Bernie Borges [00:00:00]:
Jack Madrid, welcome to the Midlife Fulfilled Podcast, a maximum episode.
Jack Madrid [00:00:07]:
Always great to see you, Bernie.
Bernie Borges [00:00:10]:
Always great to see you, Jack. And boy, do I see you everywhere. Let me tee up our conversation for, my listener. Jack, I am gonna read your LinkedIn headline. I’m not gonna read your entire bio, but your headline because it’s so telling. Your headline reads industry leader, board director, executive coach, news anchor, podcaster, and wine columnist. And I happen to know, because this is how we met, you are the CEO of IVPAP, which is an organization in The Philippines where you are located. You are twelve hours ahead.
Bernie Borges [00:00:55]:
It is 7PM for me and 7AM for you, very early. And you head up IVPAP, which is an association or an organization that’s focused on ensuring that The Philippines remains competitive, in the IT and business process management industry. And you’ve had a an illustrious career. You’ve worked at many organizations, many of which are are US based organizations. And you talk about reinventing yourself. And, Jack, I have to tell you I have to tell you, and I don’t think this will surprise you, that I sometimes live vicariously through you because I see you globetrotting on LinkedIn with all your photos and on Instagram, and I’ve listened to your podcast. You you are on the opposite side now on in this podcast experience because instead of being the interviewer, you’re the interviewee. So all that to say, what makes you tick, Jack? Like, what motivates you to be this versatile individual in your midlife seasons?
Jack Madrid [00:02:00]:
Wow. That’s a very loaded, question, Bernie, but, but but certainly one that, you know, I guess, attempts to, as I as I’m thinking about how I’m gonna respond to that, what that really attempts to discover what what what really makes me tick and, get up in the morning and and do whatever it is that I do. I’d like to start with my my energy. You know, my energy is derived from, other sources of energy. So I I tend to seek people with the same level of energy, and and, motivation, as as me. And that ultimately comes from what I would describe as curiosity, because I don’t like doing things over and over again. I I find my joy in doing something for the first time, discovering it, playing with it, learning, about it, including meeting new people to be my my primary driver. So whether in my personal life or at work, I I like to initiate, experiment, and innovate with with new just with new things, new people, even even with food and and wine.
Jack Madrid [00:03:30]:
It’s always that that knowledge that I’m going to discover something that I’ve never had before, that I’ve never experienced before. And that that’s just that’s kinda what keeps me going, every day. Okay.
Bernie Borges [00:03:44]:
So as I look at what I know of your life from a career standpoint, and then I certainly know about your wine enthusiasm because you share that so openly, especially on Instagram. I’ve shared that with my wife many times. Look at this picture from Jack. Look at all those beautiful wines that he and his friends are enjoying. And so what I’m wondering, Jack, is how much of this journey that you have been experiencing has been planned versus just the curiosity sort of creating the opportunities that you have just embraced?
Jack Madrid [00:04:23]:
Wow. You know, I love that question because I I always say that, well well, my answer is none of it. Nothing has been planned, Bernie. You know, I I always remember one time I I heard, you know, Steve Jobs addressing some people saying that you can never connect the dots forward. They only make sense when you connect the dots backward. And when I heard that, it I thought it just completely applied to, you know, the course that I had been at that point, which was quite quite a number of years ago. But even then, it was true, and it’s even more true now as more dots have emerged, but none of it is planned. But but I can tell you that, everything I would say that I’ve done, whether career or in my life, you know, is almost meant to be, because, where I am now, all all the things I’ve done, all the mistakes I’ve made, all the some of the good stuff that I’ve done are a result of learning from each of those dots, and the experiences that I learned on on knowing what to do and and more often than not, knowing what not to do.
Jack Madrid [00:05:48]:
So, you know, where where I am now is, just really a sum total of, all all of those dots and all of the things that I did, in the journey so far. So none of it none of it is planned. I’m not I’m a I I think I’m a pretty good planner, but, the thing about plans is they often don’t go the way you want them. So the key is really to I mean, I’m not I have nothing against planning, but, you need the agility, flexibility, just being nimble and flexible enough to adjust when plans don’t go according, according to what you had imagined them to be.
