Beyond the Gantimpala Sinag Award
Recently, I received the Sinag Award for Q2 under Accenture Technology Center Philippines' Gantimpala recognition program. Gantimpala recognizes individuals and teams for their contributions, while Sinag is awarded to those who demonstrate excellence, passion, and integrity.
Employees are nominated by leaders, and a panel reviews the nominations before selecting the recipients. I was grateful for the recognition, but it also made me reflect on what led to it.
Exploring New Paths
Over the past few months, I've been exploring AI tools and features that could help our team work better. Beyond improving productivity, these tools gave us more time to think about the repetitive tasks and pain points we experience every day.
I started sharing what I learned through demos and retrospectives, and eventually, it became a habit to ask:
"Is there a better way to do this?"
Key Lessons Along the Way
Every improvement journey comes with its own set of challenges. Here are the two biggest lessons I learned:
1. Establish a Baseline First
Improvements are easier to justify when you have a baseline. In some cases, I introduced changes without measuring the original process, making it difficult to show their actual impact. Always measure first to show real value.
2. Gather Feedback Early
I realized the importance of gathering feedback early. I often explored ideas on my own before involving others, which sometimes resulted in delays and missed opportunities for collaboration. Collaborative refinement is always faster.
Redefining Innovation
This experience reminded me that innovation doesn't always mean creating something groundbreaking. Sometimes, it's simply paying attention to the small frustrations people have accepted as normal and finding ways to improve them.
Small changes, done consistently, can create meaningful impact over time.
Looking Ahead
Looking ahead, I want to be:
- More data-driven when implementing improvements.
- More intentional about collaborating earlier in the process.
While I'm thankful for the Sinag Award, the biggest takeaway for me is this: excellence isn't about doing extraordinary things all the time. Often, it's about continuously learning, improving, and leaving things a little better than you found them.