Donnie & Crickette Tantoco: Wise choices in reading
June 11, 2006 | 12:00am
The ’50s pioneering entrepreneurs, Bienvenido Tantoco Sr. and his wife Gliceria Rustia-Tantoco, started an unassuming store in the quiet neighborhood of Malate. The shop called Rustan’s, a combination of their surnames, became synonymous with quality shopping.
Years later, their grandson Bienvenido III, better known as Donnie, and his wife Crickette Yu were inspired by the same optimism and enthusiasm shown by the couple and ended up venturing into the retailing business and coming with a new brand called Shopwise.
Donnie and Crickette enjoyed the advantage of starting big and are working on getting bigger. Shopwise Hypermarket opened its first outlet in Alabang and now boasts six branches in all, including one in Antipolo and at Harrison Plaza in Manila, the former site of Rustan’s Supermarket. A seventh branch is set to open before the end of this year.
Theirs is probably an attraction of opposites: Donnie being the serious business executive (he stands as Shopwise president), and Crickette as the charming and popular face attached to the brand name, heading the marketing and merchandising side.
Busy as they are, the husband—and-wife team tries to make it a point to read for both learning and pleasure. Donnie’s list is composed of business books, as well as inspiring personal accounts of successful individuals, while Crickette’s is peppered with thought-provoking fiction.
• The New Way To Compete
by Harry A. Olson
I first read this relatively obscure self-help and business book more than 15 years ago. It has played a major role in shaping the beliefs I have how: a person can compete to win under the toughest, most brutal and ruthless conditions and still somehow preserve his or her dignity and integrity. The key is to commit yourself to a worthy mission that is completely in synch with your unique capabilities and most deeply held values. Focus on the fundamentals, remain functional, and stay on course even during periods of crisis and adversity. Know the politics, be constantly and acutely aware of external forces. Devise shrewd, pragmatic but also creative positioning to confront or even convert obstacles into advantages. The basic philosophy of Olson is that true and lasting greatness comes from contribution. To some extent this book helps debunk the popular notion that "Nice guys always finish last."
• Manila My Manila
by Nick Joaquin
This is perhaps the most fascinating story ever written about, not just Manila, but also to some extent the Philippines. This is a must-read for anyone who seeks to understand in depth the soul and character of the Filipino.
• My American Journey
By Colin Powell
This is a pretty inspiring story of a black kid who, from very small and humble beginnings, eventually became the overall and thus very powerful head of the US military. Among his many accomplishments was to reshape the culture of the US military, so that it became much more meritocratic and much more fair and open to African-Americans and other minorities. Colin Powell was able to implement these very fundamental changes, not by attacking a very entrenched and powerful system head-on, but by working with and from inside the system. He is arguably the shrewdest, smoothest and most effective change agent that I have ever encountered.
• Pour Your Heart Into It
by Howard Schultz
This is a great personal account about a company whose unprecedented success is not based on the great product that it serves, or the third most important place (after home and office) for its customers to indulge in simple pleasures and interact with his or her community, but on a system and a culture that seeks to continuously and relentlessly harness the individual and collective talent, desire to grow, and make a contribution of its employees. This is a story of how an ordinary group of people united to continuously and consistently accomplish extraordinary deeds.
• Results-Based Leader-Ship
by Dave Ulrich, Jack Zenger, and Norm Smallwood
This is probably one of the most practical frameworks and prescriptions that I have ever encountered for effective leadership. It directly connects the very important but also somewhat intangible success factor of leadership with measurable and concrete performance and results.
• Turnaround, How Carlos Ghosn Rescued Nissan
by David Magee
This reasonably well-written book is about a French citizen of Lebanese descent who took over and turned around within one year a very traditional- minded, large and venerable Japanese company that was in the throes of death. He transformed Nissan into one of the most innovative and profitable automobile companies in the world. The greatest threat to any business, according to Ghosn, is complacency, arrogance and conventional wisdom. Managers must behave and function as if collapse and crisis were always lurking around the corner. They should diligently and continuously anticipate problems, and confront them before they happen. Problems should be nipped at the bud. Any company that finds itself in a major crisis was too arrogant and too complacent to notice the red flags and other signals that might have been staring at them right in front of their face.
