February 28, 2017
We need to pay special attention to the kind of leadership mindset and behavior we need to put in place in Aboitiz that will take us forward and bring us to the achievement of our articulated purpose of driving change for a better world.
– Erramon I. Aboitiz, President and CEO, Aboitiz Group
Aboitiz, for the first time, gathered its top leaders under the Aboitiz Leaders’ Conference banner strongly echoing the theme “One Team. Lead Stronger”, a fitting year-opener that ushers in new and exciting changes for the entire Aboitiz Group.
The maiden Aboitiz Leaders’ Conference saw the coming together of 175 executives to collectively understand, prepare, shape, and steer them towards becoming better leaders for the future.
Aboitiz Group President and CEO Erramon I. Aboitiz in his keynote message emphasized that an Aboitiz leader’s role has never been as important as it is today. “The mindset and formula which played a large role in our past success require honest evaluation, renewed inspiration, and collective alignment as we step up for growth, complexity and a world characterized by inundated and disruptive changes,” he said.
Mr. Aboitiz further said that the organization is experiencing a world that is more and more characterized not only by rapid, but also disruptive changes. In the past, leadership was defined by looking up to the people at the top to make the decisions; today, this will have to be changed. Because of the size, the depth and breadth of the organization, and the growing complexity of its business, there is now the need to empower more the frontline team leaders. The challenge that the Aboitiz leaders will tackle moving forward will be to transform leadership to sustain the business growth momentum while staying true to the Group’s commitment to provide long-term value for all its stakeholders.
Over the last few years, we have placed a lot of time and attention to leadership in Aboitiz. Not because we are not happy with our current leadership, but more because we realize we need to modify our leadership style, more because we realize we cannot lead our organization from the top any longer, more because we need to rely on all of you to lead the rest of the team.
– Erramon I. Aboitiz, President and CEO, Aboitiz Group
To deepen the discussion of transformative leadership, leadership guru and creator of the Leadership Circle Bob Anderson was invited to share his insights on the Aboitiz Leadership journey. It is in partnership with Mr. Anderson that the Aboitiz Leader was further refocused on the framework with emphasis on the six leadership dimensions: mentoring and developing, fostering teamwork, courageous authenticity, achieving results, sustainable growth, and integrity.
In 2015, the leadership dimensions were deployed through various programs and interventions to help leaders embrace these key elements to be an integral part of the Aboitiz leader DNA.
He also talked about his findings on the impact of a leader’s effectiveness on business results and success. His work with various leaders all over the world unraveled a growing gap between the rate at which complexity is increasing and the capacity to lead. After more than 30 years of focused work on correlating Business Performance and Leadership, Anderson learned a very simple truth: effective leaders outperform ineffective leaders every time.
“There is no substitute for effective leadership. If we want to develop more effective leaders, and do that more rapidly and sustainably, we need a more comprehensive approach. Leadership is a process of transformation where a leader makes a profound shift—to gain a deeper understanding of themselves, the world, and their relationship to others,” Anderson said.
The Leaders’ Conference was capped with a call to action to hold each other accountable individually and collectively to live the Aboitiz Way through leadership and example; lead as ONE TEAM to drive change to create a better world.
Watch the video below: