Last July 13, 2010, I was able to attend the Planters’ Bank SME Speakers Series held at the Apo View Hotel here in Davao City. And I learned a lot from it.

The talk was about Ethics: Adding Values to Your Business with Francis J. Kong as the featured speaker. Mr. Kong is an entrepreneur, writer, tv show host, and professional public speaker. He gave a very rousing and inspiring talk on ethics, emphasizing that there is no such thing as “business ethics,” only ethics.

Kong asserted that the way one lives his life is reflected on how he does business. Thus, he conducts himself ethically inside and outside of his business. He also prefers to work with and deal with ethical people who are honest and disciplined inside and and outside of the office.

Kong was not just knowledgeable about business, he was a damn good speaker. He knew what to say and how it say it effectively. His topic was serious but his talk was light-hearted and funny. His jokes were relevant and didn’t lessen the impact of his points. Rather, his jokes and asides highlighted his very serious points.

The talk was definitely very useful and practical for all the attendees. And it definitely inspired the entrepreneurs who were there.

Photo courtesy of Chattee Lara.