Brand ambassadors and influencers How do we define what brand ambassadors are? Are people chosen to be brand ambassadors because they embody what the brand is supposed to stand for? Are brand ambassadors meant to humanize (or maybe even anthromorphize) brands so that what seems abstract can be made more relatable? How do we define […]
The virtues are calling Rules and customs are usually put into place to prevent bad things from happening; to keep a relatively “peaceful” status quo. But is this true peace or just an illusion? True peace can come from the sense of fulfillment that we did a truly good thing. Not doing bad is the […]
To flourish is to be able to carry our own cross My wife and I just finished watching Extraordinary Attorney Woo! (at last!). The last episode’s title (no spoilers) is “Though Unusual and Peculiar”, which fits Woo Young-woo’s special circumstances and struggles to be the best version of herself. In that sense, we each have […]
The spirit of the day On days we remember milestone events, we usually do some kind of rituals. But rituals should not merely be templates, but rather, guiding frameworks that deepen our meaning-making in the actions we do. An authentic spiritual experience starts on the surface but necessitates full attention and immersion towards the reason […]
Fresh insights through fresh expressions As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to advance, AI can begin emulating human speech, writing, and even art. Writers and artists have begun thinking: can AI and technology replace us? All the more it is imperative for us, managers, and educators to focus on what really allows authentic development and flourishing; […]
A little dose of faith for that one last attempt Usually, we cannot precisely estimate when enough is enough to accomplish something. At the last stages when we are most exhausted, it is very tempting to give up when we might be nearest to the finish line. It is at this very moment when we […]
Intentions, behavior, culture Management research would often explore, from an individual unit of analysis, how intentions and behaviors are formed. From an organizational perspective, we attempt to explain how culture is formed or maintained in terms of endorsed behavior by influential groups. In practice, it is tricky to study these because oftentimes, our stated intentions […]
Repetition legitimizes, repetition legitimizes One of the memes I love from Adam Neely is his vlog on the role of repetition in music. Repetition legitimizes. Although today’s gospel is about exorcism, what caught my attention was the question: what is there about His word that is able to command unclean spirits to leave humans? What […]
To whom do we commit ourselves to? We need to pay attention everytime we commit to others certain promises. If the exchanges of promises are made with the the intent of each other’s flourishing, then these are commitments that get stronger in time, like a vow of brotherhood or marriage. But there are times when […]
Balancing flow and fairness Perhaps one thing we should be able to learn in life is when an act is pursued for its own sake (e.g., flow activities) and when something is appropriately conditional for the sake of justice and fairness. Fixating on exchanges of value leads to a disease of measurement, or in Filipino, […]