10 Lessons from Manny Pacquiao

I am sitting in a long, transatlantic flight and trying to convince myself it is not feasible in my current frame of mind to attempt writing this column after I arrive the destination. I expect that by the time we land, I’m likely to be tired, exhausted and seeking just food and sleep-trying to put some 1000 or so words on paper is likely to be the least of my priorities! I probably had reconciled myself to this pessimistic narrative when I took up the Time Magazine I was reading and read the very last page-“10 Questions” which in the edition of August 19, 2013 featured Manny Pacquiao the Filipino world champion boxer who has achieved fame, wealth and power through his exploits in the boxing ring. Emmanuel “Manny” Dapidran Pacquiao is a professional boxer from the Philippines who has won multiple world titles across weight divisions and was elected into his country’s House of Representatives in 2010. I was not expecting the interview with Pacquiao to reveal any profundity or intellectual context-he was a boxer after all who had grown up in his country’s slums but the very first answer to a question about how he managed to juggle fighting with being a congressman surprised me-“it’s just time management” he said sharply. Well that discussion of a management concept by the boxer/politician proved to be the first of many. By the time I finished reading the interview, I had found something fresh and reinvigorating to write about and I knew that in spite of my travels, I was going to be writing that column as soon as I settled into my hotel room! In total I extracted 10 “lessons” Pacquiao was teaching in that interview-5 which he stated explicitly like the time management example above, and another 5 which he alluded to implicitly. I propose to share my perspective on those lessons with readers. “It’s Just Time Management”: Manny Pacquiao as I have mentioned is a world champion boxer across weight categories and divisions. But he has also done some acting; music and he is a successful politician and congressman. In addition, he is a military reservist with the rank of Lt. Colonel. How does he combine all these, and excel at all of them? It’s “just” time management he says and provides an example-he considers the importance of matters on the legislative agenda vis-à-vis his boxing regimen in deciding how to apportion his time. I can relate to Manny of course-I write a newspaper column and produce and present a television show, both of them weekly and essentially hobbies. Yet my source of income is my consultancy business which I manage full time. For a long time, I also taught “full time” in a business school and I frequently honour media requests for interviews. And I sit on boards which require significant input in terms of time and quality. It’s about Passion: Pacquiao was asked why continue fighting despite all the successes, money and political power he had acquired? And his answer was right out of my “personal strategy book”-“that’s my passion” he responded! I frequently tell audiences who express interest in entrepreneurship that in my opinion the starting point is finding one’s passion and developing a business model out of it. If you don’t enjoy it such that you would do it for free, you probably won’t make a success of it as a business! “I always think positive”: The interviewer asked Pacquiao whether he would quit boxing if he lost his next fight with Brandon Rios and again his retort was sharp-“I’m not thinking negative-I always think positive”. He was completely unwilling to countenance the possibility of losing! There was no “plan B” to winning like the army that burnt the bridge behind them and therefore had no alternative to fighting to prevail. Leadership is about the People: The fourth direct Pacquiao lesson was in relation to his role as a politician and legislator. He was asked what mattered to him as a politician and Pacquiao’s response was “we passed a lot of bills that benefit the people of my constituency”. I wonder how many Nigerian Parliamentarians and for that matter, CEOs can truthfully say it’s all about the people! The Ultimate Strategist: I have written before about the role of the ultimate strategist, God Almighty in the affairs of men. I do believe that in the end, it’s not by power, might, intellect or strategy, but ultimately the grace of God. Apparently so does Manny Pacquiao. He says “I still believe in Jesus Christ, I still believe in God the Father” and wishes to be remembered as “serving honestly and with the fear of God”. And then there were the 5 implicit lessons. One, the importance of phasing or sequencing your priorities-he would fight for as long as he can, but once he announces retirement, that would be it. Two, competition and adversity is good for you! Pacquiao agrees he picked a tough opponent, Rios for his imminent fight and he really wishes to fight Floyd Mayweather, probably his ultimate test. Three, Pacquiao says in relation to his next fight both that it would be tough because Rios is not an “easy opponent” but also that “it’s going to be fun” stressing the importance of enjoying your work. Four, China, Asia and the New World is important going forward-that’s why the Rios fight will be in China. Finally, Focus! Asked whether he had ambitions for higher office, Manny Pacquiao says he is presently focused on being a successful boxer and congressman.