Friday 21 September 2012


The Manila Diaries

Same challenges, different contexts

20 September 2012

30 Degrees Centigrade; Humidity: 70%; Mostly cloudy

It’s been a while since I wrote for our blog and am sorry I have not been able to maintain the weekly discipline.  But I am feeling I have something more worthwhile to say about my life here in Asia.  Whilst I have met some lovely people in a social context, I have been yearning to get back to a more fulfilling role within a working / business context.

I am at last happy and pleased to announce that I will be joining the full-time faculty of the Asian Institute of Management or AIM (www.aim.edu) a respected Graduate Business School as an Associate Professor here in Manila, Philippines with effect from 1st October 2012.  I am still very much involved with Level Seven  (www.level7live.com) back in the UK which is being superbly managed by my business partner Dorothy and a team of valued associates and am hoping that opportunities will present themselves for joint ventures between these two organisations in the future.

Asia is becoming a vibrant place for business to flourish both for local Asian businesses as well as international companies.  In fact the CIPD (www.Cipd.co.uk) has recently published a survey that focuses on Learning, Talent and Innovation in Asia.  Some of the key findings of the report include:

·         Talent Development is buoyant and focuses on retaining key staff, developing high-potentials and growing future senior managers and leaders.

·         A high proportion of Asian countries believe they will be a net exporter of talent in the future which could result in skills shortages.

·         Coaching and mentoring appear to be popular strategies for developing managers and raising skills generally.

·         Leadership skills are critical for leading and managing change.

·         Innovation and creativity also appear to be critical for business success but implementing innovation strategies is being hampered due to a lack of resources.

If you are reading this in the UK you may well agree that the above findings resonate with the challenges your organisation is facing.  So, worldwide we have similar issues but the context in which those issues occur is different, specifically the context of national and local cultures.

I am looking forward to embracing my role at AIM and the learning I will gain from working within a truly multi-cultural organisation.  Will starting a new job in Manila bring the same challenges as starting a new job in the UK?  I will be happy to share my insights with you as this aspect of my life progresses.

Your correspondent in Manila