People and purpose are crucial
These are — indeed — challenging times. And learning the keys to survival is extremely crucial.
Last year alone, the local automotive sales have dropped by more than 40 percent. From a total car sales of about 420,000 units in 2019, it came tumbling down to just about 250,000 units the following year.
“There was a major loss of confidence,” Kia Philippines president, Manny Aligada shared during one exclusive interview wherein he was asked about the challenges posed by the ongoing pandemic.
These things don’t change regardless of the situation.
“All of sudden, everybody snapped out of the buying mindset,” he added.
“Purchasing a vehicle is a decision that can be delayed.”
His company — for one — was one of those thousands in the local business scene that have felt the brunt brought about by this virus crisis.
Nonetheless — with a new chapter unfolding this year — his company together with the rest of the automotive industry is tooth and nail determined to rebound from the throes of last year’s collapse.
Initially, for the first three months of 2021, a number of automotive players have showed signs of hope.
Local carmaker Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation — for one — churned out a solid performance last February with a 5,072 unit output or 44-percent growth compared to January.
Others in the field have somehow also showed promise.
Back to the Dark Ages
However, these past two weeks have again clouded the once positive outlook of the industry as we again go back to stricter quarantine measures due to the resurgence of high cases of the disease in a number of areas in the metro and its nearby provinces.
The enhanced community quarantine has again shuttered businesses and has closed down most of the economy, putting everything that we look forward to in limbo.
Recently, there was a record of more than 15,000 cases and about 400 deaths due to Covid-19 in just a single day.
Again, my Facebook newsfeed has been filled with sorrowful posts from friends and loved ones that it has already become no less than an obituary section — or worse — a virtual graveyard.
This again begs the question: “Will we be able to go back to normal soon?” — or worse — “Will we be able to survive this?”
Keys for survival
With these recent reports and the current situation we are all in right now, the future for the industry seems bleak.
However, as we look back to the lessons we have learned from last year, we somehow take a moment — even briefly — to reflect.
Still, there is “wisdom in all things” as they say. And it is perhaps the key to everything in life.
Kia Philippines’ head honcho — for one — in fact imparted a few words of wisdom in work as he shared his own fair share of learnings during this pandemic.
“During this pandemic, I have learned that dependence on your team, your own people you work with is important to get the job done. They are your best assets,” Aligada disclosed.
“Another important lesson is the realization of your business purpose. For us, it’s to provide the best service possible. By realizing this, you will do everything, even redesign the current processes,” he continued.
For him, staying committed to the values that his company has set out for like quality service, responsiveness and customer experience in whatever type of platform is key.
“We adapt to be able to provide these values. These things don’t change regardless of the situation.”
Personally, I could apply this kind of wisdom in the next several weeks, or even months — not just at work — but in my own personal life, as well. Maybe this could be useful to yours, too. Remember, people and purpose are crucial.