Rasputins in business

A businessman from the south almost witnessed the demise of his company because he listened too much to one intrigue-sowing flatterer known as the Rasputin. The businessman was so taken in by the smooth words and the declarations of loyalty by this character that before he knew it, the latter was actually manipulating the businessman’s corporate affairs.

Those familiar with Russian history would know about Grigori Rasputin, a peasant who rose to power and prominence by becoming a trusted adviser and confidante of Tsar Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra. Whether his hold over the Russian royals was due to mysticism or some other reason, historical accounts say that Rasputin abused the trust of the Tsar and used his influence to sow intrigue against other court officials – deciding on who to appoint or dismiss – which eventually led to the downfall of the Russian monarchy.

Niccolo Machiavelli devoted one chapter in “The Prince” to flatterers and sycophants, identifying them as men who would readily praise your decisions and make you feel good by telling you what a good job you made or how brilliant you are. Insincerity and deception are their tools – which makes them so dangerous because they know that people can be susceptible to admiration and accolade and thereby easier to manipulate. More often than not, those who resort to flattery and make a big deal of their loyalty do so to protect themselves because their smooth-talking ways can hide the fact that they lack competence.

Fortunately for the businessman, a loyal friend saw through this Rasputin just in time to save his business. The friend suggested putting in people who are capable, competent, and most of all, not ass lickers. The businessman’s company continues to flourish up to this day. Moral lesson: get rid of the Rasputins in your business before you lose it. You snooze, you lose!

MVP: Surprised, but pleased

At a leadership forum held at UP Diliman last week, Senator Miriam Santiago practically endorsed PLDT chair Manny Pangilinan for president, saying the businessman has more right to a leadership position than showbiz celebs. The feisty senator had earlier predicted that either a woman or a businessman would be this country’s next president, enumerating the qualifications that people should look for in candidates: honesty (the most difficult to determine, she says), and professional as well as academic excellence.

The idea of MVP as a presidential candidate is not really new because the idea had already been broached by certain sectors that strongly believe we need a “professional manager” to run the nation’s affairs. While MVP may be pleased at such high praise from Senator Santiago, he says he is not a politician but a businessman whose duty is to help create more job opportunities for Filipinos in the process. Unlike the businessman from the south, Manny is the type who would put more stock on competent people and does not tolerate Rasputins in any of his companies.

Reaction to British school item

Spy Bits received a reaction for a March 26 column item titled  “British school defended” where we gave space to the letter of a mother expressing her concern about the controversy surrounding British School Manila. In the interest of fair play, we are also accommodating the sentiments of another group of “BSM Parents.”

For the record however, the earlier email we received and which we quoted in the March 26 column item was not from an anonymous source – the identity was known but we respected the letter sender’s wish for her name not to be disclosed. As columnists, we believe in the protection of sources or maintaining confidentiality of sources as a right and a privilege which is inherent in the observance of freedom of expression.

In reaction to our column, the “BSM Parents” said that as a school community, everyone was affected by the tragic incident that occurred on February 6 where an 18-year-old student jumped from the sixth floor of a car park in Makati. What happened was not about questioning venue for activities week or the change of PE uniform but the “tragic loss of life. The school sponsored parents’ forum of February 10 generated a divided and polarized parent community,” the email went.

Several parents that grouped together signed petitions while others wrote separately to the school’s Board of Governors and Council of Trustees, with others having had direct communication with the school management.  The letter sent by the “BSM Parents” also clarified that they do not want to bring down the school as this would be “counterintuitive and would adversely affect our BSM students, especially those graduating in less than three months.” 

The email also stressed that “to point fingers and singularly label a group of parents as attempting to bring down the school will only add to further divisiveness and polarization. We may all have different opinions and perspectives but during this time of crisis, we should all be united, to reach out, and set aside biases especially for the sake of our children…” 

“We should all work towards ensuring that the school will not deviate from BSM’s mission statements, critical to this, in providing all our children… with a nurturing environment whose leadership and management act upon principles of credibility, transparency and benevolence across culture and nationalities,” the email concluded.

From the letters sent, it’s quite clear that no one wants to bring down the school and that each group has legitimate grievances that must be properly addressed. I understand that an independent review panel has been formed, and so my unsolicited advice to everyone involved: Wait for the report and recommendations of the independent panel. I assume no one wanted the tragic loss of life to happen, and so everyone must work together to make sure that such unfortunate incidents will not happen again.

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