Francis Kong

If you want to be impactful and influential, do not promote the self. Aim to serve as many people as you can as often as you can without expecting anything in return. This is how you build currency, add value, and increase your brand equity. Constant posts in social media promoting the self is not the way. Just go out there, serve, and help those who need your help.

When leaders fail to explain why they rejected suggestions, we stop making them. Good explanations do more than give reasons. They express respect. We don't have to get our way to appreciate having a say. Showing care makes us feel valued—and motivates us to speak up again. ADAM GRANT

I look forward to this day when I meet, interact, and network with the Top 100 community. See you there.

Top 100 Filipinos on LinkedIn on LinkedIn: #topfilipinos #leadership #leadershipexcellence | 22 comments Happy New Year and Hello 2024! We hope you welcomed the year with a positive attitude and meaningful mission and vision. As promised, we will be having our… | 22 comments on LinkedIn

Life is short, and days are long, yet you and I are in constant pursuit. Let's talk. See you there.

Some people are loved and admired for being fake, and others are bashed for being real. It seems like there will never be justice and fairness in this world. But to be real and to be truthful, we must. They can say anything they want, but never let other people's opinions define you. You’re precious in the eyes of God, and you can be your best and do your best. They don’t know that.
Only His opinion matters.

Achieving excellence or being extraordinary (or achieving something extraordinary) is not about doing something dramatic, grandiose, or spectacular. It’s about mastering the fundamentals, improving on it daily, and doing the little things right.

"Yet" is a powerful word. The word "yet" can change your life.
"I'm not skilled enough" becomes "I'm not skilled enough...yet." "I don't know how to do it" becomes "I don't know how to do it...yet." "I'm not capable of that" becomes "I'm not capable of that...yet." "Yet" is your one-word reminder that you can achieve what you set your mind to. You are dynamic and capable of so much more than you realize. Embrace the "yet" and change your life.

SUNDAY MEDITATION
For many, hope is in short supply. Hopelessness is an odd bag. Unlike others, it isn’t full. It’s empty, and its emptiness creates the burden. Unzip the top and examine all the pockets. Turn it upside down and shake it hard. The bag of hopelessness is painfully empty. It's not a very pretty picture. What would it take to restore your hope? One comes quickly to mind—a person. Not just any person. You need someone to look you in the face and say, “This isn’t the end. Don’t give up. There’s a better place than this, and I’ll lead you there.”In Psalm 23, David said, “He restores my soul.” God majors in restoring hope to the soul. Please note: you have hope. Psalm 121:7 says, “The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life.” And he’s the perfect one to do so. - Max Lucado

Asking, “Who caused this to happen?” and “How did I get myself into this situation?” are two different things. One fixes the blame, and the other one fixes the problem. Some people are blame-storming experts, which is why they never recover. Others learn from mistakes, and this is why they succeed. The question you ask determines the outcome of your life.

Emotional competencies are crucial for success. Many people fail because they struggle with interpersonal problems, team leadership, conflict resolution, change adaptation, or trust building. To interact with others, we need to consider not only their logic but also their emotions. Emotional intelligence is essential. It helps us to regulate our moods and emotions and make sound, rational, and appropriate decisions. Emotional intelligence will be a key factor for work success.

A time to share ideas and a great time to learn from the experts. See you there!

There will be victories, and there will be failures. Prepare for these eventualities. Do not be surprised by it. Lessons learned from failures are precious. They are the building blocks for future success. So, do not be afraid to fail. I just hope that we all fail in a new way and not in the same old ones. Basketball star Stephen Curry wisely says: "If you don't fall, how are you going to know what getting up is like?" He is right.

I'm excited about this. A great time for the community to gather, network, learn, explore opportunities, and make a positive difference to many. I am inviting more of the top 100 people to attend. See you there.

Top 100 Filipinos on LinkedIn on LinkedIn: #topfilipinos #leadership #leadershipexcellence Happy New Year and Hello 2024! We hope you welcomed the year with a positive attitude and meaningful mission and vision. As promised, we will be having our…

These are some of the books I read last year and I recommend them highly.

