Changing the world, one transformative leader at a time

The last few decades have demanded leaders around the world to step up and initiate the much-needed spark to transform the world. “Transform,” being the operative word, has become the driving force that inspires gamechangers to take action and create ripples that will enable the world to realize its full potential.

“Transform,” in today’s context, should be in the guise of “reframing”—reexamining what the world needs today in order to reframe the future. It’s not so much about creating new concepts but revisiting the purpose behind the ideas we introduce that sets the transformation that we want in motion.

This train of thought is undoubtedly relevant today in light of the COVID-19 crisis. CEOs, managers, business owners of all shapes and sizes are rising up to the challenge of instigating initiatives to somehow alleviate the effects of the pandemic on their respective enterprises.

This is where we can see transformation in action. The pandemic has leveled the playing field for anyone who wants to lead with a bigger purpose. Everywhere, we are seeing new business ideas created and old ones rehashed to fit with the times, all with one purpose in mind: to create a global market that is resilient in the face of challenges and still winning in spite and despite of it.

And this is an opportune time for next-generation leaders to come forward, armed with the objective of rebuilding the future through a transformative pair of lenses.

Commendable

It is truly commendable that up-and-coming business leaders now have a platform where they can be molded further to become what the Philippines needs to create a business community that is thriving even in the face of hardships.

The “NextGen CEO: A Transformative Leadership Program” is just what today’s breed of young CEOs need to take the first step toward a reframed and transformed world.

Organized by the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), SyCip Gorres Velayo & Co. (SGV) and Ernst & Young (EY), this is a yearlong interactive leadership program that focuses on helping young business leaders recalibrate their strategies in order to transform their respective companies.For their initial salvo, the NextGEN CEO Executive Program will feature four comprehensive courses to help carefully selected program awardees future-proof their businesses.

Leading with Purpose aims to help participants identify their purpose and how they can use this to innovate amid unprecedented challenges. Human@Center allows leaders to humanize business operations by putting employees, customers, and the society at the center of any business transformation agenda furthered toward nation building. They will be able to engage with fellow CEOs, sector leaders, and market movers to truly understand the power of human enterprise.

Technology@Speed educates participants on how they can wield the power of technology to protect their respective enterprises, while streamlining their business operations. Innovation@Scale will connect them with SGV and EY subject matter experts to help them spark and innovative ideas that are aligned with their purpose.

These sessions are just exactly what young CEOs of today need to be the transformed leaders our society demands.

I’m delighted to be among one of the 15 chosen participants of this high-level program, and I can’t wait to be with the best and brightest high-performing young leaders in the country.

Gratitude

I would like to extend my gratitude to SGV, EY, and MAP for selecting me to be a part of this prestigious program. It is truly an honor to be learning from them and with my fellow business leaders in the next 12 months, as we absorb business concepts and later, put them into good use, for the benefit of our society.

I’ve always looked up to how the organizers have been nurturing business leaders to become enablers of change— to lead as a form of service for a better Philippines.

I would like to congratulate my fellow leaders forming the 2021 cohort of the program: James Alba, CEO of Vendo Corp.; Mark Alvarez, managing director of inSites Consulting; Rico Bautista, president and CEO of ETIQA; George Carlos, founder and pack leader of Fetch! Naturals;Jer Chen, general manager of Trans-tec Intl.; Darren de Jesus, president and CEO of COCOGEN Insurance Inc.; Alex Grenz, president and CEO of Allianz PNB Life; Donna Lina, president of UBE Media; Mike Macatangay, CEO of One A-TEAMS; Carlo Mata, director (Phils) of White & Case LLP; JJ Moreno, Chief Strategy Officer of Metro Retail Stores; Karen Remo, president and CEO of New Perspective Intl.; Cai Reyes, president and CEO of Asticom Tech. and Deliza Ridoloso, president of Pacific Sun Solutions.

This servant-leadership concept has always been ingrained in me at a very young age. Coming from a middle-class family has taught me that people should work in collaboration with the community, and this should motivate us in all aspects of our lives, particularly in helping other people.

It’s a concept that was taught to me and applied in different areas of my journey—first, when I was serving as president of the student council in the University of Santo Tomas and when I was working in Pampanga as a youth leader, where I was later named by the provincial government as one of its youth leadership awardees.

Mantra

I continued to apply this mantra when I started working. As a TV reporter for ABS-CBN, I learned the need to be truly immersive in the community in which you serve and operate. My everyday coverages have opened my eyes to what the community demands and what was demanded of me to cater to that demand.The last 17 years saw me working for several multinational corporations—Shell, Pfizer, CEMEX and GSK, during which I was exposed to a variety of multicultural settings. Being on the opposite side of the spectrum has shown me the importance of leading with purpose and embracing change as the spark that fuels a purpose-driven brand of leadership.Those experiences have shaped me into a leader that knows no bounds. And today with GCash, I belong to a group of innovators that are changing the game each and every day to bring financial inclusion from a mere concept into fruition for all Filipinos.

Leaders who are looking toward this direction may very well transform the current challenging situation we are in to our advantage and to remodel the world and mold it into one that continues to outcast no one and be truly inclusive. Your style of transformational leadership should be front and center now more than ever, and be an inspiration to fellow leaders to follow suit.

A better leader is what we all aspire to be, and it is my hope that those who aspire to be one, myself included, will be able to lead with courage and inspire others to work with purpose. INQ

This article reflects the personal opinion of the author and does not reflect the official stand of the Management Association of the Philippines or MAP. The author is a Member of the MAP NextGen Committee, and VP for Corporate Affairs of GCash (Mynt). He considers himself a dreamer, a storyteller and a servant-leader.