fast enough it can create white-colored caps on the water called whitecaps. At the top of a rapid, there is usually a stopping point and this is what we did. At the bottom of a rapid, there is usually a pool of water, deeper and still.

Getting through a rapid is strategic. A plan must first be created to ensure everyone’s safety. Randy, one of our kayakers, was chosen to be the first to go through since the kayaks are more maneuverable and since he had a lot of experience. He and our other kayaker made several runs to make sure the path chosen was the right one. As soon as we chose an appropriate path, the rafts, one-by-one, took their turn going down the rapid with the kayakers at the bottom and flank of the river. Since there were four rafts, the more experienced rafters were placed in 1 and 4 positions going through and the less experienced rafters in positions 2 and 3.

I was in the 2nd raft and paid full attention to how raft 1 went through. I studied how well the 1st raft paid attention to the recommendations the kayakers made. The plan was to bank left and then right and right again. At the last 40 feet, they should turn left and then straight avoiding any rocks in their way. There was a 5 foot drop where the water was the fastest and that scared me a bit. It would be the spot where a flip would most likely happen if it should.

There was a silence of concentration within the first raft. It didn’t take much paddling from the crew as the rapids took over. They used their paddles to steer and control their speed. They used their body weights shifting them within the raft to aide in their maneuvering. In less than a minute, the 1st raft made the left bank and quickly following to make two right turns. They took the 5 foot drop with ease. Cold water splashed all over the raft and they made their last turn at the 40 ft mark and eased into the still pool at the bottom. From the top of the rapids, I could hear a yelling of elation and victory. The first raft made it safely and with paddles in the air.

Our turn was next. We had four people in our raft, which gave us more weight. Yang, our raft’s leader, shouted, “GO! Go now! Go to the left!”

“Great! Now Gil, at the two right turns, lean your body out over the edge and stick your paddle into the water so we can make the two right turns. Ok?” He asked. I nodded. “Good. Do it now!” At that moment I did and we made both right turns leading to our drop. Yang shouted, “At this drop, I want everyone to lean forward ready to put your paddles back into the water!”

“Ready?”

“Lean forward! Now! “

The drop left my stomach up five feet up but we did it and were close to the finish. We stuck our paddles back into the water and paddled to the bottom of the rapid. With the same exuberance as the first raft, we yelled and screamed for victory. But the victory wasn’t complete – it wouldn’t be until rafts three and four came through the chute, so we sat at the bottom and waited.

I knew what they were thinking though. The thoughts came through my head just moments before. Shouts and laughter came with each raft meeting at the bottom. The last kayaker, having already gone through the chute ran through one last time as if to claim victory over the rapid. We welcomed him back to the group to continue with our journey.

We set up camp that evening at a place natives called the Sun because in the morning the sun will come out gloriously than the day before. We sat in front of our campfire celebrating today’s rapids and looking forward for more. We laughed and shared a most celebratory toast to victory on the Colorado.

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

Pivoting on People, Process, or Tool.

If you're like me, you're probably sitting on a problem right now. They're all around us. It's a natural occurrence in life.  Now what I'd like to offer you is a simple, yet effective means to problem solve and help you start thinking differently about your approach to problem solving.  And I say, "simple," because as you know the answer to the age old question of "how do you eat an elephant?" is not all at once, but rather a "bite at a time."

Once you realize you have a problem, you're going to size it up determining what's the impact to you and others and start thinking about solutions.  You're going to see if you've experienced a similar problem or if this problem is completely new. (Of course, I like the new problems :) )  You'll also start to think about what it'll cost and how much time you need. You'll also ask yourself, "what will it look like when the problem is solved?" Moreover, problem solving requires Creativity, Communication, Commitment, and Critical thinking --- the 4C's as I like to call them.

Starting to solve a problem is I think the most difficult part. At this point, your canvass is usually quite big with so many options to choose from, so what you can do is pivot on three areas: People, Process, or Tool.  This actually narrows your options very quickly. For example, when your problem deals with People, you can immediately take your problem to the person (s) that is (are) the cause of the problem, even if it might be you. Likewise, when your problem deals with Process, you can immediately review it and see if there are opportunities to make improvements. And when your problem deals with a Tool, you can immediately determine whether to fix, improve, eliminate or substitute it.

When you've identified the area you want to focus on, you will want to set goals and create a plan to solve (or resolve) it. I suggest you have many conversations with people to see what they think about your plan, too. You'll soon see your plan take shape building momentum. Continue then to take action on your plan. If you need additional resources, ask for them within your organization. If you hit a barrier (another problem) rethink your plan and again pivot on People, Process, and Tool. Before long, you'll have a resolution to your problem.   (If you want to know more about planning, then I've written about it in an earlier blog called, "Structures For FulFillment." You can read more about it there.)