Bernie Borges [00:06:30]:
Yeah. Well, to your point about planning, certainly, in a in a in a business standpoint, we certainly have to do some planning. And I know that, from a previous conversation we had probably a year and a half ago, so this is a year and a half old data, You in your current role as CEO of IVPAP, you are planning some pretty aggressive employment numbers in The Philippines in a context of heading up IVPAP. And I’m just wondering, how how do you deal with that kind of pressure? You know, that’s a lot of planning. That’s a lot of forecasting. It’s also a lot of people that are impacted by that. And so and I as I said, I I watch what you post on LinkedIn and Instagram. You’re very, very good at that.
Bernie Borges [00:07:18]:
Wow. I mean, I wish I was one quarter as good at doing how how you do that. And and I see you speaking at events and sharing those plans. So how do you sort of manage all of that? And then you also seem to be balancing that with fun, enjoyable activities outside of work even though you have this big responsibility in your careers? How do you balance the two?
Jack Madrid [00:07:46]:
Wow. You know, I don’t I don’t think about balance too much, Bernie. I try to remain curious. I try to to maintain, and that curiosity, I I keep going back to that because it keeps me more open minded, meaning that I feel I need to have the flexibility, to to change course, whenever whenever needed. I I’m always open to the opportunity of learning something from every single conversation, that I have regardless of whether they are, subject matter experts or just or just random people that I meet. I mean, I learned from every single conversation, I have, whether it’s, you know, in high level meetings or or even on the golf course or or, at a restaurant, you know, with with servers and and, wine staff. There’s there’s always something. Someone will always have a perspective, that I had never heard of.
Jack Madrid [00:08:55]:
And so I think that kind of attitude and mindset, allows me to to not let the pressure, the daily pressure get to me. It’s a very visible role, as you probably have seen.
Bernie Borges [00:09:11]:
Yes.
Jack Madrid [00:09:11]:
But but even with that, right, even with all the media, almost daily, reaching out, I don’t pretend to know everything, and I I don’t have this air of of certainty, when I speak or provide answers. I guess it’s my it’s just my way of being I mean, that’s just really who I am, because I truly don’t know the answer, especially in this age where technology is transforming everything we do, at at such an accelerated pace. One one really cannot be too I don’t think one can be so sure footed, especially now. And I I guess I’m just being very open and honest when when I say I really don’t know the answer that that, I I really don’t. And what I tried to do, talking about the goals, that you had mentioned earlier about our industry’s very ambitious goals, what I try to do there is is I share the ownership of those goals. That’s not just mine or my team’s. It’s the whole ecosystems. When I speak at membership meetings, we just had our annual membership meeting.
Jack Madrid [00:10:25]:
I say we are just a collective voice for the industry, and and that we, my team and I, would not exist, you know, without without our member organizations. And that that was my, I guess, one of my ways of communicating that we are in this together. So, don’t don’t just be a bystander. You know, you have to, you have to do your share. And, because this is this is for us. And so that that sense of co ownership, I think I’ve been able to, effectively rally, our community, companies, leaders as and and and employees as well, getting them to co own, the industries and the country’s goals.
Bernie Borges [00:11:16]:
Well said. Thank you. I recall that the first time we met, we were also in a podcast recording. I was hosting a podcast that wasn’t mine. It was, my previous employer, and I interviewed you. And sometime after that, you then became a podcaster. And I’d love to hear something about that journey. And I’ve listened to some, a few of the episodes that you’ve published on your podcast.
Bernie Borges [00:11:45]:
It’s called Promptly Speaking. Right? Did I get that right? Yeah. And, Jack, you know, not surprisingly, you’re a masterful interviewer. So tell me about this podcasting journey, and what kind of fulfillment are you getting from that? You knew I was gonna ask that question at some point in this conversation. Right? This is the Midlife Fulfilled podcast.
Jack Madrid [00:12:08]:
Well well, you know, I’m I’m I’m happy you did, Bernie, because I I will say this. I never imagined then, that I would ever have, you know, my my own podcast. I’ve always been curious about it. I’ve always enjoyed the format as a as a listener. I listened to some, you know, wine podcasts. But but to actually host was something I never thought I’d do. But in that particular conversation with you, I I will say that that that was one of the drivers that emboldened me, to actually do this, to do this podcast, when the opportunity came about. And and and the story of how, you know, IVPAP’s podcast came about is it is in itself, you know, one way to reveal how how I am.
