Inspirational Woman in Business: Charmaine Joy (CJ) Rama-De Guzman

Meet Charmaine Joy (CJ) Rama-De Guzman, General Manager of Le Monet Hotel, the woman who has helped to inspire people and the community at large. In particular, throughout recent years of hardship, Charmaine has influenced her team in an incredible way to help walk them through the tough times.

Read the wonderful story of how Charmaine motivates people today, and how she is going further, doing more, breaking the barriers and instilling great courage!

Q: During the last couple of challenging years of the pandemic, how do you keep inspiring yourself/ your staff/ your community? How did you influence people despite the hard times?

CJ: Every Tom, Dick, and Harry might agree with me that the pandemic had a vast reach in altering human life at all levels, specifically in the industry where I am in. Without warning, the business halted, it was swift and we were left ill-equipped. It gave a big blow to many businesses; unfortunately the hotel industry became one of the most vulnerable sectors. It did set off an alarming economic slump and this affected the financial bearing of almost all businesses that led to more uncertainties and unemployment.??

The last couple of years have greatly shaped my leadership as a whole. The first few months of the pandemic emotionally disturbed me. For a time, I have felt high and dry.?As the head of the team, I have been extremely anxious about what would happen in the next couple of days, weeks, months and years. During the onset of Covid 19 scare, I have to think of my colleagues who depend on their salary from their work.?I know that they had bills and rents to pay and mouths to feed and that broke my heart.?I have to encourage my colleagues to think more positively and that this too shall pass. Whenever I talk to some of them via zoom and messenger, everyone seemed troubled about their job security so my officers and I had to keep them informed about the pandemic, about the company’s plans and had to figure out how to help them in every possible way.?

When the government announced to shut down businesses in March of 2020, my set of officers and I encouraged our employees to stay home, be safe and think of ways to earn a living while waiting for better and safer days to come.?During the lockdown, some resorted to on-line selling; some started offering their baked goodies and cooked meals on-line, some used their motorcycles to deliver goods to make ends meet and those efforts helped them to survive.?We also applied for financial assistance from government agencies and in a way; this helped them financially during the lockdowns.?Honestly, I was the one inspired by their fighting spirit when I saw them soldiering on. This made me realize that whatever challenge we go through, there is light patiently waiting at the end of the tunnel.?

Q: Resilience; how did you manage the recovery at Le Monet Hotel??

CJ: If there is one remarkable lesson I have gained during the pandemic that was ‘resilience’.

For me, resilience is all about the right ‘mindset’. I believe that if you set your mind to focus on the things that you can do and control and start to turn your back on the things that you cannot do anything about, then, you are set to move forward. Resilience has allowed me to overcome constant worry and difficult times during the pandemic.

In the onset of the pandemic, I am not going to deny the fact that my faith and spirit were shaken and tested during the sudden lockdown. There were times when I was on the brink of quitting; I had so much self-doubt as a leader and felt helpless and paralyzed. At that time, my only weapon was prayer. I literally prayed for everyone in the world and that made my troubled mind and spirit clearer.?After that episode, I had to start setting off my mind and heart to something more productive and that ignited me to focus on reviving the business. On that same day, I started researching and kicked off reviewing all the safety protocols released by the Inter Agency Task Force (IATF), Department of Tourism, Department of Health and the Local Government Unit. I seek help from our head office’ training department who’s always been very supportive since day 1 and assisted in devising training programs on Hotel Operation Safety Measures.

We can’t be incapacitated and be controlled by this virus forever. We started communicating to some of our regular and senior employees and rolled out Le Monet Hotel’s safety training programs. We refined the systems and procedures, we intensified our sanitation and disinfection processes, we have done renovation of our facility to adjust to the new requirements or the new normal as we call it, we kept ourselves busy in learning more about this virus and got prepared to welcome our valued guests safely and responsibly. After that, we confidently applied for our Permit to Operate from the Department of Tourism.?

