By Marie Tanate, VP Group Internal Audit, AEV

Yes, it’s me again.

What converged over the past few weeks—at home, at work, and globally?  It was REMIX! And it was Remix that got me all inspired to write again. It feels like me journaling but not quite. It is a little different because I will not write about a book or about audit work in my journal. That is, if I even journal.

So this one is about Remix - the book, Remix - Sabin, and, of course, it is Bang and BTS's ‘Butter’ remix, their latest global release. Book. ’Bin. Bang. BTS.

Merriam Webster gives us two definitions of the word ‘remix’, as a verb and as a noun.

Let’s do verb first.

Remix \rē-ˌmiks\ (verb) – to mix again

I first heard about Remix, the book by Lindsey Pollak, last February 5 when Sabin Aboitiz, our Group President and CEO, made it the focus of his talk during the 2021 Aboitiz Leadership Conference. The Remix: How to Lead and Succeed in the Multigenerational Workplace.

The conference was virtual. Our first. Leaders logged on and were welcomed by an unusual music playlist of classic ’60s rock, ’70s punk, disco ’80s, happy oldies, and urban ’90s combined to create a great vibe for the conference.  It turned out the playlist was the introduction to Remix.

Sabin was still in the middle of his talk as I and a couple of A-Leader friends were already buying the book online. One calls it a “smart book”. It is.

For years, companies have really been a generational mix of Traditionalists, Boomers, Xers, Millennials and recently, Zs.  One or two generations would be ruling companies for years then comes shift, a changing of the guards so they say, as the leader Boomers and the last of the Traditionalists retire. Generation Jones and Xers then take the reign looking forward to being better than the former except this time, the work environment has changed.  They are now dealing with a different mix of people, millennials to a great extent and a scattering of Gen Zs or Alphas slowly trickling in.

Organizations will always be a mix of people, thoughts, ideas, culture, gender, and generations. Homogenous is boring. Diversity is exciting. Organizations are not built with an end-date. Organizations are built to last. They are built to grow as a going concern, an accounting principle that assumes an organization will continue to operate its business and earn profits for the foreseeable future. And how does it work? You always try to find that perfect combination of ideas and strategies from people. That is what remix does.

Mix and remix have always been a core strategy of business perhaps unwritten and never pointed out nor driven the way our Sabin drives it today. Sabin is the A-master mixer. He belongs to a cusp generation. He is a cusper. That, by itself, makes him a mix of two adjacent generations—the self-focused, competitive, optimistic, “forever young” Baby Boomer, and the independent, cautious, skeptical, tech pioneer Gen Xer. Born to traditionalists and father to a millennial. What could be a better mix than that!

Sabin started by getting that buy-in for leaders to read the book, kick-off the remix initiative in the organization as a means to foster ways of working and communicating to ensure a next generation, future-ready Aboitiz workplace.

People. Of different generations. Diverse. All wanting to win and create value. The secret? Pollak says, create and celebrate; train and reskill; mentor and coach; COPE; keep up, adapt and accommodate different generations.

And so,  just keep mixing.

Now, let’s talk about remix the noun.

Remix \rē-ˌmiks\ (noun) – a new or different version of a recorded song that is made by changing or adding to the original recording of the song.

Pollak wrote about remix, the noun, in her book’s introduction.  It is remix, the noun, in the realm of music that made it easier for her to write the analogy in the business perspective.

A music remix allows the inclusion of some unique elements and personal style in the original track. It is about reinvention, experimentation, and innovation.  It opens the opportunity to broaden the audience and drive additional sales.

Seven days after the premiere of their 2021 summer anthem Butter, BTS already released its remix version.  As if it was not enough that the Butter MV have broken records in the first 24 hours of its release and continues to break even more records, they had to come out with a remix only a week after!  Butter has been referred to as the listeners’ favorite earworm. Wiki defines earworm as a catchy and/or memorable piece of music that continuously occupies a person's mind even after it is no longer being played. It is also sometimes referred to as sticky music or stuck song syndrome (but LSS to us Filipinos).  Butter is definitely an earworm.

So, why even do a remix? Isn’t it too early releasing a remix only after a week of releasing the original?

Well, to Big Hit, nothing is too early.  Strike while the iron is hot.  Everything is strategically planned.  The 1-hour melting butter teaser, the picture teasers, and that few seconds of what sounds-like “Another One Bites the Dust” Queen-beat video clip all created that unprecedented anticipation of the world premiere of the Butter MV on May 21, 2021.  On its first 24 hours, Butter hit 108. 2 million YouTube views beating BTS’ own record of 101.1 million views for their 2020 single “Dynamite”. It had the most opening day streams in Spotify history with 20.9 million streams worldwide. They perfectly timed their first ever live performance during the 2021 Billboard Music Awards where BTS won all the four awards they were nominated in.  That is perfect execution of a strategic plan. And so, the remix just had to be released.