Read books. Do not settle for tweets & posts (including this one). Do not skim. Summaries save you time but rob you of contextual knowledge. Cultivate a healthy and intelligent mind. Just as we are responsible for the food that goes into our mouths, we are responsible for the information that goes into our minds. We can't be healthy if we feed ourselves junk food every day, and we can't make good decisions if we regularly consume low-quality information.

The New Year carries with it a lot of New Year greetings and wishes. Instead, I will leave you with practical and useful advice: Back up all your files. Be a pro. Back up your backup. Have at least one physical backup and one backup in the cloud. Have more than one of each. How much would you pay to retrieve all your data, photos, and notes if you lost them? Backups are cheap compared to regrets. We do not want to agonize, so we should organize.🙂

John David San Andres kept this post of mine way back in 2020. Still works today.
Rest well today, and for tomorrow, consider this: Do not try to tackle all of your work at once. You will be overwhelmed. Do not return to your speed of work. You will have a gigantic headache. Build momentum and pace yourself. There is such a thing as "post-holiday blues” (especially when the bills start to come in). Decide to be joyful. Fill the heart with hope. Make this year your best year and 2024 your best decade by making your every day the best. God be with you on your 2024 Journey.

As we enter the new year, rather than coming up with a list of New Year's Resolutions (spoiler alert! They don't work well). 🙂
Reflect on what went well last year and what you want to improve. Then do a 'DAILY RESOLVE" list. Works for me every year.

As the clock strikes midnight, release the past and let the New Year bring you closer to aspirations, granting clarity to recognize opportunities. In the coming year, find strength to overcome challenges, wisdom for thoughtful choices, and courage to chase dreams relentlessly. May your path be illuminated with the Word of God and be filled with The God of the Word, bringing joy in His Presence. May your journey be adorned with love, laughter, and breathtaking moments. May The Lord establish the work of your hands. Francis Kong

Happy New Year! With the Made Nice team.

Closing the year with a family lunch at Made Nice, Rockwell.

May the lessons of the past year guide you, the challenges strengthen you, and the moments of joy inspire you. Wishing you a spectacular new year filled with endless possibilities. May you not look back at yesterday's disappointment but look ahead to God's promises yet to unfold and come.

Closing the year, economists and fortune tellers make predictions. Forecasts are uncertain. Yogi Berra said, “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.”🙂
The future may be uncertain, but one thing is sure. God is in control, and in Him, we put our trust. Loving Him, doing things His Way, and obeying His Will are the safest and surest things we can do. Let me greet everyone. A Blessed, Meaningful, and Joyful New Year to you and your family!

Excited to meet our Kabayans and address the international community in Dubai in February 2024. See you there!

THOUGHTS FOR THE NEW YEAR
Take these few days of work break to take a real break. On such occasions, many have experienced that the outside break reveals the disquiet within them, and in moments of reflection, they discover ideas on how to deal with their inner anxieties. Take the time to pray and meditate and to quiet the soul. This helps you build the readiness to face the new year's challenges.

The Ilocana and I have been clients of Bench Skin Clinic at SM Mega Mall for years. Dra. Bella is one of the most diligent MDs I have ever met. The staff is so helpful and hard working. I always mention and commend excellent service when I see one. And this is one of them. (btw, not a paid ad or endorsement)

THOUGHTS FOR THE NEW YEAR
If the year has been challenging and you are unhappy with the outcome, the one thing you should do as you enter the New Year is to stop worrying. Worrying about what might happen comes at the expense of improving the outcome. If you're stuck, change your perspective. What you see from 20,000 feet is very different from what you see from 2 feet. Different perspectives reveal different solutions. Have a meaningful and productive year!

My go to place for tech buy and help is always Powermac Center. Customer help and service is excellent. They are so kind, patient and competent.

My, how fast time flies. The clock never resets back to zero. The 7 o’clock you see now is not a reboot. It's not the same as 7 o’clock yesterday. It means the past has gone. We need to invest time into things and activities that matter. So, what is the one good and necessary thing you have always wanted to do and have not done? My next question now is, what are you waiting for? This thinking should put us in an excellent place to prepare for the coming new year.

Glad to take part in this. Thank you for inviting me back.