We have seen a lot of activities in relation to memberships and communications. The Road to 1K campaign of PSTD is at its full blast this year. Major initiatives have been launched in relation to managing the membership experience. Let us get to know the man behind this campaign by reading through the interview transcript of PSTD Trustee, Edwin Ebreo.

Louie Banta
Hello, everyone! This is Louie Banta, CEO and Chief Trainer of LJMB Training, and a volunteer and advocate for the Philippine Society for Talent Development or PSTD. Nandito na naman po tayo sa isa pang zoom interview, getting to know your PSTD board trustees. And in this month, we will go up-close and personal, and get to know better one of the current members of the PSTD BOT, and head of not one, not two but three committees ha! Membership, Junior PSTD or JPSTD, and Certification. Wala pong iba, isa sa aking co-host sa usapang training at iba pa, Ed Ebreo is in the house!

Ed Ebreo
(Laughs) Thank you for the introduction, Louie, and to your audience and listeners.

Louie Banta
Ed, how did you start your journey in this field of training of LND? Alam ko medyo matagal-tagal na, ano?

Ed Ebreo
Well, ang first job ko kasi is store clerk sa 7 Eleven eh. That’s how I started, ano? And from there uh… I moved to the training department, bagong set up ‘yung training department uh ano… na-assign ako as a training assistant. I don’t even know what a training assistant does uh… during that time. So, uh… we designed ‘yung mga orientation program ng 7 Eleven tapos uh… hanggang sa na-promote nang na-promote ako to be the head of training. I moved to SPI Technologies, one of the oldest BPO process transactions… transactions processing BPO uh… in the country. So, naging head of training din ako ‘ron then I moved to HR of Petplan Subsidiary Companies and then uh… ‘yun… uh… BPO process transactions ang mga industries na napuntahan ko and then after that I set up ExeQserve uh… in uh… 20… 2007 halos magkalapit tayo, ‘di ba? 2007 at ‘yun na nag tuloy-tuloy na. Hanggang ngayon ‘yun yung aking uh… pinagkakaabalahan.

Louie Banta
Marami sigurong hindi nakakaalam ‘nung entry level mo, ano? Na sa frontline ka, ano? Sa retail or operations, ano? Tapos nabigyan ka ng magandang break, ano? From retail store clerk to training…

Ed Ebreo
Sabi kasi ng mga boss ko ang daldal ko eh (laughs). Nilagay ako sa training as training assistant. Nagco-conduct ako ng mga orientation training, ‘yung operations training mahaba ‘yun eh isang buong linggo. Uh…for three years. Parang kaya mo nang mapanaginipan ‘yung tinuturo mo eh, so I think that’s my 10,000 hours of training eh. And then I started designing ‘yung mga supervisory programs ng uh… 7 Eleven, so ‘yun.

Louie Banta
Maganda ‘yung…

Ed Ebreo
Retail person ako, originally, oo.

Louie Banta
Maganda ‘yung career path mo, ano? Kasi nakita ko ‘yung stages sa Talend Development Framework ‘don na tinuturo natin sa [inaudible]. Simula sa pagmulat or awareness ano of uh… capabilities. Tsaka, Ed, ang tagal mo na ring sumu-support sa PSTD ba? I think more than a decade, ano? So, paano nagsimula at nag-bloom itong love affair with PSTD?

Ed Ebreo
Naniniwala kasi ako sa ano eh, yung community of practice. So… ‘nung una akong nag-join sa PSTD, hindi ako masyadong nakikialam. I have very little appreciation of what it has to offer uh…

Louie Banta
Anong taon ito, when you join PSTD?

Ed Ebreo
Ano… (laughs) matagal na!

Louie Banta
1990s pa ba? (laughs)

Ed Ebreo
Hindi naman! (laughs) Hindi naman! Early… 2000s.

Louie Banta
Okay.

Ed Ebreo
Early 2000s ‘yun. Tapos ‘yung talagang active na naging member ng BOT, parang 2015 ata ‘yun?

Louie Banta
I see.

Ed Ebreo
That’s when I started being really active, and I realized I can do a lot to contribute to the growth of PSTD. Tsaka ang ano ko talaga palakihin ‘yung community, kung maaari lahat ng LND uh… practitioner sa Philippines ay maging member ng PSTD. So, that’s my ultimate aspiration, Louie, eh, na pag LND practitioner ka or Talent Development Practitioner ka, member ka ng PSTD. ‘Yung benefit from that community of sharing ano… uh… of learning from each other, ‘yun yung pangarap ko. (laughs)

Louie Banta
And then, since 2015, when you became a more active member, dere… wala nang palya ‘yun, Ed, ano? Every year you’re really very active.

