Business lessons from three CEOs

MANILA, Philippines - Based on his personal experiences with three CEOs, foundation head and strategic communications expert Rene “Butch” S. Meily underscored the value of hard work, belief in God and perseverance no matter how desperate the conditions during his commencement address at The Lewis College’s 11th commencement exercises last month in Sorsogon. Formerly vice president of communications for TLC Beatrice International and special assistant to the chairman of PLDT, Meralco, Maynilad and other companies, Meily now heads the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation (PDRF), the world’s first permanent, year-round, private-sector disaster response organization.  

Meily spoke to TLC’s class of 2014 about the lessons he learned from three individuals he had the privilege of working with: Reginald F. Lewis, Loida Nicolas Lewis and Manny V. Pangilinan. 

“Reginald Lewis, the man for whom your college is named... taught me the value of persistence, to never give up,” said Meily. From Reginald’s wife, Loida, Meily learned the importance of faith and trust in God, especially in difficult times. Pangilinan’s humble beginnings, on the other hand, inspired him and taught him the value of hard work, that nothing in life can be accomplished without working for it. MVP is the force behind industry-changing mergers and expansions in the sectors of telecommunications, media, utilities, mining, hospitals and toll roads. 

Meily reminded the graduates that they each have something special inside them, that, like a city on a hill, cannot be hidden and that should shine bright and become a beacon to the whole world.  

“It’s an honor to speak at a young college that is rapidly becoming one of the finest schools in the Bicol region and in the country,” Meily said.  “I know that your students have won awards in many different fields of education, especially in computer programming.  

“In my life, I have had the good fortune to have worked with three truly great people. The first was someone who grew up in a tough neighborhood in Baltimore, in the United States. His grandfather worked as a waiter. He had to struggle to be accepted and to make something of himself as a black person in what was then an essentially white business world. That person was Reginald Lewis, the man for whom your college is named. 

Reginald Lewis taught me the value of persistence, to never give up. He faced many obstacles, the most difficult of which was discrimination against people of color. I experienced what he was up against when one day, we were trying to get a taxi on Fifth Avenue in New York and a taxi stopped right in front of us but the driver chose to pick up a white man who was standing next to us.  

“However, Reg Lewis did not let any of that stop him. He willed himself into Harvard Law School on the basis of his strong performance in a summer program for minorities. He then transformed himself from a lawyer into a Wall Street financier and the CEO of two major companies, McCall pattern and TLC Beatrice International. On the way, he stumbled and fell many times. His first deals collapsed. His mansion in the Hamptons in New York burned down. His attempt to take his company public, so that it would have been the first company led by a black man to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange, ended in failure. But Reg Lewis would not give up. As he said many times, he would ‘keep going no matter what.’ 

“You yourself may face many difficult problems in your life. You may not have much money. There may even be days when you go hungry. But today, you are getting the finest gift anyone can ever receive and that is the gift of a good education. As my father used to tell me, as long as you have a good education, you will do well in the world. 

“So in the future, even when things may seem gloomy and you are faced with defeat, always remember Reg Lewis’ words: ‘Keep going no matter what.’    

“The second great person that I had the privilege to work with was a woman who grew up not far from here. Her father had high hopes for her and named the local movie house after her. She had to confront many hard times as well, probably the hardest being when her husband became very sick and died at a young age. That woman is Loida Nicolas Lewis, the person who founded your school.  

“Loida is a woman who is passionate about the truth and her beliefs. For her, the choice between right and wrong is always clear. And at every difficult moment in her life, she has turned to God to give her guidance and peace of mind. 

“From Loida, I learned the importance of faith in God. When you leave this school and go through life, you will almost certainly encounter moments when it will seem as though everything is going badly.  There will be no friends or family that you can turn to. You may feel alone, even desperate. During those moments, you will find someone who will never leave you or disappoint you. That someone is God. As it says in the Bible, ‘Trust in the Lord with thine heart … and he shall direct thy paths.’ 

“The third great person I have worked with is someone who grew up in Manila. He used to take the jeepney to school every day and would spend his baon carefully and frugally. He left the country to study and work overseas where he became very successful. Yet he made the decision to return and invest much of his firm’s money in the Philippines, even when many others did not believe in the country and chose to move their funds abroad as quickly as possible. That person is Manny Pangilinan, the chairman of such companies as PLDT, Smart, Metro Pacific, Meralco, Maynilad Water, Metro Pacific Tollways, Philex Mining, and nine hospitals around the country. 

“From MVP, as people know him, I learned the value of hard work. He almost never stops working. From the time he gets into the office until very late at night or even into the early hours of the morning, he works. Every day, even on Saturdays and Sundays, he works. He works so hard that he gets sick and has to check himself into a hospital every few months so that he can get some rest. I have never met anyone who works as hard as he does.

“Success in life is never achieved without sacrifice and without long hours of hard work.  An athlete playing in the PBA may have talent but to truly do well, he has to practice over and over again. Nothing is easy and as my mother would tell me, anything that is worth doing is worth doing well. 

“If there is anything that I can leave with you today, it is those three characteristics that I have learned from three very different people, each of whom has achieved greatness in their own way. From Reginald Lewis, I learned the value of persistence, to keep going no matter what. From Loida Nicolas Lewis, I learned the importance of God in our lives; that we need to keep him close to us. From Manny Pangilinan, I learned the value of hard work; that nothing in life can be accomplished without working for it. 

“As you say goodbye to Lewis College after four years of labor and studying, remember these words from the Bible: ‘Ye are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but set it on a candlestick and it giveth life unto all that are in the house.

“Lewis College is like that city on the hill. Let your light, the light that is in each of you, shine bright and become a beacon to all the world.”

During the main ceremony, 100 students from the tertiary level were confirmed graduates by Dr. Belen Azul, Supervising Education Program specialist in-charge, Teacher Education. CHED Region V. Six received medals for Academic Distinctions, two were awarded Outstanding Student-Teachers, and other achievers were given awards like Athletes of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, leadership awards, loyalty awards, Best in Performing Arts, and service awards. TLC officer-in-charge Dr. Rosa D. Anonat led the awarding of students.

Equally inspiring was the presence of the chairperson of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, Secretary Imelda M. Nicolas, who is also the vice president of The Lewis College and sister of TLC president Atty. Loida Nicolas-Lewis. Present also was TLC treasurer Francisco Nicolo Nicolas III and board member Pastor Francis Nicolas Jr.  Loida Lewis sent a special video message to all the graduates, advising them to go with God always.