In summary, I think problems can be difficult, but problems shouldn't necessarily be seen as a bad thing. As we grow and develop, we're likely to take on bigger problems that are matched up with our skills to solve. If you're not solving a problem matching your current skills, then you might consider taking on a bigger, more complex problem. If you've been tackling a problem for awhile now and haven't come up with a solution, give this approach a try.  See for yourself how quickly you can get past a point where you've been stuck.

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

Asians in Washington State

According to the latest (2008) census data, Asian Americans reporting a single race are 4.5% of the total U.S. population. In Washington State, the number of Asians comprise 8.2% of the state population. These numbers are reported in the latest report compiled by the Comission on Asian Pacific American Affairs (CAPAA) of Washington State. These numbers are very important as governments use them to allocate funds towards services serving Asians. Additional data for Asians in Washington State can be viewed at the CAPAA website.

Click here for the CAPAA report.

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

The Art of Possibility

In this book on page 26, I found an anecdote on Michaelangelo. It reads, "Michaelangelo is often quoted as having said that inside every block of stone or marble dwells a beautiful statue; one need only remove the excess material to reveal the work of art within. If we were to apply this visionary concept to education (in our case leadership) ... all the energy would be focused on chipping away at the stone, getting rid of whatever is in the way of each child's developing skills, mastery and self-expression."

What it says to me that if we put in the context of leadership development, is that we're already leaders and that we have some things to get rid of as it gets in the way of mastery and self-expression.

This book is a quick read as each page provides inspiration and anecdotes to what stops each and everyone one of us from realizing our potential.

If you're looking to get inspired, then read it. I highly recommend it. Again, the book is called The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander. And if you need more, then you can watch the YouTube speech from the 2009 World Economic forum in Davos.

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

Pathways to Leadership

Most people would agree that a path is always almost easier to follow when it's lighted. When it comes to your career, how do you know how to get to where you want to go and what skills you will need?  When it comes to the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP), how does it deliver on its mission to build leaders in the community or its organization?

If you're in a career already, many companies have clear pathways to various job roles and responsibilities and specific requirements for each; for example, there are clear pathways for becoming a manager, paths for becoming a general manager, or paths for becoming the Chief Executive Officer. Similarly for NAAAP, there are also clear pathways from an event or committee volunteer to a committee chair; and pathways from a committee chair to a postion on the Board of Directors; and pathways from a Board of Directors position to a National position and onto the President of the organization.

Let me remind you that each pathway will require a set of skills and identify areas for further training and development.

What are these skills? 
Well, to name a few: written communication, understanding others, time management, intellectual horsepower, building effective teams, process management, problem solving, presentation skills, integrity, authenticity, patience, dealing with ambiguity, negotiations, managing and measuring, priority setting, results driven, managing up, composure, creativity, customer focus, timely decision-making, delegation, developing direct reports, action oriented, approachability, business acumen, self awareness, risk-taking, comfort around top management, compassion, conflict management, diversity, hiring and staffing, humor, reporting, trust, and listening.

These skills often show up on the job or as part of a specific training and development experience. With regards to NAAAP Seattle, we provide many opportunities in which to gain these skills. Beyond volunteering, leading a committee or sitting on the Board of Directors will offer opportunities to gain mastery of the skills that will lead to bigger challenges and opportunities leading you further down your chosen pathway.  

If you are interested in these learning opportunities and gain valuable experience, please visit our website.

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

Promising to Make a Difference

It'll be almost 5 decades, on May 25th, that the 35th President John F. Kennedy presented a bold challenge before a joint session of Congress; that is to send a man to the moon by the end of the decade. The 60's was a time of racing to the moon. This mission is well-known in project management circles as it clearly states an opportunity and a timeline.  As history has shown, we've sent many astronauts to the moon and set much bigger goals for this country. By fulfilling this mission, it created many more opportunities for this country making it better.

Since 1979, starting as AsianMBA, NAAAP Seattle has had many people take on its leadership.  Each and everyone doing so took on a commitment to make this organization better than when they found it. In other words, it's a promise to make a difference and fulfilling on that promise. This is a key principle for leadership.  In fact, today, our 41st President Barak Obama is taking the lead on healthcare, the economy and environmental issues. You can see this principle in action. 

Now turning it to you.  Where can you make a promise in making a difference? For example, at work, does a process need redefining? Could you offer up assistance with a special project that aims at exceeding your organization's goals? Is there a business or personal relationship that needs attention? Or at home, can you promise to keep your room clean? Or in your community, help out a non-profit? 

