Lessons from beyond the grave

Death is inevitable, but valuable lessons from parents, loved ones, mentors who have gone ahead fortunately live on. Here, some of the country’s top executives share words of wisdom that continue to inspire them.

My father passed away late last year. His best advice to me was not explicit, but in his actions: he was always keeping perspective, staying calm and always held his dignity, even under pressure for example when serving in British navy submarines in the cold war, or when bringing up five children! He did give a great piece of advice about a life well lived: if you can go through life never intentionally hurting anyone, and helping out where and when you can, you can be proud of having lived a “good” life.

Robin Bradshaw

Cathay Pacific

Country Manager

Work hard on your present job and the next job will take care of itself. Make sure you know everything about your present job, from the strategic to the operating level.  Always be a thirsty learner.”

These are the words of John Sagovac, president of Ford Phil, who promoted me to become a profit & pricing analyst from being the executive secretary to the president.

That was a major leap—from administrative work to a line function in Finance.

He has kept me on track about learning everything about any new assignment.

This probably explains why I had the confidence to shift from automotive to banking to telecoms to outsourcing and now to healthcare.  He said there was nothing that couldn’t be learned if one had grim determination which we now call GRIT.

If you work hard, have good results/outcomes, then you should get ahead.

Rose Montenegro

President and CEO

Makati Medical Center

My grandmother Juanita passed away from cancer more than 20 years ago. Her husband, John Gokongwei Sr., passed away when she had just turned 30, leaving her a widow with six children.

The eldest, my father John Gokongwei Jr., was only 13 years old and the youngest, James, was not even 1 year old at that time.

My grandmother was the keeper of family traditions, hosting milestones and birthdays with her delicious lumpia and misua.

Despite the tragedy that beset her at an early age, all through the years when my family built a business from scratch, all through the time she was suffering from cancer; I never heard a word of complaint or self-pity from her.

In her younger years, she was known as a lovely and elegant woman, and she kept this dignity all through her life.

What I learned from her is to be dignified and determined in the face of challenges and difficulty, and that true happiness stems from having a united family that cares for you.

Lance Y. Gokongwei

President, COO

JG Summit Holdings Inc.