• Modern Times
by Paul Johnson
This is perhaps the most complex but also one of the most interesting historical accounts of the 1920s to 1990s that I have ever read. It does a fantastic, compelling and convincing job of connecting what seem to be unrelated phenomenon in every era, such as the role of relativism, emergence of Darwinism and the conflicts between nations that led to World War I. It connects the dots very well among such disparate developments in art, politics, economics, philosophy, etc. I had to read almost every paragraph of this book at least twice, but it was worth the extra time and effort.
• Competing For The Future
by Gary Hamel and C.K. Prahalad
This book is about how companies can play by the rules and change the game. This book explains how a company can shape the nature of competition so that the dynamics and success factors more greatly favor their unique competencies and capabilities.
• Execution
by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan
A very good recommendation on how to convert great plans into deliberate, well-coordinated actions, and ultimately superior business results. This book is about the importance of discipline.
• Success With Soul
by Doris Pozzi and Stephen Williams
This book encourages its readers to define success and happiness in their own terms. In a nutshell, it promotes the idea of knowing yourself and your mission deeply, and becoming true to yourself and fulfilling your mission.
This is a list of some of my favorite books. Not all of them are current, but I guarantee they are all good reads.
• The Historian
by Elizabeth Kostova
This delightful book kept me up till the wee hours of the morning. It is appropriately creepy, suspenseful and engaging. The story’s secrets unfold in a crescendo of events spanning three periods – 1930s, 1950s and 1970s – and takes place in varied exotic locales. The book is peppered with mesmerizing historical facts and legends surrounding the vampire myth that is both familiar and thought provoking.
• Pillars Of The Earth
by Ken Follett
This is one of the most enjoyable epic tales about medieval history that I have ever read. It has a slow start, one to be savored, and ends with a bang. The story spans 50 turbulent years and tracks the lives of three ambitious men and a powerful woman against the backdrop of civil war, social intrigue, church politics and cathedral building in the 12th century. This is a tale of many lives whose destinies are intertwined in the proverbial battle between good and evil. This book took me through the whole gamut of emotions from pure joy to despair.
• QBVII
by Leon Uris
QB VII is a story of two characters, Dr. Kelno and Abe Cady, locked in a courtroom battle over allegations of medical experimentation on human guinea pigs in Nazi concentration camps. Both characters make a compelling case for opposite points-of-view that you will find your loyalties switching from one to the other as the story unfolds. This book is a real page-turner and difficult to put down.
• The Family
by Mario Puzo
The Family is the last book Mario Puzo wrote before he died. The novel features 15th-century Rome and tells the tale of Rodrigo Borgia, a thinly disguised Pope Alexander the VI. Like his earlier Mafia series, this book has it all: incest, treachery, violence, love, betrayal and ambition. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but it might be offensive to some people as it casts serious aspersions on the Catholic faith.
• The Alchemist
by Paulo Coelho
If you are short on time and inspiration, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is a short but beautiful fairy tale about following your dreams. It describes the journey that we all have to take as human beings. The central character of the book is Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who leaves home in search of a treasure. In the end, he finds the treasure where he least expects it. This is a very moving tale –beautiful in its simplicity.
• The Carpet-Baggers
by Harold Robbins
If you want a trashy, absorbing, entertaining, fun read this is the novel for you. The protagonist Jonas Cord’s personality is loosely based on the eccentric Howard Hughes. The story spans four decades, and mostly takes place in the Sixties. It is about a rich airplane flyer, Hollywood, and sex… lots of it.
• The House Of The Spirits
by Isabel Allende
This novel is classified under the magic realism genre and has that dreamy quality to it. This is the story of Esteban Trueba and three generations of women, Clara, Bianca and Alba, set against the backdrop of the political turmoil of Chile. I was enthralled by the characters in this book, especially the women who are so strong yet seemingly oblivious to the ugly realities of their day-to-day lives. It is a touching tale of family, country, class prejudice and superstition. Truly a magical read.
• AZTEC
by Gary Jennings
This book contains everything you ever wanted to know about the Aztecs and more. It is an amazing piece of work on the Aztec empire and its demise, minus the alien theories. It is a mammoth tale told from the first person narration of Mixtli, an Aztec scribe captured by Juan de Zumarraga. He starts with a narration of his life and weaves in the tapestry of Aztec life, culture and history. I was totally absorbed in the Aztec world and culture-shocked after reading this book.
• The Kite Runner
by Khaled Hosseini
This book had me in tears for days. It is the heart-wrenching story of Amir, his best-friend Hassan, and his father Baba, set against the landscape of Afghanistan’s tumultuous history. It is a moving story that tests the moral fiber of the three main characters under very different and unexpected circumstances.
