Business lessons from a global Filipina

Filipinos are making their mark all over the world. Of course, we have our pambansang bayani, our overseas Filipino workers who are shining examples of hard work, resilience, and the Filipino spirit. At the same time, we have Filipino businessmen and women who are making an impact at the highest levels of the corporate world.

In my years speaking to and working with Filipino entrepreneurs and professionals from various industries, I’ve come to the conclusion that Filipinos have much to offer to the world. Our mix of ingenuity for problem-solving, resilience in the face of hardship, and an unstoppable work ethic all contribute to world-class Filipinos in the workplace. I call them global Filipinos — our kababayans who can make it anywhere in the world.

I recently spoke to one such global Filipino, Fama Francisco. Fama began her career with Procter & Gamble (P&G) Philippines back in 1989 when she was just 21 years old. It was a different time, and right from the start she was already breaking the glass ceiling as the first female sales manager at P&G.

Many firsts followed. She was the youngest woman to be promoted to president in P&G. And then she became the highest-ranking Asian female executive in P&G, leading the company’s second-largest sector, overseeing 17,000 employees in 180 countries, and being responsible for $20 billion in sales as the CEO of Global Baby, Feminine and Family Care.

What can we learn from the example of Fama Francisco? And how can you too become a global Filipino? I’ve summarized four points from our all-too-brief conversation during our Fireside Chat at the P&G Philippines Grand Alumni Homecoming (Incidentally, I had the privilege of working with Fama in the same Advertising Department in the ’90s as a young brand manager. As they say among P&G Alumni — “Once a PGer, Always a P&Ger”).

1. “P” IS FOR “PERSISTENCE.”In business, failure is part of the journey. What I’ve learned from speaking to the most successful entrepreneurs and business people is the way they react to setbacks or learn from failure. Oftentimes, they treat failure as a learning opportunity, or other times they move on quickly to the next thing. Or they try and try again until they get things right.

Fama met failure early on in her career. As a graduate of a marketing course, she applied to become a brand manager in P&G. And she was rejected. But that didn’t stop her.

“I learned my first lesson from P&G,” Fama says. “[It] starts with P: persistence. If one door is closed to you, you don’t give up, right? We find another way. We find another door. So, my other door was sales. I applied for sales.”

With great humility, Fama accepted the job in sales, knowing it wasn’t what she wanted. However, she knew that it was still the opportunity she needed to join P&G. And also, she knew that walking through this door would lead to other doors opening.

2. OVERCOME STEREOTYPES.When Fama joined sales in P&G, it was a time when the workplace was dominated by men. In particular, they weren’t used to seeing women in sales.

Fama recalls, “The first time I would call on the accounts, they would always say, there’s the demo girl of P&G. There’s the demo girl who’s going to demo Tide. There’s the girl who’s going to demo Pampers.”

Faced with this situation, Fama had the courage and grace to stand her ground. She knew she belonged in her role in sales, and she demanded that people respect that.

“I had to learn how to introduce myself,” Fama tells us. “I would say, I’m not your demo girl. Good morning. I’m your sales manager from P&G. I’m here to build your business.”

Global Filipinos may face unfair stereotypes in a number of ways, from gender to race, to other biases. The lesson here is easy to learn but takes courage to execute. So, like Fama, be courageous. Remember, you belong where you are.

3. SET THE BAR.Fama Francisco credits her early years in P&G for much of her success. Among the things she learned was from her time in sales: persistence, a growth mindset, and planning.

Another crucial lesson was learning how to be world-class.

Fama shares, “Growing up in P&G Philippines, we all knew P&G Philippines was world-class. Whether you were working on our brands, whether you were working on sales, whether you were working on R&D, whether you were working in our manufacturing plants — Tondo and Cabuyao — P&G Philippines was always world class. And that was another learning that I had.

“You have to set the bar to always be world-class.”

4. REMEMBER TO REFILL YOUR “OXYGEN TANK.”Finally, being a global Filipino isn’t all about work. The most effective professionals are often very good at balancing work and life.

Fama acknowledges this truth by focusing on refilling what she calls “oxygen tanks.”

“Lahat tayo (all of us), we have oxygen tanks,” she explains. It just differs how many oxygen tanks we have. One of your oxygen tanks could be your family, your faith, yourself, your work, or your friends who are like family.

“Some of you might have five oxygen tanks, six oxygen tanks,” she continues. “Now, at any point in life, hindi naman pwedeng (it can’t be that) all the levels of the oxygen tank are perfect. Di ba? They’re never perfect. They always go up and down. But it’s very important to know what levels your oxygen tanks are. And if something is really going down, you have to catch it and you have to top up your oxygen tank.”

Only when your oxygen tanks have enough air can you work to your fullest potential. So make sure to always fill up those tanks with care from the ones you love, or with time spent on the things you are passionate about.

How does Fama do it? She says, “So 5:30 in the morning, I’m already awake. But the first thing I do to start the day? Two minute hug with my husband. Because our philosophy is, life is always going to be so busy.”

From that point, there’s no stopping this global Filipina.

“And then I start the day,” she goes on. “I would say, more than half of the day, you can’t really anticipate. You cannot anticipate what work brings your way.” n

Are there other entrepreneurs or business leaders you want me to interview? Please let me know, send me an e-mail at ledesma.rj@gmail.com.

RJ Ledesma (www.rjledesma.com) is a Hall of Fame Awardee for Best Male Host at the Aliw Awards, a multi-awarded serial entrepreneur, motivational speaker and business mentor, podcaster, an Honorary Consul and editor-in-chief of The Business Manual. Connect with Mr. Ledesma on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. The RJ Ledesma Podcast is available on Facebook, Spotify, Google and Apple Podcasts.