Many of you are probably extremely fond of chocolate. But then again, who wouldn’t be?
In Asia, as soon as you walk into a grocery store or convenience store, you can find Meiji products on the shelves. Meiji is responsible for producing numerous delicious snacks like Meiji chocolate, Fran, Yan Yan, Kaaru, and Hello Panda, as well as many others.
A few days ago, I had the honour of meeting Mr. Toyohiro Shimakawa, the Senior Director of Meiji Seika Singapore.
At first sight, Mr. Shimakawa comes across as a reserved man. Glasses rest on his nose as he stands tall with a slight frame. We entered a small meeting room, and the interview began.
When asked the differences between good leaders and great leaders, Mr. Shimakawa replied that he thought good leaders were competent, but great leaders are those who are competent enough to lead aforementioned good leaders. Also, great leaders are usually capable of leading large groups of people, such as a country.
When asked for advice, he immediately shot out: “Listen!” Then, he further explained. Open your ears to those around you and you will go places in life.
Today, we met Dr. David Yazdani of Cisco Systems. Trim and energetic, he was a very cheerful presence in our group. First, we started off with lunch in the Cisco cafeteria, Building 7. Apparently, there are 12 buildings, in which three include cafeterias, on the Cisco campus. During lunch, Mr. Yazdani gave a short history of Cisco and himself. Born in Iran, Mr. Yazdani grew up in a very well off family. Unfortunately, due to a civil war, he moved to America with only $2000. Afterwards, he joined Cisco and progressed to the position in which he is in today.