Cultivating Your Future

Written by Susan Legaspi Monday, 04 January 2010 16:55

Attention: open in a new window.

Let ISYFA Guide You on Your Path to Success

America has always been thought of as the land of equal and boundless opportunity, and indeed it is still that. For Filipino finance and accounting professionals like you, this means virtually unlimited possibilities. To realize that potential, you will be forced to make certain choices, encounter various roadblocks and pitfalls and undoubtedly feel lost somewhere along the way. So how do you realize your greatest potential and feel at peace with both your efforts and your results?

The International Society of Young Filipino Accountants (“ISYFA”) is all about assisting people just like you to maximize your potential. ISYFA’s core values are those which will be extremely important in your path to success: integrity, discipline, social responsibility, and balance and harmony in your life. ISYFA’s organizational climate and membership with their unique heritage, culture and character, principles, and priorities are the driving force to success.

• Unique heritage. The Republic of the Philippines is quite unique in that it is the only predominantly Christian nation in Asia and has a mixed heritage of Malay, Spanish, Chinese, and American cultures. This makes a strictly Filipino association quite different from most typical Asian organizations that try to cater to a broad range of Asian cultures.

• Culture and character. The Filipino character is a melting pot of cultures. Filipinos are well known for their bayanihan or spirit of kinship and camaraderie. The close family relations are said to have been inherited from the Malay and Chinese. The piousness comes from the Spaniards who introduced Christianity in the 16th century. Hospitality is a common denominator in the Filipino character and this is what distinguishes the Filipino. Filipinos are probably one of the few, if not the only, English-proficient Oriental people today. Pilipino is the official national language, with English considered as the country's unofficial one.

Filipinos are driven by self-respect and family. Often very ambitious and with a reputation of working as long as it takes to get the job done – Filipinos often get little recognition for their work and sacrifice. This is certainly far different than many other cultures.

• Principles. Principles and values may be defined as those standards of which a group or society judges the desirability and importance of persons, ideas, actions and goals. Values are shared convictions or beliefs in what are considered contributory to the welfare of the group. From these definitions, we can clearly see how values are affected by society and, in turn, how society can be affected by the values held by its members.

Filipinos have a dominating trait of the regard for the dignity and respect of others as well as for themselves. Filipinos also possess the inherent virtue of righteousness in thought and deed. To Filipinos it is all about building core values that are never forgotten…integrity, honesty and honor.
The ultimate principle of the Filipino character-driven business model is about being mindful of every thought and action, and the effect, impact and potential repercussions they will have on people.

As a newcomer to either the country or the professional world, it is important to begin your journey to success by using the correct path. Filipinos are often somewhat of an enigma to many employers. Organizations like ISYFA have been responsible for enhancing already existing attributes in Filipinos that business leaders have grown to respect and covet. This is exactly what ISYFA is all about, to assist young professionals in their quest to grow and achieve success in this country.

ISYFA mentors will help you to integrate seamlessly into your new environment and to become respected and valuable members of your organization of choice. Filipinos are known for their ambition, hard work and adaptability – we will assist you by providing unfettered access to successful professionals who have already achieved varying levels of success in American business.

ISYFA founders and many of its members belong to some of the world’s most widely acclaimed professional firms. This is a true testament to the Filipino work ethic and competitive edge. ISYFA embodies the spirit of the Filipino people and our strong desire to be recognized and rewarded as an instrument of change in the business world. No other organization can mold the ambition and work ethic of the young Filipino professional as effectively and cohesively as ISYFA.