How the Covid-19 pandemic has affected auto industry leaders
The Covid-19 pandemic will most likely go down in history as among the most life-altering global events in modern times, on level with the two world wars and the Spanish Flu pandemic. Such events leave a deep impact on virtually every individual on the face of the earth, at any age and at any social stratum, and carries over to future generations.
The pandemic’s initial—and recurring—consequence has been the lockdown or quarantining of wide swaths of the socioeconomic spectrum, virtually paralyzing all but essential transport activities. With this in mind, how have automotive industry leaders been affected by this ongoing pandemic, already two years running? Inquirer Motoring asked industry movers and shakers to share with us the most important lessons they’ve learned, and how this would influence their leadership decisions moving forward.
Nothing impossible for the strong-willed
By Takeshi Hara, President and CEO, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp
“With my current stay here in the Philippines as President and CEO of MMPC, I have learned many valuable lessons that came timely during the pandemic. Most of them are Filipino traits that are applicable during tough situations.
If a person has a strong will to accomplish his goal, nothing is impossible. The pandemic has posted a lot of challenging situations for our organization, but I commend the strong commitment that our employees and dealer partners showed during these trying times. Despite the ordeal, we were able to still solidify our number 2 position and produce good numbers to sustain a healthy business.
Be pliant as bamboo. It is essential to adapt quickly to the situation. With the ever-changing scenarios that the pandemic brings, we made sure that MMPC was flexible enough to adjust to the demands of the market.
Enjoy the little things. One of the admirable traits that I love about Filipinos is that Filipinos are very optimistic. Despite how hard the challenge is, my Filipino colleagues are still very hopeful and positive. This type of perspective is very inspiring.
In every hardship there is an opportunity waiting to be discovered. Because of the challenges we encountered, we learned to be creative. We found new ways that made our business more efficient. We now have systems and programs in place that, even after the pandemic, we can still utilize and serve as an efficient method to run our business.
Time is truly valuable as gold. The pandemic has taught us that we should use our time wisely. We should allocate time for our family, friends and loved ones. We cannot wait for the day that we go back to our normal state, when we can see the people we care about without worrying about health. It would be refreshing to see the lovely smiles of people without our masks.
With the lessons learned during this pandemic, we at MMPC are inspired to run a customer-oriented operation that will enhance ownership experience and make life better.”
