HOPE springs eternal even in a land where negativity thrives on the failure of institutions and processes; and where politics is more of a personality contest than a race that can be won by a person with political will to run a government well, and enough compassion for the poor and the marginalized.

There’s no pat formula to this CEO thing. Everyone does it differently, and there’s no right or wrong way to go about it. I certainly don’t have a magic formula, but I’ll take a shot at sharing some of the ideas that worked for me. I hope some might be helpful. Pick and choose among them, or just toss them all.

Integrity

A freshman at a Fairfield University Business School forum asked me, “How can you be a good Catholic and a businessman at the same time?”

I answered emphatically, “I am.”

The simple answer is: By maintaining integrity. Establishing it and never wavering from it supported everything I did through good and bad times. People may not have agreed with me on every issue—and I may not have been right all the time—but they always knew they were getting it straight and honest. It helped to build better relationships with customers, suppliers, analysts, competitors and governments. It set the tone in the organization.

More than just a learning institution, La Salle Green Hills (LSGH) occupies a special place in the country’s modern sociopolitical history. Its gymnasium has been the venue of the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Election Operation Quick Count.