If you are a college student undergoing on-the-job training with any company or organization, the two things that you should always keep in mind is that, even as an intern, you are still an extension of that company or organization, and your actions can and will be seen as a reflection of that firm.

Being brought up by your parents the wrong way, believing that you are privileged, or possessing a misplaced swagger in office are not excuses for screwing the company or organization that is providing you with valuable training and learning.

Actions like these are sure signs that you are setting yourself up for an epic fail later in life. Individuals like these can consider getting into college a miracle by itself.

Putting my two cents' worth, I guess the two things that separate successful individuals, companies or organizations are their passion and commitment to achieve their goals.

Take the case of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP), which for most of its 35 years of existence has enjoyed tremendous success in all of its undertakings.

Maybe luck has played a part, but the chamber over the years has been gifted, handed, or landed some of the most dynamic, driven and talented individuals who have been meshed together to form one for­ midable unit.

Since the National Basketball Association finals have just started, I guess the best comparison to the ECCP is the San Antonio Spurs.

Now, do not stare at me with that shocked look. This is not a stretch. The Spurs is the most diverse team in the league. With seven international players, they are the most fundamentally sound team, every player has a high basketball IQ, playoff appearances for the past 15 years and four championship rings.

When translated to how organizations are being ran and operated, it looks and feels very similar to the ECCP. Heck, I can probably even say that Henry Schumacher is the business community's equivalent of Greg Popovich in basketball.

Recently, the chamber held again two very successful events: the 15th Golf Challenge at the Santa Elena Golf Club in Laguna, and the First EU­-Philippines Business Dialogue at the Fairmont and Raffles Hotel in Makati City.

I had the chance to talk with William "Bill" Bailey, who, even as he is now the treasurer of the British Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, continues to run the annual golf event.

Bill said that heading the organizing group for the golf event is his way of giving back to the ECCP. That is how it is with the ECCP. Once part of the chamber, you will always be considered a part of it even after you go and pursue other activities.

Anyway, Bill, for all intents and purposes, was former president of the ECCP and the annual golf event is his baby.

Bill said that when he was ECCP president, he was very enthusiastic about the golf event. Like most of the ECCP projects, they built it up from the ground up, have it steadily gain momentum, and eventually had leading business executives participating in it annually.

How successful is the golf event? This year it had more than 130 business executives participating, and had a long line of sponsors, including one award-winning newspaper named the Business Mirror.

Bill said he plans to keep on doing the event for a few more years, calling it a "fun thing to do."

Meanwhile, the ECCP spearheaded the holding of the First EU­Philippines Business Dialogue that had European Commission Unit Head for South and Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand Directorate General for Trade Helena Koenig, along with some government officials, whom you might probably know, like House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., National Economic and Development Authority Director General Arsenio M. Balisacan, Public Works Secretary Rogelio L. Singson, and Revenue Commissioner Kim Jacinto­Henares as resource speakers.

The dialogue was aimed at identifying opportunities in the Philippine market in sectors where European Union (EU) small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can offer new products, technologies and services, forging a stronger collaboration between the EU and Philippine SMEs, and improving the Philippine regulatory framework to make the country an ideal investment destination. Koenig said, during the dialogue, that European companies that operate in the Philippines currently employ more than 450,000 of our countrymen. Moreover, trade between the EU and the Philippines reached €10.8 billion last year. Those are good numbers that will look vastly improved over the next few years.

Still, to push the objectives outlined, the ECCP, along with its partner chambers including the Belgian, British, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Nordic business chambers, are starting the EU-Philippines Business Network.

The project, partly funded by the EU, will be coordinating with the government and the business community to strengthen the business links while also increasing market access on both sides.

If we again go by the numbers, the dialogue was attended by more than 200 decision makers from the government and the private sector.

It is the ECCP again going about its winning ways.

Source: Business Mirror, 08 June 2014