My entire career has revolved around interfacing with clients from different industries and diverse cultural backgrounds, as well as working with professionals at different seniority levels ranging from junior staff to high level executives. In order to navigate through the complexity of such interactions, I developed the necessary skills needed to build a productive relationship best suited for each client.
Here are key examples of such skills.
Effective Communication
Using words to achieve goals
I strive to make every client interaction as productive and meaningful as I can. In order to achieve that, I always prepare before interacting with clients, ask the right questions, listen closely to their replies, and assess the situation so that I may carefully construct the appropriate response.
The response needs to clearly convey the intent of the message, whether to reassure, instruct, advise, or otherwise inform. I achieve this using a variety of techniques, such as through the use of words carefully chosen depending on their levity or gravity, controlling the length of the message, and emphasizing for clarity or intentionally creating ambiguity, among others.
One's ability to communicate effectively can make or break relationships with customers. I remember a time back when I was a Mobility Coordinator, an assignment case was passed on to me from a teammate because the assignee in question was very unhappy with the support they've been receiving. It turned out that the assignee was unhappy because they felt that they weren't being treated like an executive under the new plan types. It took several difficult phone calls and carefully-worded emails explaining why they couldn't stay on the former plan types, but they were finally able to adjust their expectations based on new realities.
Emotional Intelligence
Enhanced human interactions, emotional responsibility
I treat clients as fellow humans, more than just paying customers. As a co-worker, I regard my colleagues as good neighbors with whom I need to work harmoniously. As a leader, I aspire to lead by example, always conscious of the responsibility that comes with the power and influence I have over my direct reports.
In addition to learning how to effectively communicate, I developed the ability to relate to a client by being sincere and genuinely willing to partner with them to achieve their business goals. I found that this goes a long way when working with clients because it adds a human dimension to the relationship, as opposed to simply establishing a transactional connection.
Far from being the mere exchange of pleasantries at the start of every conversation, this requires being attuned to the words a client is using, how they say it, and also what they leave unsaid to truly understand their message. In order to do that, I recognize and keep my own emotions in check so I can maintain control of the situation.
Taking an emotionally intelligent approach when interacting with clients allows me to better structure my responses to influence the outcome, as well as determine and prioritize the appropriate course of action based on urgency - thus, best accomplishing the goals of both parties.
Expectation Management
Keeping everyone on the same page
I help clients understand what can be done and when it will be done by candidly explaining the whys and the hows. It is natural for clients to get very excited about great products/services and I know how to harness that excitement to yield maximum results, tempering any overabundance of it by setting realistic expectations but also being careful not to douse it with a cold splash of unbridled realism.
I developed this skill due to the limited resources available at my disposal at any given time (mostly in the form of time and manpower), which have to be carefully balanced with meeting the expectations of multiple stakeholders.
Expectation management may have the connotation of dealing with already unhappy customers but, based on my experience, regularly setting and managing expectations actually help build trusting relationships with clients, and can actually increase satisfaction. It may be difficult at first, as many clients will naturally put up resistance against any response that they do not like, but I found that giving a comprehensive explanation of the situation usually resolves things.
After all, the vast majority of clients are reasonable and fully understand that things take time and are happy to wait, provided their expectations are clearly set.
Negotiation
Exploring what works best for both parties
I listen carefully to the client's problems, then I tell them what's possible, and we work our way from there. In general, my approach is to persuade by clearly enumerating what they stand to gain from my proposal and by being prepared to back it up with solid supporting evidence.
I found that the approach works with most clients because even in cases where we do not always get the benefit of having a pre-existing good relationship with a particular client, being confident and ready to defend your proposal makes for a strong bargaining position.
When I get a no, I respect their decision but still keep an eye out for future opportunities to demonstrate the soundness of my proposal.
Teamwork
A strengths-based strategy towards a common goal
It takes a team to keep clients happy. I've had experience joining a team, welcoming new members into a team, and forming a team - in all situations, I found that team culture is important, and it takes the cooperation of everyone to build healthy team dynamics in order to bring the best out of each team member. I found that this is best achieved through a strengths-based approach.
In all situations, I advocate for a strengths-based approach to teamwork because it highlights the capabilities of each team member so that everyone has something to contribute to the team; thus, everyone in the team is empowered.
Such an approach also recognizes that every member has weaknesses, but since the focus is on their strengths, the effects of such weaknesses are minimized.
People Management
Finding the right people and helping them grow
I learned that finding the right people for a team, and subsequently molding each member by inspiring and motivating them, is very important in order to successfully deliver great service to clients. I do this by hiring people with the right personality and attitude, because it is always easy to train technical skills but it is very difficult to change a person's character.
In addition, the way I mentor is to find a style that best suits individual team member's needs by first asking what they want out of their jobs and helping them achieve it by sitting down with them to identify their strengths and weaknesses.
