Cebu Sojourn

After a successful leadership summit in 2014, we, the Senior Management Team once again came together for the second leadership summit to look back at the highs and lows of 2015 and move forward to a bigger, better and bolder 2016. The summit aims to align all our leaders with the overall objective of the company, harness the collective knowledge of both operations and support leaders to help in developing solutions to existing problems and introduce new strategies to better improve performance and productivity. The summit also serves as a venue to fuel collaboration across different segments of the organization – from training to support groups to operations. This year, the event was held in Mactan Island and Cebu City from December 11 to 13, 2015.

We departed Manila at around seven o’clock in the morning and arrived at the Cebu airport about an hour and half after. Upon arrival at the airport, we headed to our first stop in Cebu – the Lantaw Floating Native Restaurant located in the southern coast of Mactan Island. Lantaw is the Cebuano term for “can be seen from a distance”. As the name suggests, the restaurant is built atop Cebu’s sea water where diners can also enjoy a spectacular view of the surrounding hills and Cebu City skyline in the distance.

After our first meal in Cebu, we billeted at the Be Resorts along the shores of Mactan Island.

The summit officially kicked off with the adrenaline-infused Skywalk Extreme. Skywalk Extreme is a guided walk round the outer ledge of a tower, approximately 450 feet above the ground, on a thin glass and metal walkway, with no handrail. This exhilarating team building activity was a bonding experience that gave the team a big sense of achievement. The activity reminded everyone to learn how to deal with the unknown as the team continues to focus on promoting success and productivity while embarking on the new challenges that 2016 will bring. The experience taught everyone to step out on their “Skywalk”, gather new data and experiences, strategize and take action!

On day two, the team toured around Mactan Island and Cebu City to discover their cultural heritage and explore some of the Philippines’ most famous religious and historical landmarks. The tour started in Lapu-Lapu Shrine where a 20-meter bronze statue was built in honor of the hero Lapu-Lapu. Next stop was the Alegre Guitars, a local guitar factory where one could witness the step by step process on how traditional Philippine guitars are made. The tour then proceeded to Cebu City passing through the 1.2-KM Marcelo Fernan Bridge. It spans across Mactan Channel connecting Lapu-Lapu City in Mactan Island to the main island of Cebu.

From there, we visited The Taoist Temple situated 300 meters above sea level offering a grand view of Cebu City. The tour then went to Museo Sugbo (Cebu Museum) which used to be called Carcel de Cebu, the provincial jail of Cebu. The tour continued at Fort San Pedro, built by Spanish and indigenous Cebuano laborers, followed by a stop at the city's most famous landmark, Magellan's Cross. Just a few steps away was the Basílica Minore del Santo Niño. This Augustinian church was made a basilica in 1965 during the 400th year celebrations of Christianity in the Philippines. They also made stop over at Shamrock Pasalubong Center to buy Cebu’s famous Otap and dried mangoes and at Tabo-an Public Market, Cebu’s official dried fish market.

The primary goal of having trips of this nature is not just to have fun and relax away from the office. It also gives the leaders opportunity to learn new things about each other as a change of environment can bring new attitudes. This creates experiences that bring us together, stimulating team identity, spirit and belonging making the team more cohesive and function better for the company.

Day two culminated with a business presentation from me and it opened with recorded video greetings and motivational messages from Executive Vice President of Client Services Paul Grant, Vice President of Operations Bernie Tuazon and Director of Client Services Kate De Grazia. It was followed by comprehensive review of Sprint Prepaid’s successes, accomplishments and challenges in 2015 and the things in store for 2016. In the middle of the presentation, participants were engaged in a focused and framed discussion on the key objectives of the coming year and initial plans and preparations on how to achieve them. The presentation ended with a solid call to action from all departments to make 2016 a huge success.

Finally, on the last day, the team watched the sun as it rose against the blue shades of the sea and sky - the golden sunrise that symbolizes new beginning, new opportunities, new challenges, new endeavors.

The leadership summit was indeed a memorable event that’s strategically significant for everyone.