Jack Madrid [00:13:09]:
And it came so unexpectedly, but I just wanna say that that conversation with you really, really motivated me because I enjoyed the conversation. It was very authentic, and and that that’s really what I search for. I find myself very, again, it’s this it’s part of this curiosity. I like learning. And because I I because I do, I I like asking questions rather than responding to questions. I mean, I can do both, but I really enjoy, you know, being the one asking the questions. And and so, you know, everything that has happened since then, my own podcast, you know, which which, by the way, led into my my now weekly news show on on technology. It was it was the producers who watched the podcast who said, hey.
Jack Madrid [00:14:06]:
You wanna do news? So guess what? My my news show is about, you know, when I interview, I interview, business leaders.
Bernie Borges [00:14:15]:
Wow.
Jack Madrid [00:14:16]:
Yeah. So so it’s it’s
Bernie Borges [00:14:17]:
And that’s not a podcast that that’s on is that on television or digital, or where is that?
Jack Madrid [00:14:22]:
Yes. It’s it’s on it’s on, live TV, every Thursday here in The Philippines. I touch on technology, and anything, IT BPM related. And, but most people, these days watch it, you know, watch it on YouTube. Sure. So but but going back into how I I I got to start the podcast, you know, one of our member organizations who was not a member when this happened, not yet a member, just said, I I really wanna be a member of IVPAP, and I asked him, what what what do you do? And he said he was, he was a podcast production company. And I said, how how how does that become part of the the industry? And why do you, you know, why do you wanna be a member? And he said, well, I produce podcasts for for US Podcasters, so they outsource it to me, to my company. I said, absolutely, you’re part of this industry.
Jack Madrid [00:15:20]:
Yeah. And and then this thought just entered my head that, hey. You know what? Instead of the normal membership fee, for IBPAP, why don’t we just, you know, exchange value? You can become a member and you give us, you give IBPAP, a certain set number of episodes, not knowing, what what I would do with those episodes, but he readily agreed. We shook hands. And, you know, that that that gave birth to this opportunity. And I looked around the office, and I said, okay. Who’s who who’s gonna host this podcast? And ended up being me. So so I I kinda had to come up with something.
Jack Madrid [00:16:05]:
What am I gonna do? I’m I’m gonna I’m gonna host this podcast. Who am I gonna interview? And in the beginning, no nobody wanted to be on this, you know, brand new podcast because nobody knew what it was gonna be. But after one or two guests, happy to say I was lucky to find two people who wanted to be who are willing to be interviewed, and the rest is history because now I have a wait list.
Bernie Borges [00:16:30]:
Oh, I’m not surprised. I’m not at all surprised because I’ve seen some of the guests, you know, and they’re prominent business people in your region. And so, so clearly, not surprisingly, it’s, it’s a it’s a big success, so I’m happy for you. And I can tell that you’re enjoying it, Jack. I I I knew that you would just, be a natural at it, so, I’m really really it it’s fulfilling to me for me to just see you enjoying that experience. So that that’s terrific. Thank you. Thank you, Bernie.
Bernie Borges [00:17:03]:
You know, Jack, I didn’t read your bio, but I know you have worked for brands like Dell and Yahoo and MTV and and others that are you know, they’re American brands, but largely in The Philippines and probably in other regions as well because I think you’ve kinda bounced around globetrotting a little bit. But there’s an aspect of your life that I wanna make sure we spend a few minutes on, and that is this this wine connoisseur and your wine journey. I’m not even sure what words to use. I don’t wanna misrepresent it. So maybe I can just ask you to just kinda unpack that for us. What is it, and and, also, why why do you do it?
Jack Madrid [00:17:44]:
Mhmm. Well, that’s a that’s a great great question, Bernie. You know? Again, I go back to curiosity. You know, I’ve I’ve I’ve tasted wine, for for quite some time. It it started out just socially, like like most people. But but when I had more time to pay attention to wine, I I noticed something, which was, certain people that I, would drink wine with gravitated towards certain specific brands and labels, that weren’t very aligned to to my own preferences. What I’m what I’m referring to is that certain people just, you know, like certain brands at a certain a certain price points. And, you know, I I had, you know, almost no wine knowledge, at that time, and I I was just curious.
