LEADERSHIP CORNER
Becker president pursues excellence, smells roses

Interviewed by David Butts
Advertiser Staff Writer

Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

Personal profile

• Self portrait: Grateful and pleased with my professional and personal life. I get a lot of satisfaction from my work, and even after all these years in public relations, I still feel challenged and stimulated by each new opportunity to create solutions. I place rather high expectations on myself in my professional life, but make a conscious effort to balance pursuit of excellence with smelling the roses.

• Favorite book: I love to read and to write. Therefore, among my very favorites is "Bird By Bird — Some Instructions on Writing and Life," by Anne Lamott. I also got a lot of wisdom and laughter from the book written by Continental Airlines' Gordon Bethune, "From Worst To First: Behind the Scenes of Continental Remarkable Comeback." Each morning, I read the day's passage from a monthly booklet called Daily Word. Its messages always sink deep, and generally set the tone for the day.

• Favorite Web site or search engine: Other than the Becker Communications site, naturally, my favorite is Divina Cucina. It belongs to Judy Witts Francini, a former San Franciscan who lives in Florence, is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, and who gives cooking classes and absolutely delightful tours of the Chianti area. Her Web site is always lively and interesting — and features several of my favorite subjects — Italy, Tuscan cooking and wine.

• Most remembered mentor: Most remembered — my parents. Through their guidance, wisdom and actions, they taught me to believe in myself, to act from a point of kindness and compassion, to tap my innate determination when challenges arise, and to know that — in the end — everything will work out just fine. Today, I have one other mentor. We don't see each other very often, but when we do, I always come away with new inspiration about the big picture of life. He is Sanford Murata, with Kamehameha Schools.

• Best part of the job: Our clients, in particular the people within the companies, organizations and institutions we represent. It's a joy to work with them, and to use our resources and strengths to help them meet objectives, develop new vision, and accomplish things together. The great bonus comes when the individuals with whom we work express their appreciation for what we do.

• Trademark expression: Who you are is the most important decision you will ever make.

• Worst decision as a leader: I'll give you two examples because they both were the result of a good quality leading to a bad decision. One was keeping a client long after we should have let it go because the company wasn't being honest with us. The other is keeping an employee long after that person should have been moved along, which affected our other employees' morale. In both cases, my sense of loyalty overrode my common sense. I've learned a better balance between the two.

• What I worry about most: At this point in my life, my biggest worry is maintaining balance between my work and personal lives so that I'm a well-rounded person. I need to pay more attention to taking care of, and growing, my spiritual self.

• Most difficult challenge: Finding talented people who have the same passion for their work that I and the others in the company have. We have a great team, but as we continue to grow, we'll need to continue finding people who share our values as a company. Frankly, I believe they're out there, so I'm not greatly concerned.

• Leadership tip: Surround yourself with people who complement and enhance your own strengths, and who have strengths in areas where you may be weak. Take to heart Stephen Covey's statement, "It's more important to first understand than to be understood." Believe in your instincts. Never compromise your integrity.

Taking on... Fear of failing

One problem you encountered as a manager and how you solved it:

The problem was with myself — the fear of failing when I was younger made me hesitant to make decisions based in risk-taking. How did I solve it? Through experience. One day, I read William Shedd's quote, "A ship in a safe harbor is safe. But that is not what a ship is built for." Once that sunk in, taking practical risks became much easier. It's made all the difference.