The road we took two years ago was really a downer and full of uncertainties but we did not stop working toward our goal in reviving the business. Sadly, we had to keep most of our employees on floating status because resources and business during that time were very limited to none. In order to revive the operation in June of 2020, the organization had to consider changing its staples, we had to change our menu patterns, and craft local promotions since our clientele are local residents only. To keep the business afloat we have ventured to delivery services as well. These efforts allowed us to bring some of our employees back on board. Battling with an invisible enemy wasn’t an easy war game. So in order to ensure our employee’s safety and welfare, we decided to let them stay in the hotel so they won’t be too exposed outside and this helped them save too because we provided their shelter, Covid 19 testing,?internet connection so that they could make contact with their loved ones and meals. In return, employees had to help revive the operation by means of working on shifts and be able to help other departments. Surprisingly, this pandemic taught our employees to be more responsible, more flexible, learn new skills and better appreciate life in the midst of a trying time.

Indeed it still is a challenging chapter for all of us but we have to learn to stay focused, stick to our goal-driven work ethic, follow government agencies’ safety guidelines and be RESILIENT at all costs because right now we do not have a choice but to soldier on and help combat this pandemic.

Q: Nature tourism becomes a demand post-Covid, Baguio the City of Pines, is one of the top on the bucket list – what is your expectation toward this trend? How do you plan to support or contribute to the hotel business and community?

CJ: I have always been an advocate of ‘green tourism’, and just to share, my Post Graduate thesis was about creating an Advocacy Model that is focused on Responsible Solid Waste Management among Hotels and Restaurants in the City of Baguio. I always believe that if we have a sustainable environment and if people become more responsible in simply managing their daily wastes specifically for hotels and restaurants by means of proper segregation and disposal, Mother Nature will surely benefit. Regrettably, nature’s sustainability has always been a challenge of development.

In this day and age particularly during the pandemic, most people have resorted to enjoying the outdoors. Unfortunately, some individuals do not value the gift of nature. One of the best cases in point that I would like to share was the ‘trending social media post’ of the Camp John Hay trails. During the pandemic, the camp offered its trails to be enjoyed by the locals and tourists, after a few weeks, the John Hay Management Corporation (JHMC) team inspected the trail, they were knocked for six. Trash was all over the trails, trail goers vandalized leaves and trees and it was really a devastating sight circulating in the social media and that led to shutting the trails off to trail goers both locals and tourists. Days after the incident, people in the camp gathered and decided to educate trail goers instead of closing the trails for good. I was one of the active participants who initiated the program, with the support and guidance of the John Hay Management Corporation officers, we were able to invite community members to help us share amazing facts about the trails and let people appreciate the beauty of nature and make them respect all living things in the forest. We invited local residents, people who work in the medical field, employees of the camp, and media friends to cover the activity and help us spread relevant information that could help save these magical trails that citizens should be enjoying.

?I would say that working inside Camp John Hay is a blessing. We enjoy cleaner air, greener surroundings; we hear birds chirping and lower temperature that we get to enjoy as compared to living in other areas in the city. I want to reiterate that if we do not take good care of our environment, it has its own course in getting back to us, frightening but true. So, as a responsible hotelier, I always commit myself to help cultivate good undertakings in helping sustain our environment and our community as a whole. In my own little effort, many will benefit, children of our future will.??

Q: When it comes to barriers that might hold ‘women’ back from achieving a greater job/more senior role – how would you inspire ‘women’ to be confident in their ability and never stop dreaming big?

CJ: In a world dominated by male leaders, it has always been debatable whether women can fittingly lead or not. Historically, women empowerment does not start from a particular date but a cumulative process. Meaning, it took decades if not centuries before women’s potential and influence were recognized in the society. In the Philippines, I would ‘personally’ articulate that women leaders are recognized but probably not totally relied on.?Fairly, we cannot totally do away with the fact that there are still more male leaders as compared to females but this shouldn’t stop women like me from dreaming bigger and braver.?