I have wanted to write about this topic since taking this role, but have waited to assess the needs of our chapter and to see what opportunities can benefit our membership the most. This is not to say that the efforts of the past weren't successful. Rather, it's because of their success and external factors not under their control that has created new opportunities for us. What's constant in all of this is that when all is said and done, this organization is ready for its next challenges and opportunities. 

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

Expanding Local Asian Community Services

Part celebration and part fundraising, local Asian non-profits held events last month to support the Asian community in areas such as healthcare, economic and leadership development, and many more. These organizations have been one of the hardest hit from the economy and it was great to see many in the community showing their support and giving generously. In addition, many volunteers gave their time - alot of it behind the scenes. 

Now in June the Chinese Information and Service Center (CISC), a local multi-language organization providing information, referral, advocacy, social, and support services will host their Friendship Dinner on June 12th at Olive 8 and the Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS), a King county area food bank serving 5000 families will hold their annual Walk for Rice on June 19th at Seward Park.

Picture 1. Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority's (SCIDpda) 2010 ID Spring Roll held on May 24th at Union Station.

Picture 2. Me and Dow Constantine, King County Executive

Picture 3. The Executive Development Institute's Inclusion Fusion Event held on May 20th at SODO Park.

Picture 4. The Executive Development Institute's Inclusion Fusion Event (Full view)

Organization Links:

• Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS): http://www.acrs.org/
• Chinese Information and Service Center (CISC): http://www.cisc-seattle.org/
• International Examiner: http://www.iexaminer.org/
• Executive Development Institute (EDI): http://www.ediorg.org/
• Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda): http://www.scidpda.org/
• International Community Health Services (ICHS): http://www.ichs.com/

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

Life-long Learning

I am on a quest for wisdom and at forty, is it possible? Is it to soon? Or do I have to wait? I say, "not." My life is bracketed by the first lunar landing in 1969 and the BP oil spill, so far. As a personal development exercise, I wrote down a page for every year I've lived and through my development, I realized that I've experienced 24 years of formal educational learning.  The rest is through various work experiences and organizations, most recently with NAAAPSeattle.  You could say that I've been learning all my life.

Since there are an infinite amount of experiences throughout one's lifetime, it would make alot of sense to continue learning and preparing for what lies ahead.  Consider NAAAP Seattle, for example, as an access to support you with rich content and networking in your life-long learning. With that, here's a bit of wisdom I encountered in my quest.

I asked for Strength………

And God gave me Difficulties to make strong.

I asked for Wisdom………

And God gave me Problems to solve.

I asked for Prosperity………

And God gave me Brain and Brawn to work.

I asked for Courage………

And God gave me Danger to overcome.

I asked for Love………

And God gave me Troubled people to help.

I asked for Favours………

And God gave me Opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted

I received everything I needed

My Prayer has been answered

(Anonymous)

 

Regards,

Gil Gido

NAAAP Seattle

President

Spokes of a bicycle wheel

If you have ever ridden a bicycle, you would understand that to ride it everything about the bicycle would need to have what is known as integrity. In other words, no part of the bicycle, especially the wheels, should have any missing spokes or the brake pads worn or have any missing parts.  It is whole. Otherwise, the riding experience would be horrible.

If integrity is what makes a bicycle work, where does it play in leadership or at your profession? Well, in everything. If you're hearing integrity for the first time, it's obvious that you might not be working with integrity in what you do.  You might be getting your job done but what does the resulting efforts produce? Do you experience questions about your work or acknowledgement of good work done? Just like the spokes of a bicycle wheel, if integrity is missing in your work, you'll likely have to either rework it, get a failing grade or a poor performance review.

So what is integrity?  To be clear, it's doing what you say you will do and doing what people expect you to do even the unsaid. It's also doing what you know to do. Let's take the example of being a leader of an organization and one of your primary jobs is to build relationships with people and represent your organization at functions.  If what you say is that you'll be at functions building relationships with other organization, then with integrity, you will be there at those functions building relationships. On the other hand, no one is saying you need to be there, but people are expecting you to be there, right? Then with integrity, you will be there.

When things don't work
When things don't work, you can look at integrity as a foundation. Look to see if there was an action you could have taken - a so-called missing.  Could you have had a conversation with a key player in your project? Did a goverment filing get filed? Did your homework get done? Did you forget to ask someone to help you?

In summary, if you look, you can always find a missing.   When you do find that missing, put it in. What you'll find many times is that that piece could make all the difference in what you're up to.


Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sidewalk_flying/3533042414/

Networking Workshop

This is a presentation created by David Lum, Motorola and Sr. Advisor to NAAAP. He is based out of the Chicagoland area.

Networking workshop v1 2

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