Tag Archives: awareness

Teachers – a Sandy Hook perspective

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Will Lukang, CLDC, CSM, PMP

SandyHook1mile

Teachers are known to be the people that help shape the future of our country, because they are the ones that teach the leaders of tomorrow.   Through their guidance, support and nurturing, the next generation’s minds are shaped and educated about the things that make them a better people in the society.  Of course parents play an important part in the upbringing of the children, but for seven hours a day during the school year, the teachers help the children learn the things that they need to get to the next grade.

Through the years, I often heard people say that it is great to be a teacher because they only work till 3 p.m. and they have summer off.   Comments as such in my mind are made because people are envious of the people who enter such a profession.    Sometimes people think that just because school closes at 3 p.m. the teachers get to leave at 3 p.m.   More often than not they have to stay behind to clean up and they are often up early to prepare the agenda for the day.

From my experience, there is a teacher in my life that helped turn my life around.  Her name is Araceli Ilao.  She was my 3rd year high school teacher.   I used to lack confidence and believed that I wasn’t smart or capable of accomplishing anything.  I felt that way because the people around me kept telling me that I wasn’t as smart as my siblings and didn’t amount to anything.   She told me that I’m the only one who knows my capabilities.   If I trust and believe in myself, I can accomplish a lot of things.

Each day under her guidance, I gained confidence and before I knew it I placed third in my section. I couldn’t even imagine getting a great score much less to aspire to be an honor student.   But for some reason I started to believe in myself and studied hard and aimed high.   As the year progressed, I was impressed with what I’d done, because the excellent score helped me work harder for the next one.   By the end of the year, I placed third in my section.   As I look back to that year, it was the best year of my young life.   I wrote names of people I wanted to prove wrong and each year I would work toward proving them wrong.   I turned a negative into a positive.  Negative in which people don’t believe me and positive by channeling the negative energy to working hard and focusing on my goal of proving them wrong.   Mrs. Ilao helped me become the person that I am.  Teachers like her make a profound impact on people’s lives long after she is done teaching them.

In light of the Sandy Hook Elementary incident, I’ve more respect for teachers and the profession.  The sacrifice they put in on a daily basis to teach, nurture and mold the children who will be leaders of tomorrow.   The fact that they have put their lives on the line to save the lives of their students, such  heroism is above beyond what we ask for.   Take for example, Victoria Soto who hid all her students and told the gunman that they were on the playground.   She sacrificed herself for the love of her students.  Such act of courage is beyond compare.    As I end this post, my family continues to pray for all families who lost love ones and for the family of the gunman for the pain and suffering that they are going through.  May this incident help change the way we manage how people secure guns.   May the act of courage of the teachers served as a reminder that we need to hold all teachers in high regard and pray for their safety on a daily basis.

Seize the Day

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By Will Lukang, CLDC, PMP, CSM, MASCL

Family

As I drive home tonight after a long day at work, I can’t help but think about the things that transpired at work and all the things that are left to be taken care of tomorrow.   In addition, numerous releases that need to happen in the weeks to come.   I find myself trying to figure out any possible issues and gaps that we could possibly miss.

As I get closer to my house, I can’t wait to see my family and hear the stories on how their day has gone.   It dawns on me that I need to unplug myself from work and focus on the task at hand, which is to be there for my family.   I’m often reminded that I only have one (1) chance to make an impression, connect and bond.  If I miss this opportunity, I will never be able to take back the time.  There is no rewind and replay in life; it is a one way ticket and there is no looking back.   In some respects, there is no point to regretting you missed the opportunity, but rather you need to try your best to make up, or re-establish the connection.

