THE San Miguel Beermen punctuated their standing as the most successful franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association with their 24th title following their annexing of the 2017 Commissioner’s Cup title recently. It is something stakeholders said is a product, in large part, of the culture fostered within the organization, particularly those of striving for excellence and a sense of family.
In celebration of their second straight PBA title this season, which put them in great position for another PBA grand slam after that of 1989, the Beermen held a victory party with their fans and San Miguel employees on Wednesday at the conglomerate’s head office in Ortigas.
During the party, the team basked in the result of its hard work on the court while also underscored the keys that have made them a success.
“Twenty-four titles say a lot of the kind organization that San Miguel has. Of course, in every venture, whether it’s in sports or business, you strive for excellence and we in San Miguel definitely submit to that,” said San Miguel Governor and PBA Chairman Robert Non in an interview with BusinessWorld on the sidelines of their victory party.
“Every championship brings pride and honor to the company and we welcome that. This is apart from the fact that it helps to have a winning brand as well. In the case of San Miguel, there is a correlation between winning and rise in sales for example and that’s good for business,” he added.
The San Miguel team official also shared that the culture of family within the organization has been a key aspect propelling the success of the team, and it all starts from no less than San Miguel Corp. President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon S. Ang.
“Despite the load of his work, Boss RSA (Mr. Ang) always has time to watch the games whether live or through tapes. Time to time he will call the players just to talk to them which in effect helps the players be at ease playing for the team and feel at home. He’s a father figure for all of us and that makes him different. And that spills over not only for the teams but also to the employees,” Mr. Non said.
“And with that it really makes our job easy because we don’t need to motivate our players that much since the higher-ups are doing their part in that,” he added.
And with the lead of Mr. Ang, the San Miguel employees are also invested in the team.
“Treatment of the teams by the employees of SMC is really like a family. Whether you are with Purefoods and Barangay Ginebra, too, all are treated like family and are given support. That has been the culture here,” Mr. Non said as he also mentioned the other teams under the SMC umbrella.
FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE
One player who has firsthand experience of how players are being treated with the San Miguel organization is Arwind Santos, a one-time PBA most valuable player and key cog for the Beermen.
“I consider myself to be lucky playing for the San Miguel franchise. I’m with the team for almost 10 years now and the experience has been great,” said Mr. Santos in a separate interview.
“Boss RSA, in particular, has been like a father to me. Rarely do you see a boss who gives his full support, taking time to talk to you and even cooking for you. He gives advices to make sure that you are doing okay and taking care of your body. That said, it only motivates me more to do my share for the team. It’s going to be a shame if you don’t do your part as player knowing the boss of the team is showing genuine concern for you,” he added.
Now in a position to have further success with a possible grand slam anew in sight, both Messrs. Non and Santos said the team is going for it.
“This is who we are. We don’t look at this as just something we need to do because this is our work. We are more than motivated because we are San Miguel and we are family,” Mr. Santos said.
In celebration of their second straight PBA title this season, which put them in great position for another PBA grand slam after that of 1989, the Beermen held a victory party with their fans and San Miguel employees on Wednesday at the conglomerate’s head office in Ortigas. During the party, the team basked in the result of its hard work on the court while also underscored the keys that have made them a success. “Twenty-four titles say a lot of the kind organization that San Miguel has. Of course, in every venture, whether it’s in sports or business, you strive for excellence and we in San Miguel definitely submit to that,” said San Miguel Governor and PBA Chairman Robert Non in an interview with BusinessWorld on the sidelines of their victory party. “Every championship brings pride and honor to the company and we welcome that. This is apart from the fact that it helps to have a winning brand as well. In the case of San Miguel, there is a correlation between winning and rise in sales for example and that’s good for business,” he added. The San Miguel team official also shared that the culture of family within the organization has been a key aspect propelling the success of the team, and it all starts from no less than San Miguel Corp. President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon S. Ang. “Despite the load of his work, Boss RSA (Mr. Ang) always has time to watch the games whether live or through tapes. Time to time he will call the players just to talk to them which in effect helps the players be at ease playing for the team and feel at home. He’s a father figure for all of us and that makes him different. And that spills over not only for the teams but also to the employees,” Mr. Non said. “And with that it really makes our job easy because we don’t need to motivate our players that much since the higher-ups are doing their part in that,” he added. And with the lead of Mr. Ang, the San Miguel employees are also invested in the team. “Treatment of the teams by the employees of SMC is really like a family. Whether you are with Purefoods and Barangay Ginebra, too, all are treated like family and are given support. That has been the culture here,” Mr. Non said as he also mentioned the other teams under the SMC umbrella. FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE One player who has firsthand experience of how players are being treated with the San Miguel organization is Arwind Santos, a one-time PBA most valuable player and key cog for the Beermen. “I consider myself to be lucky playing for the San Miguel franchise. I’m with the team for almost 10 years now and the experience has been great,” said Mr. Santos in a separate interview. “Boss RSA, in particular, has been like a father to me. Rarely do you see a boss who gives his full support, taking time to talk to you and even cooking for you. He gives advices to make sure that you are doing okay and taking care of your body. That said, it only motivates me more to do my share for the team. It’s going to be a shame if you don’t do your part as player knowing the boss of the team is showing genuine concern for you,” he added. Now in a position to have further success with a possible grand slam anew in sight, both Messrs. Non and Santos said the team is going for it. “This is who we are. We don’t look at this as just something we need to do because this is our work. We are more than motivated because we are San Miguel and we are family,” Mr. Santos said.