Pakundangan is a Filipino term that means respect, awe and reverence. It also means “care and consideration”.
I have been reflecting on what I bring in as an entrepreneur and this word came up vividly for me. The Filipino culture can oftentimes be seen as “other-people oriented” and it is in the balancing of the I and We that I found that sweet spot in connecting and relating with others.
As entrepreneurs it is important for us to understand our dream clients. Having a clear picture of who we want to serve, what their needs are and how we can meet those needs help ensure client-market fit.
Giving much care and consideration on where we can come in our clients’ lives and how we can best support them is a skill that we can develop as entrepreneurs. One of the ways to do this is to use the thinking routine “STEP INSIDE”. Thinking routines are part of the visible thinking approach developed by Ron Ritchhart from Project Zero, Harvard.
The STEP INSIDE thinking routine can be used to get inside other people’s viewpoints. Three core questions to ask are:
What does the person perceive? (What do this person see, observe or notice?)
What does the person care about? (What might the person feel strongly about?)
What does the person think about or believe? (What might the person know about, understand or believe?)
Using these questions can help you explore and give care and consideration to your ideal clients.
So how about you, how are you embracing “pakundangan” as an entrepreneur?