I wrote this blog because I want to help others to realize that this opportunity is for them to seize or let go.   From my perspective, here is what I’ve been working on:

  • Listen to your children – pay attention and ask questions to let them know that you’re there for them and what they say is important.
  • Let them know that they matter – by showing you love them in words and action.  Not by giving them a false sense of love through monetary means.
  • Lead by example – we need to walk the talk (do what you say you would do) and be a role model for them.  They need someone to help them learn right from wrong and understand the importance of integrity and community.  This includes being true to your words.  Sometimes it is difficult, but making an effort can make it happen.
  • Teach them that life is not fair – Don’t shelter them, and let them learn that they cannot have everything they want.  Sometimes you can’t have what you want, because you don’t have the means to afford it.
  • Outcome often depends on your effort – If you work hard you can be successful, although it is not guaranteed.  But you’ll get what you invest in and reward can only be expected if you put in the effort into getting it done.
  • Allowing them freedom – in choice by making some decisions that you believe they are able to make, and let them try or explore things in life within your guidance.   Try new sports or school activities to learn more about themselves.
  • Teach them to love mankind – by caring for others and people who are in need.  Have compassion for others and try their best to help the best they can.
  • Believe in them – give them the confidence by believing in them and helping them grow and develop to be people who use their values and morals to lead their lives.

In the end, my belief is that you’ll get what you put in.   On most days, it is hard to juggle multiple balls everyday but when I get home I’m trying to disconnect and unplug to listen to my little one read me a poem or a book or talking about that happen during the days and ask questions that elicit interaction.    Carpe Diem is what it is all about.   I hope you’re take away from reading my post is to spend more time with your family or love ones.  Let them know you care about them.   Feel free to share your thoughts.

Awareness – Retinoblastoma – For Nico Movement

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Will Lukang, CLDC, CSM, PMP, MASCL

Let us help make things happen for Nico

In December 2009, I embarked on blogging with the purpose of sharing my knowledge and experience, hence the name inspiring others to act.  I did it because I believe that if I can only help one person, I will have done my job already.

In the last few years, I connected with people who read my blog and thanked me for sharing my knowledge and experience and encouraged me to continue.   There were also requests for blog topics along the way.    On numerous occasions, I ran into some folks who mentioned that they followed my blog.  Honestly, I did not know how to react to the complement, but I thanked them for following and suggested that they share it with their friends.

It is my opinion awareness is the key to uncovering the unknown, thereby shedding some light and educating us.   At which point we’ll have to decide what we do with the new-found knowledge.    With that said, at our recent Cornerstone meeting, my friend Kevin shared that his friend’s son has a rare eye cancer.   My heart sank upon hearing the story.   The boy’s name is Nico Santoli and he is 22 months old.  He was diagnosed with unilateral retinoblastoma, a rare childhood cancer of the eye.    For more information about retinoblastoma, please visit National Library of Medicine.  For more information about Nico, please visit For Nico.

Why am I blogging about this?  I’m doing this to accomplish two key goals.  First, raise awareness and perhaps help others uncover and save a young child’s life.  Secondly, help raise funds to pay for Nico’s medical bills.  To make donation, please see information below.

NICO M. SANTOLI CANCER SUPPORT
992 Oradell Ave Oradell NJ 07649
http://www.indiegogo.com/ForNico?a=1726253
or  buy some toys and 20% of the purchases from this page go to my sons cancer support http://www.discoverytoys.com/ForNico

I promised Kevin that I’ll use the power of social media to help Nico and other children live their life to the fullest.   Together we can make it happen.   It takes a community to come together to make things happen.  I hope you’ll help me spread the word.  I urge you to share or contribute.  Thanks in advance for your help.

Prince Amukamara supporting For Nico

Chase Blackburn supporting For Nico

Bear Pascoe and Corey Webster supporting For Nico

Bad Customer Service

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Will Lukang, CLDC, CSM, PMP

We always have fond memories of my sister-in-law’s annual Easter visit.   It is that time of year in which we invite a couple of our friends with little ones to participate in Easter egg hunt.   A tradition that we look forward to, because it gives us the opportunity to connect and catch up.

Every year, my girls are excited because some of their female cousins will come for a visit and spend time with them.    It is their bonding time.  This year the big thing for them was manicure and pedicure.  As soon as they arrived, they texted me to see if they could have manicures and pedicures, in this case we obliged and let them enjoy the weekend.

