The six individuals whose stories are told here had to learn new ways to manage as they faced down the Crisis or coped with other management challenges. There were days when they felt like going home and not returning. But they persevered. They and managers like them face a grueling task. The success of Asian restructuring depends on it.
Crisis comes in many forms.
In Lance Gokongwei's case a plane crash brought a sudden halt to a winning streak. In February 1998, Cebu Pacific Flight 387 slammed into a mountainside, killing all 104 people aboard. At the time Gokongwei had been running the fledgling airline for just two years. At first, senior executives recruited from other airlines were shocked to discover that they had only one secretary - not the three they were used to, but Gokongwei was adamant that bureaucracy be kept to a minimum. Next, he endeavored to build a firm in which employees had a personal stake.