Let me share this endearing story. Last year, I was able to represent the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) in Bohol, Philippines when they started to open their borders to tourists. In one of the events, I have met this female General Manager of one of the must-go-to resorts in Bohol and upon introducing myself, she was elated to meet another female GM and said, “You know CJ, I am always in high spirits whenever I meet female GMs because there are only few of us in our field”. I was surprised and didn’t realize that before. But yes, she is right, whenever I attend assemblies, I mostly meet male GMs and even in my city, hotels are still dominated by male General Managers.

In today’s modern era, gender equality is still a burning issue all over the globe that needs attention in many forms. As a modern day woman leader, I personally do not have much issues on gender equality (lucky me). I work in a company dominated by male colleagues and bosses but I haven’t felt inadequate. I am fairly sure that I was able to exemplify a certain skill that made them decide for me to lead a team.?I feel that these days, women are geared with the ability to lead and I think we are ready to get the better of the world. When we start to learn our self-worth, everything freely follows. It’s just like knowing the value of a certain item, a good example is a painting of a renowned artist, when you see it you wouldn’t have a hard time making a decision how much value you are going to put on it. Now, if you are clueless on how much a certain thing is worth, there comes the issue.?As more and more women started crossing the man-made barriers, the world noticed the rise of these amazing individuals on high heels. We call them women and that’s us. Worthy.?

Q: As a female leader, what would your message be to aspiring female professionals and to your community?

CJ: As a female leader, I always take my hows and whys with me every day. I always find my whys. Why should I do this? Why shouldn’t I? How will I do it? How will I improve this and that? Etc. Believe it or not, up to this age, old school as it may sound, I still write everything down in my notebook, I tell her everything. Writing down my thoughts empowers me to figure out the compelling purpose of my daily existence both professional and personal life.

Juggling a full-time-career and motherhood could be demanding especially with two growing teenage boys (gosh tell me about it). For me, maintaining work/life balance is vital in all lines of work. At times, you just need to hold your breath and jump into the water and you’ll get surprised that you could actually swim. That’s how I learned swimming at the age of six. Ladies, never underestimate your potential. Be bold, be competitive but always stay grounded. In my line of work, I always make it a point that my credibility should not be open to doubts. Remember that we were hired to perform a job, so you better perform well and carry your load. Do not ask others to do a job that you are not willing to do yourself. At the end of the day, you are being rated with the quality of your work. So, when you do things, just do it right, honestly and responsibly.

Another advice that I would like to share to aspiring female leaders is to take risks. They say, if you can dance and be free and not be embarrassed, you can definitely rule the world. Start small, learn how to break your daily tasks down into smaller doable steps, establish a positive mindset, set sustainable goals that could make you more excited to go to work every day, be open-minded, be kind to yourself (shop if you need to), and most importantly pray for your hard work.?

When I was offered to become a Hotel Manager, I had so many doubts about myself, I really did. Was I scared? Yes I was. Did I give up? Nope, I did not. I turned those doubts and weaknesses to strength. I accepted it, embraced it. That moment I accepted my debilities and fears was the start of me getting to where I want to be. Having a clear goal, humility, honesty, hard work, patience and willingness to learn are essential ingredients of any success. But remember, no woman can be that empowered if you are not financially independent. Gone are the days when women had to always depend on their husband’s salaries to buy what they want. Women I believe should have to have their own means in order to function better because more than ever, women should enjoy freedom.?And when you experience success, never abandon the community that trusted and supported you. Join well-intentioned programs that could help others. I myself support non-profit organizations of which I am a member?(Lion’s Club International). I personally help the less fortunate, support local artists, local businesses and help promote and buy local products. I am always certain that if a community thrives, everyone will. Let us all work hand-in-hand and pull each other up in order to get through this test of time. An empowered woman once shared, “Leadership should be more participative than directive, more enabling than performing.” and so be the woman you want to be without reservations. I did! You can do it too.??

Thank you very much, Charmaine Joy CJ for your inspiration and passion! Let's celebrate every woman on the planet - Happy International Women's Day 2022.