Through the power of storytelling, facilitators from Seraphim Consulting & Training Solutions, Linda Callecod and Jamila Page, illustrated the important role emotional intelligence and behavior styles play in the interactions we have with others.  Knowing when to flex your style and to rotate the iceberg can make all the difference in organizational and personal success.

Here are a few reflections from our 2012 participants:

From Erik Williamson, Weyerhaeuser Company, Puget Sound Leadership Discovery:

 “I have always been an advocate of understanding your own personal behavioral style. This allows you to capitalize on your strengths and improve upon and be aware of your opportunity areas. It also gives you an understanding of how you tend to think and react in different situations. In our April session, along with learning about our own behavioral styles, we learned how to identify and adapt to other people’s styles. Now when working with others I have a better understanding of where they are coming from and what their preferences are. This allows me to tailor my actions and behavior to complement theirs and ultimately work together in a more effective and efficient way.” 

From Paul Sohn, The Boeing Company, Portland Leadership Discovery:

PERSPECTIVES ON EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE from EDI’s Leadership Development Program 

(an excerpt from Paul’s blog)

 EQ vs. IQ at Workplace: The reality in our current workplace shows, rather sharply, the disconnect between EQ and IQ. Think about the company that you currently work for. Were you primarily hired based on your cognitive skills and technical capabilities or your interpersonal capabilities, or simply people skills? The truth of the matter is pedigree and track records outlined in your resume has a lot to do with your IQ. What you may not know is that IQ is a threshold competence. You need it, but it isn’t what makes you a star performer. What truly propels you to be a star performer originates from your people and interpersonal capabilities (EQ). I wonder how many people have fully appreciated this fact and have embraced developing themselves as an EQ leader.  

Power of Storytelling:  People are naturally hardwired for stories. If you think about the so-called greatest figures that made a dent in this universe, all of them had a compelling story to tell. These are very stories that stick in our mind. I witness such power of storytelling at the first EDI session. Each of the stories by Jamila our guest speaker were punctuated with such authenticity, vulnerability. I found myself absolutely engrossed in her superlative performance of weaving stories into the tapestry of emotional intelligence captivating each person in the room.

The secret ingredient of such powerful stories stems its ability to galvanize people to “act” –  break the old time habit, to initiate new changes for growth and development, and to embrace a calculated and healthy risk in our decision making process. At least, Jamila inspired me to uncover the tip of the self-awareness iceberg through this my sobering reflections and writings.

Read Paul’s Blog

Enrique Cerna, executive producer, host and co-creator of the weekly regional current affairs program KCTS 9 CONNECTS, will emcee the annual fundraiser on June 8 at SODO Park (3200 1st Avenue South, Seattle).

“I couldn’t turn down an opportunity to promote diversity in leadership,” said Cerna when asked to emcee Inclusion Fusion.  ”EDI is an organization I’m honored to support.”

Jenette Ramos, vice president, Boeing Commercial Airplanes and Cathy Slater, vice president, Weyerhaeuser Company are the executive hosts for the benefit dinner.  Boeing and Weyerhaeuser are long-standing sponsors of EDI.

Inclusion Fusion will also feature two multi-cultural chefs from renowned Pacific Northwest restaurants complementing EDI’s mission of delivering culturally tailored leadership programs.

Marta Vega, the chef/owner of El Pilón in Columbia City, is a native of Mayaguez in Puerto Rico and will be one of the appetizer chefs.   Her restaurant serves diners with authentic Puerto Rican soul food like mofongo or fried green plantain mashed with garlic, served in a broth, since early 2010.

Michael Posner, private chef/owner of Mango y Papaya, is also a featured appetizer chef.  A native of Venezuela, Posner is an expert at melding Latin, Asian and European flavors to create his own unique dishes.

Major sponsors for this benefit dinner, in addition to Boeing and Weyerhaeuser, include KeyBank Foundation, State Farm Insurance, Nordstrom, and Wells Fargo.   Laura Michalek, “Seattle’s Fundraising Auctioneer,” will be the featured auctioneer.  Participation at Inclusion Fusion is open to the public.  Funds raised will allow EDI to expand its programs in both content and diversity.  Please register at www.ediorg.org or call 425.467.9365.

EDI is the only Pacific Northwest non-profit organization that focuses on leadership training for multiethnic professionals. In its 19th year of operation, EDI has over 600 graduates.

Last month, President Obama honored Gordon Hirabayashi posthumously with the country’s highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  Hirabayashi was one of only 13 American citizens honored with this award (in the company of Bob Dylan and astronaut John Glenn.) This month, Obama also gave tribute to Hirabayashi in his Proclamation commemorating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.  The President’s recognition of Hirabayashi causes me to reflect on his legacy and leadership.

How do you define leadership?  When you think of a “leader” do you conjure up images of a smartly dressed CEO — confident, persuasive, a dynamic speaker who inspires employees? Surprisingly some of the most memorable leaders are, in fact, self-effacing and understated, with no high position or agenda, other than following one’s conscience and seeking justice and equality.

Gordon Hirabayashi, a University of Washington student, openly defied President Roosevelt’s forced relocation order of Japanese Americans during World War II.  He turned himself in to the FBI to assert that the internment order was racially discriminatory. He served a total of one year in prison and bravely took his challenge all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.   Little did he know that he would change history by following his conscience.

Over four decades later, the conviction was overturned saying that the U.S. internment policy was flawed and had been based on expediency–not national security.  Last year, it was disclosed that the U.S. Solicitor General had hidden from the federal court system an Office of Naval intelligence report that concluded Japanese Americans posed no military threat at all!

It is shocking to learn that one person, the U.S. Solicitor General, influenced the fate of Japanese American citizens.  At the same time, it is heartening to learn that one person, Gordon Hirabayashi, took a stand, was vindicated, and reversed this misguided verdict, changing the Japanese American legacy.

When his conviction was overturned, Hirabayashi said, “The U.S. government admitted it made a mistake.  A country that can do that is a strong country. I have more faith and allegiance to the Constitution than I ever had before.”

For me, the Japanese American incarceration is very personal.   My father was born in Hawaii but educated in Japan. While attending university in Japan, the war began and he was expelled from the school for having a dual U.S. citizenship. He then returned to Hawaii and was working at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked.

My father was incarcerated at Tule Lake Camp in California, one of the harshest camps where “rebellious” Japanese Americans were incarcerated. He refused to declare loyalty to the U.S. and to Japan, as he felt rejected by both countries.  He was a man without a country. Sadly, he died before President George H. Bush issued letters of apology in 1990.

120,000 Japanese American lives were disrupted and thrown into turmoil by the forced incarceration. However, this is not a just a story about Japanese Americans.  Fighting prejudice is an ongoing battle for many Americans. Gordon Hirabayashi is a civil rights pioneer, who courageously fought to uphold basic human rights. What he stood for and accomplished is a triumph for every American struggling to achieve equality.

Hirabayashi said, “… I never look at my case as just my own, or just as a Japanese-American case. It is an American case, with principles that affect the fundamental human rights of all Americans.”

The legacy of this American hero highlights his leadership style of sacrificing his own comfort, well-being, and security to act on his unwavering conscience and commitment to upholding the constitution.  This rare kind of leadership is remembered for generations.

Valarie Kusuda-Smick

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