Jack Madrid [00:18:38]:
Why why do I like certain wines that nobody else seemed to like? I I didn’t pay attention at that time to to to prices or brands, and it it instilled this curiosity in me. So when I relocated to Vancouver, and was not working full time, I had time to to study, and spend more time, satisfying this curiosity. So I enrolled in in wine studies. W set three was my first wine course. I I skipped one and two, went straight to three, which was, you you know, an experience in itself, but but I survived and, learned quite a quite a lot of of fury, in terms of wine regions and and history, types of soils in the different wine regions, the climate, and and what grapes thrive in certain regions. And and, wow, you know, it was much more than I ever thought, and I was hooked. And I still I don’t consider myself, really a connoisseur. You know, that word, suggests certain things that maybe maybe I I don’t see myself as.
Jack Madrid [00:19:52]:
I’d really prefer being, known as a wine student or a columnist because I do write about about wine.
Bernie Borges [00:20:00]:
Okay.
Jack Madrid [00:20:01]:
But but but this this this curiosity is what keeps me, going, and I and I discovered that, you know, like like most commodities, I guess, you know, certain people, just prefer certain brands, and they their decisions, as to what bottles to buy, what wines to order are driven by by perception, and which is often driven by price, which which I don’t subs subscribe to, and which is why I I do blind tasting, whenever I can. I taste wines, you know, without without knowing what they are, and I taste them side by side or I try to, discover a wine and describe a wine and conclude what a wine is, tasting it blind. I have a lot of fun, with that. It’s like being a detective, and and figuring out all the clues, into describing and reaching a conclusion. The purpose of of blind tasting for me is not getting it right. It’s really the process of, analyzing, the appearance, the aromas, the flavors of a wine, and then drawing some conclusion. Of course, it’s it’s more fun when you get it right, but but if I like my notes and if the notes are accurate, then that that gives me a lot of,
Bernie Borges [00:21:28]:
I like And and, Jack, it seems to me from at least from the photos that I see that when you’re doing it, it’s a very social activity. You’re clearly with other people, and you sure look like you’re having a good time.
Jack Madrid [00:21:46]:
Well, you know, wine wine makes people happy. Right?
Bernie Borges [00:21:49]:
Yeah. Right.
Jack Madrid [00:21:50]:
But it’s it’s a very social, you know, occasion. We typically get together. A small group of five or six or occasionally even 10, get together, each bringing a bottle. Sometimes we have a theme. So we bring wines that that fit a certain theme or or pairing with with the food that we’re gonna have. We we always have food. And and, you know, when I’m around, they know that I would like to taste the wines blind, and they they just give in to me, because I don’t I don’t really drink alone. I do consider wine, the enjoyment of wine to be to be partly social, because wines are are to be shared.
Jack Madrid [00:22:39]:
You know? The the wine itself and the experience of of, enjoying a wine, to me is is a is an opportunity to share. Sharing the wine itself and sharing the knowledge and the conversation and the entire context. And that that’s really what makes each each and every bottle, memorable. There are times when I remember specific individuals, by the bottle that, you know, we we opened and shared on that on that occasion, more than more than the person itself. And then it comes back to me, oh, yes. And this is what we talked about.
Bernie Borges [00:23:25]:
Exactly. I was gonna say you probably remember the conversation as well. Yeah. Yeah. I wanna begin to get to a wrap, but I wanna do it around this point that I know we’ll have some conversation around. And that is that it is clear in this conversation that the theme of it is curiosity. You have mentioned this multiple times. And if we can get introspective here, Jack, as we look at ourselves in our midlife seasons, and I use the word seasons plural because I think we go through multiple midlife seasons.
Bernie Borges [00:24:04]:
How powerful has curiosity been? You’ve clearly mentioned it multiple times in this conversation that it has been a driver for you. So maybe as we begin to wrap, let’s end on that topic because that has been the central theme to this conversation, the role of curiosity in your life your life’s journey, really.