That way, I am able to help build a career that is fulfilling.
Soft Skills
The small things that help me succeed in the workplace
I was fortunate to have been surrounded by awesome career mentors and co-workers, who molded me into the professional that I am today. Through them, I picked up soft skills which were crucial to realizing my potential, skills gained and refined through observation, trial and error, and years of practice.
Creative Problem-Solving - I've always loved video games, and so when it comes to looking for solutions, I like to approach problems the same way I would solve a game puzzle in Zelda or in God of War. I never really understood why people say "think outside the box", when you're supposed to take the game out of it in the first place.
Resourcefulness - I was raised in a household with limited means, and resources had to be stretched, even time. When I was around nine, my busy mother taught me how to use Merriam-Webster's English dictionary to look up word definitions (a subtle hint to stop treating her like a 90s Alexa) - I felt like a grown-up. Fast forward to about six months in to my job at IBM, and my first career mentor told me frankly that I had to be resourceful, to exhaust all materials I can get my hands on and use all tools at my disposal to do my job. These are only two of the examples of life experiences where I was pushed to be resourceful, and I take pride in being someone who is.
Attention to Detail - The devil is in the details, as the old adage goes. My first job had a lot of strict Operational Metrics where a single mistake had severe repercussions on the entire business unit, which was succintly described by a co-worker and dear friend when she half-jokingly said: "báwal magkámalì" (no mistakes are allowed) while showing me the ropes. While this does not apply to every job, it became part of my ideal work ethic.
Adaptability - Everything is in constant flux, and I learned to allow myself be swept away by fair winds. Not all change is good, though, and I also know to dig my heels in and remain steadfast to what I believe is right. In the workplace, I apply this by quickly realigning my expectations, plans, or goals to supervening events that are beyond my influence and control.
Resilience - It is general knowledge that we are continually faced with life's challenges. Whether at work, such as running my own company and working with assertive clients, or home, such as taking care of my parents who were both stricken with cancer, I doggedly face and overcome such challenges, and come out of them much wiser than before.
Decision-Making - I endeavor to responsibly make well-thought-out decisions, always guided by their possible consequences. However, I also know full well that there are many occasions where I do not have the luxury of time to mull over the right course of action - in such cases, I base my decisions on available information emboldened by gut instinct.
A Sense of Urgency - The work I do has impact on other people's lives, no matter how small, and I have come to learn that having a sense of urgency is basic in customer service. To what degree? Definitely nothing less than the minimum of what a client should expect, but also (maybe) not as extreme as what Anne Hathaway's character described in Devil Wears Prada.
"And they all act like they’re curing cancer or something ... And for what? ... To sell people things they don’t need?"
Personal Core Values
Aspiring to live with dignity
I adhere to some core values that were instilled in me as I was growing up and through which I express the universal values of respect and honor, eventually becoming a personal code of conduct that gives my life some meaning and direction.
Self-Awareness - "Know Thyself", as discussed by Socrates (through Plato). This has guided me ever since I read a book on philosophy back in college. It exhorted me to embark on an unending pursuit of enlightenment, to be always conscious that I may not know, to question the things I think I know (which I struggle with), and to also be confident about the things I do know.
Diligence - I express myself through my work, which I strive to do consistently and to the utmost; this way, I am able to fully enjoy the fruits of my labor. I also apply diligence to learning new skills or refining existing ones to help me work better.
Conscientiousness - I take ownership of my duties and responsibility for my actions, and I make a conscious effort to understand their impact on the people around me.
Justice & Fair play - From an early age, I learned that these are concepts that only exist in the human mind and, unless they are shared by other people, it can really be a dog-eat-dog world. Nonetheless, I chose to observe these values in my actions where I can because I want to help create a world that makes life bearable for everyone.
Leadership
Helping others get through the darkest night
Throughout my life, I have had role models from whom I could choose traits that I believe best match the kind of leader I want to be - one who can navigate through adversity to achieve goals with other people while minimizing collateral damage. It has not been a straightforward process, and I am still learning, but I found that I am able to lead when the situation calls for it.
A harrowing and prolonged experience that gravely damaged my psyche gave rise to a situation where I had to choose between giving in to the temptation of avenging the abuse that I had received, and choosing to make a rational decision that would minimize damage to my team. I chose the latter. It seems like an obviously simple decision, but it was not.
The approach I took was modeled to me by two of my career mentors; that is, an open and honest approach where I prepared my team for potential impact. It was a dark time, but we all shared each other's light so we could make it through, and we did.
This was intentionally left until the very last of this page as I have come to view it as a skill that is always borne out of experiences fraught with pain and sorrow that force a kind of growth no one asks for, lending credence to the adage:
Those who become leaders did not wish to be so.
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