Ed Ebreo
Oo, kung hindi ako member ng BOT uh… nasa committee. Nasa committee ako or nagru-run ako ng mga courses for PSTD. So, walang year na absolutely inactive.

Louie Banta
Hmm Hmm.

Ed Ebreo
Mayroong mga years na nagpahinga ako sa BOT but uh… I still help. I still support in terms of making myself available to design, to run some programs for PSTD.

Louie Banta
So tatlong… tatlong committee ‘yung hine-head mo, ano?

Ed Ebreo
Oo, ngayon. Active lahat ‘yun!

Louie Banta
Paano mo napapagkasya tapos sabi mo nagru-run kapa ng mga training na part of the certification courses?

Ed Ebreo
Eh syempre, maghanap ng mga magagaling na leaders uh… ‘dun sa bawat committee. ‘Yun naman… ang leadership naman, Louie, is ano eh… is about empowering. So, look for other leaders to help you lead. Ano yan eh… uh… team game ang leadership, hindi siya uh… ano… we don’t expect the leader to be the lone leader. So, something that I learned from all the things that we’ve been doing, ano, you and me, na team sport and leadership. Hindi siya, hindi siya heroic. So, I was able to find ano… really good leaders uh… sa Membership… sa JPSTD si Kevin, sa Membership si Pearl, tapos si April Salonga naman sa Certification and… they’re doing their part. Ang sa akin na lang eh ano… some words of wisdom (laughs). Every time, some crucial decisions have to be me pero sila talaga, they’re running the show.

Louie Banta
Tsaka sa training community naman, ‘di ba? Hindi ka naman mahihirapan humanap ng mga with strong leadership abilities?

Ed Ebreo
Oo! Ang problema lang ‘yung may time.

Louie Banta
‘Yun!

Ed Ebreo
I guess if you want, may time eh. ‘Yun yung ano ko, Louie. If… ‘yung pag gusto, totoo ‘yun eh. ‘Yung pag gusto maraming paraan. Oo, and I’m able to find people who have the same inspiration as us. Katulad mo rin, ‘di ba? I mean, I know you’re the busiest people in the world, the business person in the world pero… you still find for these things because you… I think we believe in the same thing, ano? Uh…. Community of practice.

Louie Banta
Ito nga ‘yung susunod kong tanong eh. Despite of your business, ano? Despite of your other roles, what is the “big why” that serves as your driving force for continuing to uh, you know, do this for PSTD?

Ed Ebreo
Uh… kasi kung… kung uh… it’s really ‘yung having a sense of community. Uh… ‘yung you are with people you have shared ideals with, ano, share similar values uh… believe in uh… ‘yung strong belief in people’s capacity for growth and self-empowerment. Dapat magsama-sama tayo eh, magtulong-tulungan tayo kasi mahirap ‘yung trabaho. Dahil uh… you know, hindi naman sa… hindi naman po sa minemenos ko ‘yung ibang mga propesyon but if you’re talking about processes, you know, create a process then implement that process, you create an engine and make the engine work, pag dating sa tao walang button na pinipindot eh.

Louie Banta
Hmm Hmm.

Ed Ebreo
So, in order for us to be effective in what we do, we need to learn from our experiences and share that with other talent development practitioners. So, kung magkakanya-kanya tayo, parang ano eh, parang… limited ‘yung collective growth. So, naniniwala… naniniwala ako na ‘yung PSTD ay opportunity for the ano… for us to experience the joy of sharing and growing together, ‘si ba? Uh… abundance sabi nga ng uh… si Pido (laughs). Sumalangit nawa per ‘yun, I believe in that, that uh… having a sense of community allows you to practice a sense of abundance, ‘di ba? Makapag-share sa bawat uh… kasama mo. Kagaya natin, Louie, we compete. The two of us, we collaborate but we also compete. Pero I don’t think there was ever a time where we were not generous to each other, ‘di ba?

Louie Banta
Hmm Hmm.

Ed Ebreo
“Yun yung gusto ko rin na makita ng ibang mga Learning and Development Practitioners eh na… hindi porke magkakumpetensya tayo sa propesyon, walang opportunity for us to learn from each other and uh… kasi ano eh the… the market is big.

Louie Banta
Correct.

Ed Ebreo
And the opportunity is great.

