Empowering people for change

(Summary of speech delivered during the PMAP GMM on Jan. 27, 2010.)

MANILA, Philippines - Entering the next decade of the new millennium, the business of television gets more and more exciting, to say the least. The mantra to “compete or perish” does not only apply to how we stand vis-a-vis our direct rivals in the industry, but also versus new media.

Information, as it is, is exploding, and is now readily available at one’s fingertips. Whether we like it or not, we have entered the age of the internet which makes the world virtually borderless. Some observers even say that the net is pushing other forms of media closer to extinction, and television is no exception, that is . . . if we don’t watch out! The medium encompasses practically every aspect of everyday life - media, finance, government, education, commerce, etc.

And just as technologies evolve, so must people. That is why setting workable goals in an organization, to be specific, in a television network, is just as important as having people understand and agree with such goals.

Kaya’t ang inyong napiling tema sa taong ito, “panahon ng pagbabago sa pagbabago ng panahon” ay akmang-akma sa usapin natin ngayon. As humbly as I can, ikukuwento ko sa inyo kung paano narating ng inyong Kapuso network ang kinalalagyan nito ngayon.

In essence our story is the story of empowering people so that they will not only accept change, but to change themselves to better adapt in the fiercely competitive world of television.

When I took over as CEO of GMA network in October 2000, I was faced with an organization that was content in playing second fiddle. The people that I found hardly had any ‘fight’ in them. Safe at No. 2, they thought it was the best that they could do.

But I thought otherwise. I saw something more in the organization and the people in it. So I set out in a mission that many thought was impossible. I believed in the team that initially refused to believe in itself.

As they were, I communicated the goals with them in a no-nonsense manner. I laid out the agenda in plain, simple and non-negotiable terms — that we had what it took to be No. 1.

So, together, we focused on this goal.

So pick we did, not only our organizational path but also the way we did things. Investing in operational infrastructure, I emphasized efficiency, competence, innovation and excellence. The company was going to develop the culture of a professional firm; a culture defined with respect to three areas: 1) customer orientation; 2) orientation toward employees and 3) standards of performance that included a more formalized operating system.

With the right people in place, knowing what they should do and what they should deliver, we instituted new systems.

We also became aggressive in training and developing our people. With a full-blown human resources development department (HRDD) in place, we developed and conducted our own management development and skills development training programs.

We developed several high performance teams which all contributed to GMA’s success.

The operational support system improved greatly when we updated our existing policies, streamlined our procedures and instituted new policies to support our operations. We introduced and implemented online requisitioning system, developed suppliers’ performance evaluation system, employed electronic bidding and e-market sourcing.

We continue to review and update our systems and procedures to make them responsive to our growing requirements.

In 2002, we formed a team consisting of senior officers of the network and its subsidiaries to help realign the image of the network. The result was an equity program articulating the company’s vision, mission and core values which became our backbone in our climb to the top.

GMA redefined its relationship with its viewers as Kapuso that fully understands the needs of the Filipino — his dreams, his aspirations, and even his pains.

We demonstrated that our values are alive through our action. We effectively communicated developments in the network treating our employees as partners who have a stake in the organization.

And while in the past, programming decisions were based on the gut feel and guess work of one officer, now a programming committee which I chair, discuss and analyze our programs’ performance on a weekly basis. This committee decides on what programs to acquire or produce as well as the scheduling of programs. Programming decisions are all backed up by careful analysis of viewer preferences as well as cost-benefit analysis.

With these changes, slowly, the momentum shifted to our side. By September 2003, we had won the ratings game. And then the rest, as the cliché goes, is history.

I have always believed that the most successful leaders are first and foremost inspirers, motivators and facilitators. Great leadership encompasses confidence, assertiveness, credibility and mutual respect. I take calculated risks and I am confident in the people I work with.

The people I work with are talented professionals who are motivated by much more than monetary compensation. They seek to achieve and to have impact. They are excited and inspired by the company’s vision.

My goal is, and will be to push and inspire our people to perform to their fullest potential. I set demanding yet obtainable team goals.

In GMA, we consider our people as our best assets.

Just as we made considerable investments in facilities and equipment, we also invested in people. From compensation to health and well-being packages, to livelihood and recreational activities, to concern for the employees’ spiritual well-being — we made sure we are either at par or above industry standards.

There is always more to learn. Hence, it is important for a leader to be flexible and open-minded.

Today, GMA continues to look beyond television. We see the need to expand, to innovate, to explore new businesses to level up to the challenges of the times.

We know that we have intelligent viewers who expect us to walk our talk.

The great Lao Tzu once offered this sage advise on leadership. Leaders, he said, should “start with what they know. Build with what they have. When the job is done, when the task is accomplished, the people will say we have done it ourselves.”

At your Kapuso network, we carry on, mindful that we face endless challenges as a team, that we are not only building a national but a global brand, and that we only have two choices in this business: To keep up or ship out.

And so we keep doing what we do best: Keep up and win along the way.