BOBBIE : Who is Grace to her family , circle of friends and business associates ?
GRACE : I may be wearing different hats for my varied roles , but what you see is what you get from me . Whether I am with family , friends or colleagues at work , I deal with everyone sincerely and honestly . I am actually a very easy to please person ; and I enjoy every encounter .
It helps that I have a deeply spiritual family so my personal values are very consistent with the values I share with any circle I go around with . Outside of work , I enjoy the company of friends whom I laugh a lot with , talk a lot with , and pray a lot with ... i . e ., in between good food !
BOBBIE : Of the great leaders and influential personalities , who would you consider a good example ? Why ?
GRACE : President Cory Aquino is one leader I would like to emulate as she is a shining example of a leader with a heart and humble virtue .
BOBBIE : Please share with us your thoughts and emotions of leading the premier People Organization in 2013 .
GRACE : I thank the PMAP General Membership for having elected me to the position . I may have been reluctant in the beginning to be the 2013 PMAP President ; but I know that if we will all work together , we can achieve great things for the organization .
We are the People Management Association of the Philippines ( PMAP ), the largest association of people leaders and we are very much involved in the transformation of the talents in the market . I will do my best to lead with the three basic leadership rules I have espoused :
• Lead by example .
• Lead with a vision .
• Lead with love and compassion .
BOBBIE : What are your priority thrusts for PMAP in 2013 ? How will you orchestrate People Managers to strengthen unity despite diversity and , even during adversity ?
GRACE : 2013 is predicted to become the best year for the Philippines . PMAP will certainly ride in the growing popularity of the country and we can tap the greatest minds in the region to share best practices and to keep us ahead of our HR profession .
Advocacy and Organizational Effectiveness will be my thrusts for the year . It is my belief that a strong organization can ride the tide of change and transformation . Hence , I will work having the following guidelines in mind :
• Build my team .
• Start with as much information as possible .
• Collaborate and network as I go forward
BOBBIE : What is your ‘ One Message ’ to the PMAP Community as you assume the Presidency ?
GRACE : It is so worthwhile to continue the transformation of PMAP as a strong , united and bolder organization . It is my wish that we will lead all the HR organizations in this country and blaze new paths for the profession .
I also desire to push the envelope further in terms of developing innovative , strategic and value-adding people management practices . We must revolutionize Philippine HR together ! This has been my mantra during the 2012 PMAP Annual Conference so let us all work together to make this happen !
There we have it fellow PMAPers , straight from the sweet but ‘ no nonsense ’ lady who will lead us in a joyful and exhilarating ride along the waves of change this year – Ms Grace Sorongan .
Allow me to end with a trivia :
“ Did you know that …… President Grace was a classmate in UP Psychology so many years ago ?”
Thus , I cannot refuse her appointing me as Chief Editor of our PMAP People Manager ( PM ) magazine . So I am inviting our Writers , Contributors and other members , as well , to run the race with me , together with Darwin and Richard , in negotiating all 12 months of the PMM issues . Let ’ s do it …. one more time ! �
8 PEOPLE MANAGER I January 2013