While earning profit is one of the primary reasons for operating a business, this might not guarantee
long-term success or personal fulfillment.

Dr. Stephene Roy Cardines Condino, the current assistant vice president for Business Development and Operations of Manpower for MASA Inc. and the chief executive officer of Wodd Philippines, believes that profit should not be the only driving force behind a business. Rather, he believes sustaining a business should help provide jobs for many Filipinos.

“When you create more versions of yourself, it will be easier for you to do the things that you have to do, most importantly in business,” Condino told the DAILY TRIBUNE in a PairFect interview, adding that the work he does is not a one-man job but a collaborative effort that won’t leave any of his employees behind.

The motivation

Behind a successful business is someone who has worked all the way from the bottom.

As someone who was raised without a silver platter handed to him, Condino realized that he has to work hard so he can help inspire others who have faced similar circumstances: “I grew up not having everything on me. So, sabi ko sa sarili ko when I was growing up is I wanted to share all the blessings of what I will have… At the end of the day, kapag tinulungan mo ‘yung tao na ‘yon, hindi lang ‘yung tao na ‘yon ‘yung natulungan mo, pati rin ‘yung pamilya nila.”

After graduating with a degree in Political Science at the University of Santo Tomas, Condino realized that studying law was not for him, and he wanted to do something more: operating a business and teaching future leaders.

“Training sellers was really one of the most unforgettable experiences kasi kahit bilad ka ng araw, you can eventually share your best practice and knowledge. Doon ko na-realize na gusto ko palang nagtuturo,” he said, recalling how he started working at MASA from the bottom and trained over 3,000 sellers in the country while at it.

Despite the pressure of working
— and eventually operating his mother’s business — it did not hinder Condino from working hard and becoming passionate about what he does.

He studied abroad for a business degree and eventually became the first and youngest Filipino graduate from the University of Liverpool to finish his doctorate in Business Administration in 2020.

With a string of accolades and a track record of establishing multiple successful businesses, he is now passing down what he has learned through the years as a senior lecturer.

“My motivation was whatever I learned from overseas, from the UK for the past six years, I believe na hindi lang ako makaka-benefit dun. I believe that whatever I learn, whenever I go back to the Philippines, it will translate into helping people,” he said.

“I want to help people and I want to share my knowledge to the future leaders of today,” he added.

Due to his perseverance and compassionate leadership, MASA has emerged as the biggest below-the-line advertising agency in the Philippines, with over 15,000 employees utilizing 41 offices in the Philippines.

The ‘MASA’ way

While Condino is committed to providing more job opportunities to many Filipinos, he is also firm on making them stay and ensuring they work in a healthy and inclusive environment where they can grow and prosper.

Called the “MASA way,” the successful entrepreneur believes that having a strong and healthy organizational culture is the best way to create results in a cutthroat and demanding advertising agency.

“This culture enables us to do more and be more, and it is a competitive advantage so that we can also give jobs to everyone… So, dahil maganda ‘yung results, you will have more clients. More clients mean more jobs for everyone,” he said, adding that regardless of his employees’ positions, they will feel like they are a part of the bigger picture. 

With this, Condino continuously strives to foster a healthy environment where his employees can freely address their grievances, make them involved in important decisions in the company and motivate them to work hard and become productive.

This healthy work culture has helped his employees stay for over 10 years in the company. Moreover, it also helped productive and hardworking employees who are not college graduates to have higher-ranking positions in the company.

“If they feel that they are heard and valued in terms of the decision making, they feel that they are more important in the organization,” he said, mentioning that his business philosophy circles around making his employees grow and become successful along the way.

Condino added: “Leaders should not create more followers; leaders should create more leaders.