Jack Madrid [00:24:30]:
Well, that’s that’s certainly the essence, I think, which is why I use the word. I I find myself using that word, many times. But funnily enough, Bernie, I I don’t think of it. It’s it’s, it’s not something I really need to think of because it’s it’s just there. You know, when I wake up, I I wonder, you know, what what’s gonna happen today? What am I going to do today? What buttons am I gonna press? What lives am I going to touch? What am I gonna learn? It’s but it’s just there without even thinking, you know, I’m a curious person. I’m I’m gonna do this, do this, this, this. I don’t even really plan on my days, that well, but it’s more of the excitement and the feeling of looking forward to maybe maybe the word is anticipation. Anticipating what new stuff will happen today.
Jack Madrid [00:25:30]:
You know, like, how when I woke up this morning early this morning, how will my conversation with Bernie, you know, be? How will it be different from the first conversation I had, years back? And it’s, you know, it’s the same, but it’s it’s different. Because each day, each day is different. Like like, each bottle of wine is different even if it’s the exactly the same, the same bottle, the same vintage, because context changes. You know? All all the things I seem to like Yeah. Even even the game of golf, which we haven’t talked about, it’s always different. Every every round, every shot is always different. So, I think I think knowing that something different is going to happen is probably what drives me, but the key quality that I’d like to to share is really, I think that that of being open and willing to to learn something new, willing to be corrected, willing to be proved wrong, which which I I truly am, which which is why I don’t you know, I I I don’t let preconceptions or or any kind of bias, which I I I do have some, affect my that that kind of flexibility, to to try something new or to learn something new. So it it’s just being very open, and and that that that’s kinda connected very it’s very, very much integrated into curiosity.
Bernie Borges [00:27:03]:
I would add just observing my interactions with you that you’re also a very optimistic individual, Jack, that you go into you know, you say you wake up every day wondering, you know, what what what am I gonna experience today? But my sense is that you do that with a sense of optimism, not a sense of pessimism. Oh, what problems am I gonna encounter today? No. I think you wake up and go, you know, how am I gonna touch people today? What’s gonna happen today with, again, this sense of optimism? And I think that that is so healthy and so inspiring for me and I’m sure for the listener, especially as we go through our midlife seasons and we can have ups and downs. That sense of curiosity with an optimistic lens is very healthy. And I just wanna thank you for sharing that, with me and the listener. Any, any closing thought on this before we wrap?
Jack Madrid [00:28:03]:
Well, you know, Bernie, thank you for, that that insight. I just like curiosity, I I don’t think about, my optimism, but I guess I am without now that I think about it. But I wouldn’t be any other way. I think life is too short to be anything else, but not be full of wonder, and and, and and and and I think I think that’s another way to to look at it. I think the curiosity comes with the gives way or or, you know, provides the optimism. I think they they kinda go together, because, you know, if one were not optimistic, then I probably would not be as curious as as I am. So I think they they go hand in hand. And so, you know, it’s almost a cliche, but, you know, each day is different from the next.
Jack Madrid [00:28:58]:
And and just max it, you know, whether at work or or in in your daily life or your relationships. I think true fulfillment, you know, really comes on a daily basis and not not not to overthink too much. There’s too much stress in the world, too much bias, too much negativity, and and I think we need to arm ourselves with energy, curiosity.
Bernie Borges [00:29:26]:
Optimism and hope. Absolutely. Jack, where can my listener connect with you and get into your world?
Jack Madrid [00:29:33]:
Well, you know, I’m, pretty easy to find. I’m I’m on I’m on LinkedIn, Jack Madrid. I’m also on Instagram for more a more personal more personal slices of what I do every day. That’s that’s more Instagram. Yeah. Pre pretty pretty much it. I I live most of the time in Southeast Asia in Manila, but I spend, some parts of the year in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Bernie Borges [00:29:59]:
Okay. Well, my listener knows that those two links will be in the show notes, so don’t be surprised if you have some new followers on Instagram and or on LinkedIn. So, Jack, I just wanna thank you. I know that we had to coordinate to get this on the calendar, especially with our twelve hour time difference, and I thank you for being available so early in the morning and just for joining me for this episode and this conversation. And, I just look forward to staying in touch and continuing to live vicariously through all of your activities, Jack.
Jack Madrid [00:30:30]:
Well, thank thank you for saying that, Bernie. It’s always a pleasure. I I also follow you avidly, and, you know, every single conversation, is is very enjoyable. I also love the joy, you find in this stage of your midlife season. I learned something new.
Bernie Borges [00:30:51]:
Wonderful, Jack. Thank you so much. Thank you, Bernie.