On April 7th we were deciding which place to have our dinner and my nephew reminded us that a new restaurant named Aoyama just opened on Thursday that week.    There is something about supporting your local business and I’m passionate about it, therefore it was not hard to make such a decision.

So, Aoyama it was.  We went at 6:30 PM to try to beat the mad dinner rush.  We arrived, and with minimal waiting, we were seated, in spite of having a party of eight.   The restaurant has a great ambience and the first impression was great.   They took our drink orders then later our meal orders were taken by 6:45 PM.

By the time we realized it, it was 7:30 PM and none of our food had been brought out.    Meanwhile, we saw some of the people around us, who came in later than us, being served.   We asked the waitress and she indicated that she would check and it was coming out.

Around 7:45 pm, four dishes came out, but the noodle soups for my girls were still not ready.  Also, two other sushi dishes were not served.    At that time, I asked the waitress for a word with the manager.  The manager did not approach our table until 8:30, at which point we had waited almost two-hours.   He explained that they were really busy and he was very sorry.  When I explained that we had waited almost two hours, he declared that there were two other groups that had the same issues.  I was shocked by his response. What was the benefit of telling me that we were not alone and I was in the same boat as two other groups?    That’s not the way to do customer service.  I mean, highlighting your deficiency will not make your customer happy.   I was only asking for an explanation why orders were served to people around us, but he had no answers other than “I’m very sorry.”

By 8:45, one of the noodle soups came out.  At that time, my 6-year-old said, if we ate at the other Japanese restaurant we would be long done.    I was expecting the other noodle dishes to come out soon.  But I found out they had not been prepared it at all.   We can cook the same noodle soup at home in 30 minutes. Why did we wait over two hours for their noodle soup?  I gave them too much credit to do the right thing and they messed up the chance to have a good customer experience.

One other sushi dish came out and the other was forgotten.    Once they found out they forgot to fill the other, the sushi chef did not do anything.   Overall, we all rated Aoyama in Wyckoff a 0 star.  They don’t deserve to have any star because they don’t know how to treat their customers.

I learned the following about how not to treat your customer;

1)      Sorry is not an answer/solution for all mistakes; actions need to be taken.

2)      Telling your customer that we are having the same problem with other customers does not make your customer feel good.

3)      Paying customers deserve your attention.

4)      When you failed to fill an order, make up for it by delivering the dish.  Not doing anything is the worst thing you can do.  Because it is tantamount to ignoring your customer.

5)      An unsatisfied customer will tell 10 more people, while a satisfied customer might tell one or two of their friends their experience.

6)      If you’re in the restaurant business, starving your customer is not a good thing, especially if they’re children.

7)      If you want repeat customers, you need to provide a good user experience

8)      Lastly, treat your customer the way you want to be treated.

In spite of this experience, we continue to support local businesses, because it is important to help them sustain their business.    My hope is that the managers of Aoyama have learned their lessons and rectified their issues, because we hope to one day give them a chance again in the future, as everyone deserve a second chance.

Adapting to the Situation

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Will Lukang, CLDC, CSM, PMP

Many times in our lives we trained or studied for something for months at time and it all came down to the moment of truth and something happened that threw us off track.   You can either throw you arms in the air and give up or adjust accordingly and see if you can make the most of the situation.

Our ability to adapt to the situation depends on our behavior.  By staying positive, we can come up with ways to address the challenge we’re facing.  However, if you get frustrated, you’re most likely to fail at it.  It all comes down to how much you really want it and if your sacrifices can be thrown out the window.

The term “choke” in my observation is really an unfair assessment.  Some people take more time to adapt, while others can easily adjust and move forward.  However, there are many situations in which time is of the essence, where if you hold back a little, you’ll miss out on the opportunity.     But at the end of the day the outcome is less important than the fact that you did your very best to adapt to the situation.  The experience you gain goes a long way.

