VERY often I am asked to speak about work ethics and how we should think and behave at work. I would usually relate work ethics as being a key to achieving "successful living" and "success in the field of business."
My parents, Sunny and Betty, had always taught all of us, their children, to work hard, not through their words, but through their actions. They led us by their example and by their lives.
While I could honestly and proudly claim to have worked 12 to 16 hours a day, after college, for almost 20 years, it was nothing compared to my father who worked very often for more than 24 hours straight. He would just catch a few hours of sleep afterwards.
Our morning shift bakers would hear from the night shift bakers that "Boss Sunny" had also been working side by side with them throughout the night.
In 1991, when we opened McDonald's Session, the first McDonald's store in Baguio-Benguet, we had this motto, "Be The Best You Can Be" (BTBYC).
About 10 years later, I read the book, "The Purpose Driven Life "by Rick Warren. Inspired to share it with others, we held our first 40 day Purpose Driven Life Group sessions, with the heads of our different organizations. I remember Lin, Susan, Beth, Lorna, Angie and myself in attendance, sharing our insights and experiences with each other.
Soon after, Lin Lapitan, now the operations consultant for our McDonald's team, suggested that we add "For God in All We Do" to our motto. How apt and inspiring! It was truly a grace-filled and Spirit-inspired idea.
Since then, we have adopted, "For God in all we do. Be the Best You Can Be," as our motto in all our orgs and personal endeavors.
If we dedicate everything we do to Him who created us, and from whom all favors, graces and mercy flows; and believe that "everything comes from God alone, everything lives by His power, and everything is for His glory", it becomes our rationale for giving our best in all that we do.
We cannot claim credit, we cannot be proud, we should remain humble, we should work with integrity, and we should be dedicated and committed.
God is the center of our attention. Our customers are God's gifts to us. They not only provide us with our means of sustenance and livelihood, but they are the reason why we are performing our individual tasks at work. We are not doing them a favor. We are at work to serve them and fulfill their needs. We should be attentive to their needs and strive to delight them.
Thus, we prepare, we pay the price, we persist, and we persevere in times of challenges, difficulties and hardships.
My Dearest Managers and Staff,
We constantly face challenges in life and at work.
At work today, we face a situation wherein we are short-handed in many of our establishments. It is a situation we have faced before, but to a different degree.
Our entire team has pulled together and has been helping one another. Our managers, administrative assistants, and crew have truly been exhibiting TEAMWORK, one of our 10 corporate values.
We shall overcome this and other challenges at work and in life.
Why? Because our motto is based on God's words, " Whatever you do, do it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human beings, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." (Col. 3:23-24)
"For God in all we do. Be the best you can be."
