Responsible for the project is Anna Marie Periquet, president and prime mover of the Aurelio Periquet Jr. Foundation, which was set up in honor of her father, who was the leader of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) for many years. Anna is herself an entrepreneur, being the president of Anna Marie Home Collection, Inc. and PSF Services, Inc.
Her father, the late Aurelio "Aureling" Periquet Jr. was the first and only Filipino elected president of the ASEAN Confederation of Employers. Periquet also served five terms as PCCI president and president of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), and was also elected president of the ASEAN Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
Every year, the Aurelio Periquet Jr. Foundation confers outstanding business leadership awards: the Pillar Award for more senior business leaders and the Pearl Award for younger business executives.
Excerpts from some of the business leaders featured in Leaders Unlimited are as follows:
Agriculture Secretary, the wealthiest official in GMA’s cabinet and former Del Monte Pacific/Lapanday boss Cito Lorenzo says there are seven keys to success in the private sector and government:
1) Have a personal vision. Take stock of your life; identify your strengths and weaknesses; determine where you want to be 20 or 30 years from now, and then work back by setting goals and marking milestones for achieving them.
2) Be of service. Business must serve a greater end than just wealth creation.
3) Be prepared to make critical decisions. Many times, you will have to make decisions and take courses of action that are unpopular.
4) Practice good governance. The challenge for business leaders the world over is to build investor and customer confidence.
5) Develop a wide perspective.
6) Strive to constantly learn. The moment you stop learning, you stop leading.
7) In public service, one should be the exception.
Anonymous, MIX, Fish, i2i and Black Shop owners Ricco Ocampo and wife Tina Maristela-Ocampo also offer pieces of advice. Ricco says, "I believe that successful entrepreneurship is founded on faith in God, a vision underlined by creativity, and complete trust in one’s people. Leadership entails not only concerning oneself with the growth of the business, but with the growth of those working for the company as well. Every individual has a well of creativity waiting to be tapped; it is the business leader’s mission to draw from this well and enable the person to be the best that he or she can be."
Tina says, "The most challenging responsibility of an entrepreneur is managing personnel. There are diverse personalities and ways of thinking that one must strive to understand and accept...Ricco and I share the same passion for building a business and the gift of creativity. Then again, there are things we do differently. Business partners do not have to be alike in all things. It is good to complement each other."
Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) top executive Menardo "Butch" Jimenez Jr. recently became the youngest ever UP commencement exercise guest speaker. In his speech for the Leaders Unlimited project, he told the students that the only thing better than working hard is – working hard as well as working smart. He also talked about "imagineering," a term coined by the late Walt Disney. It’s a purely Disney term that combines "imagine" and "engineer." The big difference between "imaginers" is that they dream big, and they act on it. Lastly, he talked about the importance of "the cause." When Akio Morita built Sony into a great electronics giant, it was more than a vision – his cause was to help rebuilt his war-torn country Japan.
Hapee Toothpaste entrepreneur Cecilio K. Pedro has five tips:
1) H for Hard work. Accomplish a task no matter how difficult or despite the obstacles.
2) A for Achievement-oriented. Set objectives with short, medium and long-term goals and achieve these objectives at all costs.
3) P for Prayer. Seek the guidance of our Almighty God in all your endeavors, for God knows what we do not. He determines who will or will not succeed.
4) E for Elasticity. Have flexibility in work.
5) E for Endurance. Determination and persistence are the most common characteristics found among successful entrepreneurs.
French Baker founder Johnlu G. Koa’s pieces of advice to business people or new entrepreneurs are summarized in seven basic tips:
1) Scan the environment. Actively seek business opportunities.
2) Study market trends. Try to spot trends among consumer groups.
3) Understand the business. Take at least two courses in accounting for non-business majors.
4) Enhance your skills. Learn the technical and practical aspects involved in any particular field.
5) Constantly develop new business ideas. Do not get stuck to just one product idea.
6) Build reference database.
7) Make a financial plan. Estimate required capital needed for your prospective business and make a financial plan on how to raise that capital.
In his foreword to Leaders Unlimited (upon the invitation of Anna Marie Periquet), America’s famous bestselling author on leadership John C. Maxwell says, "Standing by the shore and looking out to sea, the vast stretch of blue always appears unending... There are those who will set sail in an attempt to reach that point of the horizon that seems to meet the sky. Then, there are those who will choose to simply stay put and build sandcastles against the backdrop of a beautiful dream. In the same way, entrepreneurs and aspiring business leaders will often find themselves faced by a sea of opportunity. One can choose to take on the journey, including the challenge it entails. Or one can simply choose to revel at the idea of success, yet do little about it...To build on excellent business leadership is perhaps one of the most intelligent options to effect key changes to create a better Philippines, for the Filipino and the world."