The CEO Magazine Asia - 09.2018

“I don’t have a boss–worker relationship,” says

Willie. “I’m just working with friends. I’m able to

talk easily about my own ideas, even if they conflict

with theirs. Because no-one would take it personally

and, eventually, I’ll either convince them, or they’ll

end up convincing me.”

While he acknowledges that it can take a lot of

effort to maintain, Willie is a strong believer in the

value of a healthy internal culture. “The demands of

the job are intense,” he says. “You need to meet your

targets every year. So it’s very easy for leaders to

make the mistake of just focusing on the bottom line.

But this will not be sustainable, especially if the leader

only looks at the end goals and forgets that there

are other stakeholders in the company, such as

the employees, whose needs also have to be met.”

As an example of 8990’s employee-focused

initiatives, the company hosts a two-day Christmas

party for employees, including dinner, a raffle and

various other events. This in itself is not unique, but

Willie highlights the efforts of 8990’s Chairman

Emeritus in engaging with all the company’s workers.

“He goes from table to table, trying to spend as

much time talking to everyone no matter what their

position might be,” says Willie. “They could be an

entry-level employee or a grounds person for a

project. He talks to them like they’re an old friend.

It’s so touching when I see him do that. He toasts

with them, and it’s something I’ve never seen before.”

Similarly, the entire company is treated to a group

vacation once a year, to build morale and solidarity

among the staff. The most recent one was a trip to

Bangkok, where the whole team flew in from all

over the Philippines, stayed at the same hotel, dined

together and unwound over four days. When the

team comes home after each such trip, Willie says

they’re not only relaxed, but also rejuvenated,

connected and eager to return to work.

“ It’s v ery easy for leaders

to make the mistake of

just focusing on the

bottom line. But this will

not be sustainable.”

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