By Hasmin A. Co

Editors Note: In this The Podium article for Northlink May 2024: Nurture, AVP for Compliance and Business Excellence Ms. Hasmin A. Co shares practices nurturing and supportive work environment, and how her development was nurtured from early life into the present.

NORTHLINK: What practices do you implement to create a nurturing and supportive work environment?

At the get-go, we lay down our department’s credo and team norms and everyone has to live with these rules.

In our department meetings, everyone has a role to play (facilitator, minute-taker, QA, time-keeper, and participant) and everyone is required to speak and share their two cents worth, to challenge opinions with no judgment. We also have monthly and exciting R&R where team members are recognized for their consistently good performance, small acts of kindness, and uniqueness (ie Ms. Princess Helping Hand, Mr. Mega-inform Ako, Ms. Rant-but-Grant, Ms. Granny Grammarly, etc)

At the start of our meetings, we have an interesting Q&A that allows us to have shallow and/or deep and meaningful conversations as a team. It’s a good avenue to know each other on a deeper level, and understand someone else’s battles, and as a result, we know when to pitch in when someone needs our support.

We encourage and make time for coaching bingo and informal performance conversations.

“Build a team so strong that they don’t know who the leader is”, that’s my leadership credo. In the March issue of Northlink, I was surprised and elated to read appreciation testimonies from my team. That came at a time I badly needed a ‘tap on the back’. Quoting their words “She inspires through her actions, motivates through her words and influences through her character”, “she listens, she respects people’. “No matter how busy we are at work, she makes it interesting and fun.”

NORTHLINK: Who were the most influential figures in your early life, and how did they nurture your development?

Parents. I had a happy childhood. My parents raised us in the best way they can. They employed different parenting styles. My father’s tough love and my mother’s delicate and nurturing style. I guess I enjoyed the best of both, learned and emulated them, and these form part of my leadership approach.

Teachers/Professors. (Top of mind is) My Industrial Engineering college dean, Mr. Pablo Fulgar was a tough, mean amazingly fair, and just professor. He talked and walked with authority and credibility. He was upright and decent. He employed the most effective teaching technique that forced us to really rack our brains out and study. I learned the value of working smart, being resilient, and goal-oriented.

NORHTLINK: How does your background influence your leadership style and decision-making process?

As a middle child, I’m used to asserting my independence. In school, I would take part in almost all of the activities and volunteer to take on leadership roles. In college, I was blessed to be a full-time scholar of Dept. of Science and Technology. I also got a sideline marketing job. During this time, it was a balancing act of maintaining scholarship, work, and YOLO. I remember crafting my life blueprint at a young age and I would bring that paper to the adoration chapel and ask God to bless my plans. I was also a member of Lingkod ng Panginoon which gave learning and exposure opportunities in leadership training, works of mercy, outreach, and fellowship. I guess, these experiences taught me foresight, accountability, and servant leadership.