Here are a couple of stories that exhibit that staying positive helps the person adapt to the situation:

1)      The son of a friend of mine recently tried out for a swim team.   During his butterfly event, I noticed that he slowed down significantly and was left behind by almost a lap.  I was puzzled but was not sure what happened.  He did not quit and kept on swimming.  At the end of the tryout, I asked him what happened. He said that his goggle was loose then eventually fell into the water.  He decided to keep on swimming and not worry about it.   Such an act demonstrates his commitment to getting it done no matter the situation.  He did not make any excuses and kept on swimming.  It must be hard to finish last, but the way he did it made me so proud of him.  I told him that no matter what the outcome, he should be proud of his effort.

2)      Nathan Adrian competed at the 100-meter freestyle at the Indianapolis Grand Prix.  While crouching on the block, he felt a tear on his rear.   This left him with an exposed buttock.  In spite of that he went on to swim and ended up beating Michael Phelps at that event.   He did not let the incident affect him, because months of practice all came down to that moment and he did his best and was rewarded nicely.

3)      Last year, I was hoping to have my promotion.  When the day arrived, my manager was surprised that I did not get my promotion.  To say the least, I was disappointed. But I did not let it stop me from doing a great job and continued to coach and mentor people around me.   Although I was affected, I channeled my energy to working with the new management and continued to help affect change in our organization.  I never wavered and believe that one or two setbacks should not stop me from trying.   The year went by and I was surprised that I got promoted to Executive Director.  It goes to show that we need to try your best at all times and do not let some setback hold you back.  You should continue to strive to achieve your goal.  The lessons learned is that we cannot give up easily for we will never know the outcome if we quit too early.

There are more stories that I can share, but the above three stories did standout and are most relevant since they all happened recently.    When something does not go as planned, do the following:

  • Step back and try to take a deep breath.  Go out for a walk and allow yourself to mourn and deal with the situation.
  • Accept the situation and acknowledge it and move on.
  • Try to see the positive side of the situation.  This often includes controlling your emotion and focusing on the task on hand.
  • Find alternative solutions and weigh the feasibility of getting it done.
  • Proceed with your decision and act on it.

For the above swimming situation, you cannot obviously apply some of the steps defined above, but you get the point.  Act on the situation based on how important it is to you.   Make a commitment and make it happen.  When you commit, it makes going forward easier.

Don’t stop believing

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Will Lukang, CLDC, CSM, PMP

Growing up I lack the self confidence needed to succeed.  As a middle child, I was often compared to my siblings in term of academic accomplishment.  Unfortunately for me, I did not do well enough to earn any honors like my siblings.   I have to say that I was really proud of my siblings’ accomplishments.   They deserve every accolade and they certainly did great.

As years passed, the frequent comparison and discussions about my inability to perform academically started to affect me.  Even my family friends knew about my situation because my parents talked to them about it.   It is not like I failed to make the grade. Each year I did well enough to move to the next grade.    Truth be told, I did study as hard as I could, but the results did not match the effort.

During my junior year in high school, I met a teacher who believed in me.  She guided me and gave me the opportunity to explore and excel.   Each good test score help me feel good about myself and enabled me to trust that I could do it.  But it still took a lot of work and the difference was I believed that I could do it.   It was the turning point of my life.   She provided me the opportunity and gave me more responsibility to showcase that I could get it done.    As @TeresaAmabile (Is that right?) and Steven Kramer’s book titled The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work states, continuous progress is the key to improving and creating a good inner work life.  Each small win helps build confidence that enabled me to tackle the next challenge and build on top of the positive feeling that I had in accomplishing the prior goal.   

It takes a person to walk into our life and give us that hope to push the envelope and dust off ourselves and get back in the saddle and continue to pursue our dream.   It is the very reason I blog, mentor and coach others, because I want to pay it forward.

Looking back had I given up, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve anything.   Persistence and consistency are the keys to our success.   By seeing incremental progress, we can develop confidence that prepares us to take on more challenge; it helps us prepare for the next opportunity.   However, someone can walk into our life and trust and provide us with opportunity, but it all starts with believing in yourself and keep on believing that you can get it done.      So I suggest that you don’t stop believing and keep on fighting until you achieve your goal.   I’ll end my post by leaving you with music: Journey – Don’t Stop Believing.