CEO Game Changers: 5 Ways To Build the Art of Leadership

With the challenges of this current pandemic persisting, it’s now even more of a priority for business leaders to reinvent ways to lead their companies during uncertainty. This is the need that Globe Business addressed in the exclusive event for C-Suite executives called “Game Changer 2021: How to Lead Better in Today’s Changing Times,” held last June 25.

During the Fireside Chat segment, Mr. Francis Kong, President of Success Options, Inc.; Mr. Hanky Lee, Innkeeper of The Henry Hotel; Ms. Yayu Javier, President and Chief Operating Officer at Avanza, Inc.; Mr. Ryan K. Cruz, Founder and Managing Director of Nippon Hasha Inc.; and Ms. Grace Anduiza, Head of Customer Success of Globe Business shared some of the best business insights useful to leaders in the audience aiming to thrive no matter the circumstance. They answered hard-hitting questions that shaped their businesses and practices into the game-changers they are today. Here are their top tips that can apply to any company and industry.

1. Understand that a leader is nothing without their team.

“[When it comes to decision making], practice the principle of the team mindset. The welfare of the whole will always be more important than the welfare of the individual, including the boss.” — Mr. Ryan K. Cruz, Founder and Managing Director of Nippon Hasha Inc.

“Today, authenticity and credibility are important, so make sure you’re doing the right thing and you’re not stepping on somebody else or putting someone else down just so that you can be successful… As a leader, you really have to show the importance of values. If you can’t do [something so important such as] firing someone, then what would the employees say? How can they believe in you? How can they look up to you as well? So you have to have strong values yourself to make that decision.” — Ms. Yayu Javier, President and Chief Operating Officer at Avanza, Inc.

“It is the values of the leader that defines company culture.” — Mr. Hanky Lee, Innkeeper of The Henry Hotel

“You’re not there to lead them; you’re actually there to serve them… The core values are the company’s compass. Everybody [needs] to understand that these are what the company represents and that they should be followed.” — Mr. Francis Kong, President of Success Options, Inc.

2. Balance data and experience when making decisions.

“Data is very important, [but] usually it’s a combination of looking at data and relying on our experience.” — Ms. Yayu Javier, President and Chief Operating Officer at Avanza, Inc.

“There are major decisions wherein you just have to trust your gut, and through experience, you are able to do something immediately rather than wait for the data. Analysis paralysis can happen if you are too data-dependent so instinct and experience [can] tip the scale.” — Ms. Grace Anduiza, Head of Customer Success of Globe Business

3. Be true to your core values and open to changes that strengthen them.

“Every team leader has to bring out all the issues and make decisions. But everything has to be [done] the right way—with integrity and principle. Yes, results matter but what matters more is how you got there.” — Mr. Ryan K. Cruz, Founder and Managing Director of Nippon Hasha Inc.

“[Making a stand should resonate well.] For example, if something contravenes our core values [as a company], then we have to say no because that is not who we are… We [also] have to embrace the [changes, including] digital transformation because that is our future.” — Mr. Hanky Lee, Innkeeper of The Henry Hotel

4. Assess criticisms and welcome constructive ones.

“Filipinos [possess strong resilience and faith], it’s really the combination of the two that makes us such great entrepreneurs, [which is getting us through this pandemic and everything else].” — Ms. Yayu Javier, President and Chief Operating Officer at Avanza, Inc.

“You’re not going to please everyone but as long as you’re not after your own self-interest, but of the interest of what is truthful, righteous, and good for everybody, then why would you be bothered by what everyone would be saying?” — Mr. Francis Kong, President of Success Options, Inc.

“There’s always a flip side to everything. If I’m too concerned of [criticism] I tend to be cautious and afraid to try out new things. It’s subject to everyone’s opinions. I shouldn’t be concerned but I should be on the cautious side.” — Ms. Grace Anduiza, Head of Customer Success of Globe Business

5. Failures are part of success. Learn from them.

“Discuss issues as a team. When [you] make that collective decision, [you] can say that you were able to explore all available options and then come up with the best one. [Also] by doing so, [everyone] feels more involved so there’s also more accountability and responsibility [within the team].” — Ms. Grace Anduiza, Head of Customer Success of Globe Business

“There will always be challenges, there will always be dark times. Hopefully, when those come again, we will be stronger and wiser.” — Mr. Hanky Lee, Innkeeper of The Henry Hotel

“In my many years of personal business experience, failures are also part of success. I wouldn’t want to communicate a message like, ‘If you fail, that means you are not acceptable.’ I would like my people in my organization to understand that failing is part of success. You can learn from it. therefore from that journey onwards, we can improve from it.” — Mr. Francis Kong, President of Success Options, Inc.