Cosco Oben’s relentless pursuit of happiness
The definition of happiness depends on who you talk to.
Some may delight in life’s simple pleasures – a quiet afternoon, some mellow music, and perhaps a good book (are those still a thing in the age of TikTok?). Others enjoy a wild night of partying, moving their bodies to the beat and downing shots, like a camel after hours in the desert.
The spectrum of happiness is just as diverse in the motoring world. Some revel in the company of other enthusiasts in a parking lot tambay, while others grin like the Cheshire Cat from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland when they to go all-out on a race track.
But happiness matters just as much when you’re in the business of selling cars. And no, it isn’t just about beefing up your bottom line.
“We really work hard to keep our people engaged in all of the directions of Toyota Motor Philippines and the Oben Group,” said Oben Group president Cosco Oben in an exclusive interview with Inquirer Motoring.
“And what’s important is our people are happy,” he added.
Decades of trailblazing excellence
The Oben Group was founded over three decades ago by company chair Atty. Reginaldo Oben, who is Cosco’s father.
The company handles Toyota Balintawak, Toyota Otis, Toyota North EDSA, Toyota Marilao and Toyota San Jose Del Monte. It recently won four of the five most prestigious accolades at the Toyota Motor Philippines Dealer Conference, including the President’s Award of Excellence, for its exemplary performance in 2023.
The Oben Group is also the main force behind the Obengers Racing Team, which has become the dominant force in the one-make Toyota GAZOO Racing Vios Cup and the Formula V1 single-seater series.
Oben said the biggest secret behind all of the group’s phenomenal success is happiness.
“I believe in the saying that when your team members are happy, your customers will also be happy,” he said. “We all started with satisfaction. Now, we’re moving into exceeding the expectations of our customers, and if you want to exceed their expectations, we have to exceed the expectations of our employees, too.”
Pleasure, passion, purpose
Oben said among the most important things they teach their team is how to define and pursue happiness, both in life and at work.
“Happiness is not all about the money in your pocket,” he said. “It’s all about pleasure, passion, and purpose.”
Oben said that’s why the company invests heavily in activities that make their employees not only enjoy going to work, but also remain driven in sharing their happiness to their customers.
“The most important part that I talk about with them every time we cascade our happiness initiatives is the purpose part – why we live, why we’re here,” he said. “We tell them that we’re here to help more people, not just to our customers, but also to our respective families and the community.”
Given how much greatness the Oben Group has achieved all these years, perhaps such a profound and communal definition of happiness would greatly benefit us all.