Fans cannot get enough of their idols. The ARMY keeps growing and is now even more cross-generational than ever.  BTS is touted as the Beatles from the Boomer generation. Coldplay, a Gen X band known to turn down big-scale offers worth millions of dollars to cover their songs, trusted BTS to deliver their most important song ever written—“Fix You”. BTS collaborated with American singer, Halsey, a millennial, in the smash hit “Boy with Luv”. And there are talks of other collabs with co-millennials Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande. BTS does not only do music remixes but they remix with different generations and find a common ground for success.

There is lesson we can learn from Big Hit Music’s big man CEO, Bang Si-hyuk. Hitman Bang grew up in musical home but was not encouraged to pursue a career in music by his parents. That did not stop him from pursuing his passion. And his collaboration with BTS, now considered as one of the world’s biggest band, is said to be unprecedented.

Born in 1972, Bang is a Gen Xer—independent and self-reliant, critical thinker, workaholic, flexible, and tech savvy. Gen Xers favor productivity, culture and face-to-face interactions. BTS, on the other hand, are born digital natives, millennials, (save for my bias who is a Gen Z) and unlike Xers, are group-oriented, self-expressive, and purpose-driven. Millennials favor relationships that are fun, activities that stimulate creativity and encourage innovation.

Despite the differences, Bang and BTS found the perfect balance between each of their generation’s strengths and weaknesses.  Both honored one’s core values, experiences and beliefs. Age in years adjusted to harmonized multigenerational thinking and ideas. Collaboration at its best. Mentor. Mentees. Coach. Coachees. It is not a surprise that Bang, from the tech pioneer generation, is more in sync with these digital natives with regard to technology adoption and use than any other generation.

Bang, the Xer, is fascinated by the intersection of music and technology. He capitalized on and industrialized fandom power. Bang and BTS were able to find a consistent approach and methodology on building a K-pop fanbase that continues to grow globally transcending generations. The ARMY is a diversified mix of generations, yes, most likely majority are millennials but you have to acknowledge the influence that these kids have on their Boomer and Xer parents and vice-versa.

The past few years even before the pandemic started, Bang was able to do a subtle transition of work from a physical space to one about lifestyle and experiences made possible by technology—Run BTS, Bon Voyage, In the Soop, and virtual concerts. Bang Bang Con and Map of the Soul ON:E holds the record for the world’s biggest paid online concerts in 2020 with almost a million viewers across 191 countries. Will the June 2021 BTS Muster Soowoozoo online concert break the record again? The ARMY will make sure.  Indeed, we acknowledge that Hitman Bang changed the future of live music and made it an enduring legacy in the entertainment industry. Again, success happens when age in years adjust to harmonized multigenerational thoughts and ideas.

Bang recognized that timing is key. Hence, the Butter remix.

Remix. Noun. Verb. How do they come together?

I have thought about it and came up with this—what better way to drive my point than to get a remix of quotable quotes on teamwork and diversity and hopefully, come out with a united thought. We need to acknowledge that “two heads are better than one”. That “we are more powerful when we empower each other”. That  “we need different kinds of minds to work together”. That “working together always works together better”. That “strength lies in differences, not in similarities” (Stephen Covey). That “diversity is not about how we differ; it is about embracing one another’s uniqueness” (Ola Joseph). That “inclusion is not about bringing people into what already exists; it is making a new space, a better space for everyone.” (George Dei).

“Diversity is the art of thinking independently together” (Malcolm Forbes). And that “our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and test of our civilization” (Mahatma Gandhi). “The world is moving so fast these days that the man who says it can’t be done is generally interrupted by someone already doing it” (Elbert Hubbard).

Diversity of thought but unity in action. Always try to be a better version or the original. To me, this is what remix is all about. Capture the best from each generation. They all have something unique to offer.

Now, ask yourself, do you think you belong in this company? Are you an X, Y, Z or an A-Person? Are your ready to be a better version of yourself?  Are you ready to remix?

You should. Because Aboitiz and its A-People always want to come out bigger, better, butter. There! I just had to put that in.

Book. ’Bin. Bang. BTS. Borahae.

University of Experience is a special Aboitiz Eyes section that focuses on leadership insights from the unique experiences, perspectives, and wisdom of leaders who have stood at the helm of Aboitiz over the years.

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