A gift that keeps on giving

As is the cultural norm in the Philippines, she was expected to be the breadwinner for her younger teen sibling, mom, dad, and extended family. So, she moved to Cebu City in 2016 seeking better work opportunities. She worked in the HR department of one company for four years. Though she loved what she did there, she ultimately made the tough decision to leave in pre-pandemic 2020 in search for growth.

After leaving that job, she decided to take a short vacation back to Leyte before searching for a new job. Her short vacation would become a long road home. The pandemic happened, and as we all know, everything shut down. With no transportation available and borders closed, Amabelle had to stay in Leyte much longer than expected, watching and waiting, both isolated yet intricately connected with every other human on the planet.

When things started to calm down and she was able to return to Cebu, Amabelle began searching for work. Ever aware of her family’s dependence on her, she decided she wanted to try her hand in the BPO industry, knowing that they paid better than many other industries in the Philippines. Being from a small town, she didn’t have a big boisterous personality, and was even a little shy because she wasn’t familiar with the BPO industry yet. So, she really had to work to push these things out of herself. She half- heartedly tried applying to a few other BPO’s, but it was when a friend talked about MySource that she decided to really go for it. She was told that the company was very open to hiring people from different work backgrounds, so long as they could communicate effectively and had potential (to be a superstar). That’s exactly what she had.

She went to the interview and was not only given a chance but given the opportunity to be a customer service agent for one of MySource’s largest accounts. She did an amazing job, which management was not surprised by at all. It was Amabelle who learned to see the potential within herself. Several months into this position, a job opened up in the HR Department. MySource has always practiced hiring and promoting from within the company, so several other employees were considered for the HR position. Amabelle made the cut, and she was made an HR Coordinator. In the role she started shedding her shy demeanor and started speaking up about what she knew was the right thing to do with her knowledge of HR and how things should be handled. Despite being a non-confrontational kind of person, when everyone disagreed with her, she stuck to her guns.

She didn’t speak loudly or anything, she just spoke her truth, and basically said she would not do it any other way. This shocked but elated everyone in upper management, as not too many people will outright disagree with their bosses, and it was especially a surprise coming from the soft-spoken Amabelle. The quietness of her personality served to prove her point at that moment. Everyone eventually realized that she was correct, and that is when Amabelle knew that MySource was really a different company, “with a heart” she says, because management not only listened to her but made it a point to circle back and apologize.

After that, management developed a different understanding of Amabelle and a whole new level of respect. So, when they needed an HR Director, she was definitely up for consideration, but they just had one big question. In the interview, she was asked: “How do you expect to have people listen if your voice is the smallest in the room?” to which she responded: “You can get the loud and boisterous leaders to motivate and push people during those birds, bees, and butterfly’s situations, but as an HR Director, you have to have difficult conversations with employees about things such as discipline, poor performance, and letting them go from the company at times. Those hard conversations are where I shine because I can keep a level head and remain logical instead of emotional”. Upper management loved her answer, and she was hired as the HR Director of MySource.

Since becoming the HR Director, she has been able to improve the hiring and onboarding process, the attendance policy, and set up a leadership training program. She has spearheaded projects such as getting the company ISO compliant and certified. She strengthened procedures that not only keep the entire company compliant and above reproach, but match demand, uphold the company culture, and build the reputation of MySource.

Through MySource, Amabelle has been able to develop stronger communication skills and hone her leadership style. She says what she has especially learned is “the real meaning of leadership”, continuing to say “A true leader is patient…someone who listens and weighs things before making decisions and always chooses what’s best for both the company and the team…Someone who molds their team to become leaders, as well. My greatest achievement is if I see everyone on my team grow personally and career wise”.

She acknowledged that she has room to grow, as there is always room for growth, and she said that she really appreciated that MySource gave her an “opportunity to showcase [her] skills and continue learning and growing as a leader”. She went on to say that one of the things that great leaders do is “nurture people that we see have potential”. MySource nurtured Amabelle’s potential, and she flourished. Amabelle takes that same model of leadership and supports her team’s growth, as well.

What makes Amabelle a great leader is her natural ability to make those tough decisions and put her foot down when necessary. What makes her an even better leader is that she does not only care about herself, or the growth of the whole company, but has regard for the success of every individual, as she identifies different potential in all of them. She realizes that a company is only the sum of its parts. She learned this idea of nurturing the potential in those under her leadership, because someone saw potential in Amabelle and nurtured it. It is like a gift that keeps on giving.