The Virus Of Our Time

What did it change? What change did it accelerate?

Aboitiz is 100 this year as a corporation, 150 next year dating back to the arrival of Paulino Aboitiz, and 200 this year as Yrastorzas in the Philippines. This longevity and survival are about the ability to adapt to change. This is our number one trait.

Change is happening on the fly as we individually get along every day and individually make 10,000 decisions a day. Nine billion people making 10,000 decisions a day, some emotional, some rational,  some good ones, some bad ones, some thinking, some by instinct, some winning, some losing, some smart,  some dumb, all human and all bouncing off each other and changing things everywhere.

Aboitiz is 100 this year as a corporation, 150 next year dating back to the arrival of Paulino Aboitiz, and 200 this year as Yrastorzas in the Philippines. This longevity and survival are about the ability to adapt to change. Our second trait is hard work — 997.

What will it change? What change will it accelerate? These are the questions that I peruse daily.

What has the virus changed?

1. People are willing to do now what they were not willing to three months ago. Their willingness to change is your opportunity. Renegotiate elegantly, fairly, and in win-win atmospheres to find a better way for both parties.

   Leverage reputation to get better payment terms at better prices. How can this be win-win? Wine growers have limited capacity to store in their farms? They can get this off their storage facilities to us saving them money and us working capital — both win!

2. The level of technological dependence and its unintended consequences. Will abrupt adaption mean cyber risks we are not protected for?
3. It is not a bigger government that should concern us, but rather a bolder government and those unintended consequences. The most incapable and incompetent part of society bigger, bolder, and deeper in debt is going to be fun to beat.
4. Global emissions will drop as poverty goes up with populism, clumsy excuses, and scapegoating. A new generation will come out of the “ashes”, the lockdown generation.

Let’s make sure we do not over-correct automation and digitization, analogue in the prurient must remain, please. The overhasty adoption of technology to muffle opinion, privacy, and liberties will not be enjoyable. Contact tracing may ruin relationships.

What was already evolving only to be enhanced by the virus?

Evolution to revolution is in much of the precipitation that was always going to fall.

1. Digitization — that was well on the way towards ubiquitous penetration in all aspects of our lives. COVID is going to accelerate its offensive while forcing those who refused the change to embrace it.
2. The moving components of everything are fixed and variable. The possibility to move the chairs around in this area of life are more and more possible. Lowering fixed compensation and increasing variable compensation for all transactions are very real and can benefit all. This can be a win-win.
3. Now everything and everyone will digitize including the slower portions of society. As the slower components digitize and enter the real world of faster change, we will all benefit.
4. The more change-averse minds are being pried open as we speak. Tradition is meant to be a compass, it is not designed as an anchor. The anchor chains and links are rusting away to break away. That corrosion is accelerating — will your ship, along with you, be brought out to sea?
5. Who do we hire? With change and challenge accelerating, the hunger, discipline, and ability to learn must be a top priority. The Jews survived and they used education as the main armour.
6. Mental illness has to be a concern that will come about. It was already accelerating due to loneliness. I would imagine the same is so for social anxieties.
7. The virus will stall progress made in many areas and, from there, its unintended consequences.

It used to be about the land, the farmer, the plow, and God. Now we have the same amount of land, a more informed and educated farmer and an electronic plow, and better communication with God — we know more about the weather and we know it in advance.

Aboitiz is 100 this year as a corporation, 150 next year dating back to the arrival of Paulino Aboitiz, and 200 this year as Yrastorzas in the Philippines. This longevity and survival are about the ability to adapt to change. Our third trait is unity — 997.

Assessing and upgrading the farmer without a better and better plow with better and better advanced information is 1/4 the way there. The 3/4, so to speak, comes from better systems. They need to be seen as one but realizing as well that the systems upgrade can be more rewarding as it adds more value and enriches the farmer’s mind.

This paper is designed to be dynamic as the two questions above and what can be done about them must continue to develop — what has COVID changed and what has COVID sped up?

Please help me fill it up so that, in a month or so, I can add your experience to populate this Aboitiz Eyes section with experience — your experience!

The University Of Experience is here to help you prosper and not be made irrelevant by THE VIRUS!

– Enrique Aboitiz Mendieta