Louie Banta
Agree.

Ed Ebreo
Uh… Actually, I even think hindi tayo enough in numbers if all the needs are to be met. Hindi tayo enough eh, and I don’t know how well people are developing into… kasi ano sa JPSTD, ‘yung isa sa recognition namin ano, ‘yung realization namin ni Kevin Nera, incidental ‘yung LND profession eh. You don’t study for LND, ‘di ba? Hindi, even ‘yung HR na course very small ‘yung component na ang focus is learning and development. It’s HR management, ‘di ba?

Louie Banta
Hmm Hmm.

Ed Ebreo
So… the best way to learn, and plus, the world is changing so fast, so we learn… let’s learn from each other. Lahat kayo sumali sa PSTD mag-usap tayo. Magkwentuhan tayo kung ano ‘yung best way to ano… to… to develop talents in the country.

Louie Banta
Lalo na’t nagbabago ang panahon, ano?

Ed Ebreo
Oh, yeah!

Louie Banta
Bago ang learning preferences, nagbabago and learning technologies. Nagba… ang daming best practices d’yan, ano?

Ed Ebreo
‘Di ba? And we need to see through that kasi ako naniniwala na mabuti ang change but not all change are good. So, kailangan, you have to sift through, eh ano? Uh… hindi ka ba nalilihis ‘dun sa… sa mission. As you see new technology, you leverage on that technology to actualize your vision and your mission. Uh… hindi ka ano… nafo-force na gawin ‘yung isang bagay even if it’s not effective just because it’s a fat. So, conversations sometimes difficult and candid conversations have to happen habang practitioner para makita natin kung ano ba ang best way to help people realize their full potential. So, that’s what PSTD is all about for me, and I get to talk with people like you, the other leaders, and the other members of the PSTD, we get to exchange notes during [inaudible].

Louie Banta
‘Yung mga guests natin sa usapang training.

Ed Ebreo
Yes! ‘Yung mga guests natin sa usapang training, ang dami-dami nating natututunan sa kanila. Kapagka… ano eh, sayo ko ‘to narinig eh, one of your toastmasters speeches eh, ‘yung pagka… pagka naisip mo na hinog ka na, magsisimula ka nang mabulok. You remember one of those speeches?

Louie Banta
As long as… you’re green, you’re growing.

Ed Ebreo
Oo, ayan!

Louie Banta
As soon as you ripe, you start to rot. Ray Kroc yan ng McDonalds.

Ed Ebreo
Tapos eh… inspire na inspire ako ‘ron, narinig ko ‘yon sa isang speech mo eh. I said “Yeah”. Ang isang talent development practitioner must always be great. And uh… ‘yung mga tao non nag-iisip na hindi na nila kailangan ‘yung mga experience na we’re experiencing in PSTD, our people who are not green anymore (laugh).

Louie Banta
Tamang-tama pala green ang color ng logo ng PTSD.

Ed Ebreo
Patama, ‘di ba? Hindi nila alam (laughs).

Louie Banta
You’re not learning, ano? (laughs)

Ed Ebreo
‘Di ba? So, dapat let’s keep ourselves green. By showing uh… others that there’s still opportunity for learning among talent development practitioners. ‘Yan ‘Yung aking uh… belief.

Louie Banta
Kalahati rin ng taon, Ed, ano? Last half, what’s your mission for PSTD. Sabihin na natin year-end or in the… damay ko na, in the next two years.

Ed Ebreo
Ahh… gusto ko ma-achieve natin yung one thousand members eh, by the end of the year. At uh, di po ako nawawalan ng pag-asa riyan. I think alam mo naman tayong mga Pinoy, last ten minutes mag… (laughs) Marami kasing nangangako sa akin na ano eh, magre-renew, magjo-join, wala palang pagkakataon. Uh… so, maniningil ako sa mga nakikinig po, maniningil ako sa inyo. Kailangan mag one thousand tayo this year. Hopefully, two thousand next year. Let’s grow this community because uh… cliche pero totoo, there’s strength in numbers. If there’s more of us uh… there’s more that we can do. We can probably even uh… influence national policy, if we’re a bigger community. Kasi ang gusto ko i-incentivize ng gobyerno ‘yung ano, ‘yung mga kumpanya to invest in people development.

Louie Banta
Hmm Hmm.

Ed Ebreo
And uh… if we’re a bigger community, we are a force to recon with, baka may makinig sa atin, ‘di ba?

Louie Banta
Correct!