• Ulysses
by James Joyce
Last but not the least is Ulysses. This story has one of the most extraordinary and vibrant depictions of Dublin life. This book is epic in proportion, but funny, poignant and uplifting.
For your comments and suggestions, send e-mail to readclub@aol.com
Years later, their grandson Bienvenido III, better known as Donnie, and his wife Crickette Yu were inspired by the same optimism and enthusiasm shown by the couple and ended up venturing into the retailing business and coming with a new brand called Shopwise.
Donnie and Crickette enjoyed the advantage of starting big and are working on getting bigger. Shopwise Hypermarket opened its first outlet in Alabang and now boasts six branches in all, including one in Antipolo and at Harrison Plaza in Manila, the former site of Rustan’s Supermarket. A seventh branch is set to open before the end of this year.
Theirs is probably an attraction of opposites: Donnie being the serious business executive (he stands as Shopwise president), and Crickette as the charming and popular face attached to the brand name, heading the marketing and merchandising side.
Busy as they are, the husband—and-wife team tries to make it a point to read for both learning and pleasure. Donnie’s list is composed of business books, as well as inspiring personal accounts of successful individuals, while Crickette’s is peppered with thought-provoking fiction.
by Harry A. Olson
I first read this relatively obscure self-help and business book more than 15 years ago. It has played a major role in shaping the beliefs I have how: a person can compete to win under the toughest, most brutal and ruthless conditions and still somehow preserve his or her dignity and integrity. The key is to commit yourself to a worthy mission that is completely in synch with your unique capabilities and most deeply held values. Focus on the fundamentals, remain functional, and stay on course even during periods of crisis and adversity. Know the politics, be constantly and acutely aware of external forces. Devise shrewd, pragmatic but also creative positioning to confront or even convert obstacles into advantages. The basic philosophy of Olson is that true and lasting greatness comes from contribution. To some extent this book helps debunk the popular notion that "Nice guys always finish last."
• Manila My Manila
by Nick Joaquin
This is perhaps the most fascinating story ever written about, not just Manila, but also to some extent the Philippines. This is a must-read for anyone who seeks to understand in depth the soul and character of the Filipino.
• My American Journey
By Colin Powell
This is a pretty inspiring story of a black kid who, from very small and humble beginnings, eventually became the overall and thus very powerful head of the US military. Among his many accomplishments was to reshape the culture of the US military, so that it became much more meritocratic and much more fair and open to African-Americans and other minorities. Colin Powell was able to implement these very fundamental changes, not by attacking a very entrenched and powerful system head-on, but by working with and from inside the system. He is arguably the shrewdest, smoothest and most effective change agent that I have ever encountered.
• Pour Your Heart Into It
by Howard Schultz
This is a great personal account about a company whose unprecedented success is not based on the great product that it serves, or the third most important place (after home and office) for its customers to indulge in simple pleasures and interact with his or her community, but on a system and a culture that seeks to continuously and relentlessly harness the individual and collective talent, desire to grow, and make a contribution of its employees. This is a story of how an ordinary group of people united to continuously and consistently accomplish extraordinary deeds.
• Results-Based Leader-Ship
by Dave Ulrich, Jack Zenger, and Norm Smallwood
This is probably one of the most practical frameworks and prescriptions that I have ever encountered for effective leadership. It directly connects the very important but also somewhat intangible success factor of leadership with measurable and concrete performance and results.
• Turnaround, How Carlos Ghosn Rescued Nissan
by David Magee
This reasonably well-written book is about a French citizen of Lebanese descent who took over and turned around within one year a very traditional- minded, large and venerable Japanese company that was in the throes of death. He transformed Nissan into one of the most innovative and profitable automobile companies in the world. The greatest threat to any business, according to Ghosn, is complacency, arrogance and conventional wisdom. Managers must behave and function as if collapse and crisis were always lurking around the corner. They should diligently and continuously anticipate problems, and confront them before they happen. Problems should be nipped at the bud. Any company that finds itself in a major crisis was too arrogant and too complacent to notice the red flags and other signals that might have been staring at them right in front of their face.
• Modern Times
by Paul Johnson
This is perhaps the most complex but also one of the most interesting historical accounts of the 1920s to 1990s that I have ever read. It does a fantastic, compelling and convincing job of connecting what seem to be unrelated phenomenon in every era, such as the role of relativism, emergence of Darwinism and the conflicts between nations that led to World War I. It connects the dots very well among such disparate developments in art, politics, economics, philosophy, etc. I had to read almost every paragraph of this book at least twice, but it was worth the extra time and effort.
