Una luz encendida: Dora del Hoyo

By: Javier Medina Bayo

BookNo.: r037

Asunto: highlights

Fecha: 12/03/12

• Dora del Hoyo didnt like a place she worked because of the lack of concern of the lady of the house... Once she was carrying a cup on a tray and fell down, she was first asked if the cup had broken rather than about her condition. (charity)

• Dora went to Moncloa fist only for a week and just to comply with what the nun that had helped her a lot had asked her to do as a favor. The pay was lower and the conditions worse than other jobs (thankfulness, generosity). She stayed there for longer because she realized Fr. Josemaria was a saint, also because she liked the women of the Work and because she saw they really needed her help.
• Once in Rome St. Josemaria entered the kitchen and saw the pans were perfectly clean on the inside but some of the outside was not so clean such as the place where the bolts are. He gave indications that that should be thoroughly cleaned because that is the spirit of Opus Dei. The rest had forgotten it by the end of the day, but Dora did remember and they stayed scrubbing even with blades until the pans were completely clean. (laboriosity, cleanliness, poverty, perfection)
• Dn Alvaro saw a very modern ironing machine being used at a hospial and suggested it would be good for Villa Tevere. However, after Dora saw it and researched on it, she and the others concluded it was too expensive and beyond their needs. However Dn Alvaro insisted and St Josemaria said it should be bought. Dora then was very happy they had bought it as it was making their job more efficient. Twenty years later some German technicians came to see the machine and were very surprised that it would still be in use and in such wonderful conditions (poverty, laboriosity)
• Dora had real concer, eagerness and worked hard to get to know about machines and devices useful in her profession. She was also looking frequently at magazines for new recipees and ways for decorating dishes, and afterwards trying them out even if they were difficult (work, professionalism)

One day when she was already 85 they had a barbeque and they had a great time, she enjoyed mostly looking at the others enjoying. But the person in charge hadn't chosen the right place to put the grill and the floor there was stained. They tried cleaning it later but some stains of grease remained. At her 85 years of age Dora decided one day to scrub it herself until the stains were gone, she took a bucket with hot water, a brush, rooled up her sleeves and she did the job (laboriosity, poverty, perfection, generosity, humility)

What they don't teach you at Harvard Business School

By: Mark H. McCormack

This is a very recommendable book for all those who are doing something else more than just a 9 to 5 job. It could be helpful for people who like business, or who help running a club, association or institution, or who are into the sales or marketing of their company, or those who aspire to go up the ladder within their company... and of course, for entrepreneurs!

I think that most of the things he says in the first part of the book (about people) boils down to live human virtues, and how those don't will find it harder to be successful.

His approach towards self-organisation in the third part of the book (Running a business) it's really quite good! Most probably I won't use his system but it helps me to improve my own system.

Below go some few points he made which I was able to take note at that moment... most probably there were more points I would have liked to write down, but couldn't do it at that moment.

► The people who get ahead have a need, are driven to perform a task well, no matter what the task is or how mundane it may actually be... Carpenters who became contractors at one time had a need to drive a nail straighter and truer than anyone else... Some executives, had they started in the mail room, would still be sorting mail - and misrouting most of it!

► Playing dumb is a valid negotiating technique, and 'I don't understand' is a legitimate negotiating response. But to ignore the other party's position or to pretend you didn't even hear it because you don't want to hear it only will build up frustrations.

► Companies are often shy about doing this (charging for their expertise). It always reminds me of the story about the woman who approached Picasso in a restaurant, asked him to scribble something on a napkin, and said she would be happy to pay whatever he felt it was worth. Picasso complied and then said, 'That will be $10,000'. 'But you did that in thirty seconds', she replied. 'No', Picasso said. 'It has taken me forty years to do that.'

► Getting things done is a matter of controlling your business day rather than having it control you, of forcing activities into the time available, rather than trying to expand the time to accommodate the activities. But many people fear that if they don't seem out of control they aren't going to seem busy enough or important enough. They really don't want to manage their time well. Once you really believe that controlling your time is not only more productive, but more pleasant, then the rest is fairly easy.

► Business is a competition, and any high-level, sophisticated competition is almost exclusively a head game. The Inner Game of Business, as this could be called, is understanding the Business Paradox: the better you think you are doing, the greater should be your cause for concern; the more self-satisifed you are with your accomplishments, your past achievements, your 'right moves', the less you should be.

► So if this book has left you feeling satisfied with your own business acumen, you may have a lot of catching up to do.

Book No.: r017

Asunto: highlights

Fecha: 18/03/11