Ed Ebreo
That only helps our kababayan uh… to realize their full potential.

Louie Banta
Hmm Hmm.

Ed Ebreo
‘Di ba? Tsaka ayun! JPSTD, ano kami, five this year pero twenty five in twenty five.

Louie Banta
Oh, that’s the mission?

Ed Ebreo
Yeah, the target is five this year but twenty five in twenty five… twenty five schools. At hahanap kami ng mga mentor na kasinggagaling mo, Louie. I’ll assign them as a mentor for each school.

Louie Banta
Game! Lima na tayo ‘ron sa usapang training, napakarami pang BOT non. Game, gawin natin yan!

Ed Ebreo
Oo, ‘di ba? Mag-assign tayo. Isipin mo ang mga… ang uh… ang magiging mentor ng bawat schools are highly experienced sought after uh… talent development practitioners. Hindi naman tayo mahihindian ng mga kaibigan natin pag sinabi natin ano… “Hoy, Jet Nera! Mag-mentor ka ng school”, ‘di ba? So, ‘yun yung ano, ‘yun yung pangarap natin for PTSD.

Louie Banta
Oh, Ed, anim na fast talk, and your final message, ano? ‘Yung unang fast talk tatlong sagot. Three adjectives that best describe Ed Ebreo.

Ed Ebreo
Uhm… ano, madaldal, opinionated, and curious.

Louie Banta
Okay. Training course that you most love to facilitate.

Ed Ebreo
Uh… anything that has a multiplier effect. So that’s leadership, trainer’s training, coaching, and mentoring. Feeling ko kasi everytime na magco-conduct ka niyan, you are multiplying people. “Yung mga supervisors, managers, mga trainers are people who have a multiplier effect. When I train them, I’m very inspired.

Louie Banta
Oh, talking of inspiration, what inspires you the most?

Ed Ebreo
Growth. Uh… growth, ‘yung may nakikita akong ano, kasama kasi sa strength ko sa strengthsfinder eh ‘yung maximize that. So, when I see people growing, that inspires me.

Louie Banta
Favorite color?

Ed Ebreo
Nako, earth colors. Black, puti, pula. Ay! Tama ba ‘yung pula sa earth colors? (laughs)

Louie Banta
Pero black tsaka ano… sabi mo black and white, brown.

Ed Ebreo
Brown, oo! Mga ganoon.

Louie Banta
Favorite motto?

Ed Ebreo
Ah! Take an idea and run away with it. Marami akong mga ninakaw na mga idea sa’yo na tinakbo ‘ko (laughs).

Louie Banta
Wala naman mo…

Ed Ebreo
Kagaya nong ano, stay grid, ‘di ba?

Louie Banta
Wala naman monopoly niyan talaga, ‘di ba? Oh, it’s for us to share.

Ed Ebreo
Yeah.

Louie Banta
Last. Favorite book? Baka naman magka-interest ‘yung iba na basahin.

Ed Ebreo
Uh… Mayroon ako kasing paboritong author.

Louie Banta
Hmm Hmm.

Ed Ebreo
Si Lencioni. So I read uh… di pa naman lahat, mayroon pang nakabalot. Nabili ko na pero nakabalot pa.

Louie Banta
Buksan na!

Ed Ebreo
Sa mga libro niya, 5 Dysfunctions of a Team is uh… my most favorite. And that had been the framework that I’d been using for a long time.

Louie Banta
Okay, any final message to the viewers of this video and doon sa babasa ng article version?

Ed Ebreo
Sumali kayo sa PSTD. Uh…if you are a season talent development practitioner, we need mentors. If you are up and coming, you’ll find mentors here. Uh… if you are here just to look for opportunities to network, you’ll have it. You know? If you want to practice leadership, ‘yung walang ano, ‘yung walang formal authority, puro influence lang, that’s… becoming an active member and leader in PSTD. Makikita mo kung paano talaga mag–lead. So, that’s PSTD. So… please join PSTD. Let’s make this uh… community of practice among talent development practitioners big and strong, and powerful to make significant changes in uh… influencing significant changes in the country.

Louie Banta
There you go! That’s our up-close and personal getting to know Ed Ebreo of PSTD. Ed, thank you so much!

Ed Ebreo
You’re welcome, Sir!

Louie Banta
See you on Sunday.

Ed Ebreo
Oo, usapang training (laughs). Sige.

 

Meet and network with PSTD Trustee Ed Ebreo in the PSTD events. Learn from the thought leaders in the Talent Development industry. Be a PSTD member now.