• Competing For The Future
by Gary Hamel and C.K. Prahalad
This book is about how companies can play by the rules and change the game. This book explains how a company can shape the nature of competition so that the dynamics and success factors more greatly favor their unique competencies and capabilities.
• Execution
by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan
A very good recommendation on how to convert great plans into deliberate, well-coordinated actions, and ultimately superior business results. This book is about the importance of discipline.
• Success With Soul
by Doris Pozzi and Stephen Williams
This book encourages its readers to define success and happiness in their own terms. In a nutshell, it promotes the idea of knowing yourself and your mission deeply, and becoming true to yourself and fulfilling your mission.
• The Historian
by Elizabeth Kostova
This delightful book kept me up till the wee hours of the morning. It is appropriately creepy, suspenseful and engaging. The story’s secrets unfold in a crescendo of events spanning three periods – 1930s, 1950s and 1970s – and takes place in varied exotic locales. The book is peppered with mesmerizing historical facts and legends surrounding the vampire myth that is both familiar and thought provoking.
• Pillars Of The Earth
by Ken Follett
This is one of the most enjoyable epic tales about medieval history that I have ever read. It has a slow start, one to be savored, and ends with a bang. The story spans 50 turbulent years and tracks the lives of three ambitious men and a powerful woman against the backdrop of civil war, social intrigue, church politics and cathedral building in the 12th century. This is a tale of many lives whose destinies are intertwined in the proverbial battle between good and evil. This book took me through the whole gamut of emotions from pure joy to despair.
• QBVII
by Leon Uris
QB VII is a story of two characters, Dr. Kelno and Abe Cady, locked in a courtroom battle over allegations of medical experimentation on human guinea pigs in Nazi concentration camps. Both characters make a compelling case for opposite points-of-view that you will find your loyalties switching from one to the other as the story unfolds. This book is a real page-turner and difficult to put down.
• The Family
by Mario Puzo
The Family is the last book Mario Puzo wrote before he died. The novel features 15th-century Rome and tells the tale of Rodrigo Borgia, a thinly disguised Pope Alexander the VI. Like his earlier Mafia series, this book has it all: incest, treachery, violence, love, betrayal and ambition. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but it might be offensive to some people as it casts serious aspersions on the Catholic faith.
• The Alchemist
by Paulo Coelho
If you are short on time and inspiration, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is a short but beautiful fairy tale about following your dreams. It describes the journey that we all have to take as human beings. The central character of the book is Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who leaves home in search of a treasure. In the end, he finds the treasure where he least expects it. This is a very moving tale –beautiful in its simplicity.
• The Carpet-Baggers
by Harold Robbins
If you want a trashy, absorbing, entertaining, fun read this is the novel for you. The protagonist Jonas Cord’s personality is loosely based on the eccentric Howard Hughes. The story spans four decades, and mostly takes place in the Sixties. It is about a rich airplane flyer, Hollywood, and sex… lots of it.
• The House Of The Spirits
by Isabel Allende
This novel is classified under the magic realism genre and has that dreamy quality to it. This is the story of Esteban Trueba and three generations of women, Clara, Bianca and Alba, set against the backdrop of the political turmoil of Chile. I was enthralled by the characters in this book, especially the women who are so strong yet seemingly oblivious to the ugly realities of their day-to-day lives. It is a touching tale of family, country, class prejudice and superstition. Truly a magical read.
• AZTEC
by Gary Jennings
This book contains everything you ever wanted to know about the Aztecs and more. It is an amazing piece of work on the Aztec empire and its demise, minus the alien theories. It is a mammoth tale told from the first person narration of Mixtli, an Aztec scribe captured by Juan de Zumarraga. He starts with a narration of his life and weaves in the tapestry of Aztec life, culture and history. I was totally absorbed in the Aztec world and culture-shocked after reading this book.
• The Kite Runner
by Khaled Hosseini
This book had me in tears for days. It is the heart-wrenching story of Amir, his best-friend Hassan, and his father Baba, set against the landscape of Afghanistan’s tumultuous history. It is a moving story that tests the moral fiber of the three main characters under very different and unexpected circumstances.
• Ulysses
by James Joyce
Last but not the least is Ulysses. This story has one of the most extraordinary and vibrant depictions of Dublin life. This book is epic in proportion, but funny, poignant and uplifting.
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