88: Eric Wedemeyer, Managing Director, Tactus Partners

Originally from the US, Eric Wedemeyer initially lived in Taiwan
working in journalism. He then came to Japan in 1980 and started
out at a small PR firm, then moved on to working in magazines.
Having gained some advertising experience, Mr. Wedemeyer next
joined Cove-Ito Advertising as a writer first, eventually
becoming the Creative Director, then Vice President of Strategic
Marketing Services. He also became Chief Executive of Cove-Ito
Interactive, a spin-off company of the original ad agency. Mr.
Wedemeyer currently is the Managing Director of Tactus Partners
as well as J-Global, Inc., an intercultural management services
company.


 


As Creative Director of Cove-Ito, Mr. Wedemeyer oversaw around
20-30 people during the 1980s through 90s. Having worked in other
parts of the world including Taiwan, Mr. Wedemeyer observed that
Japanese staff needed more clarity and were reluctant to try out
new and different things. Mr. Wedemeyer explains that gaining
trust from his Japanese staff was a gradual process, but his
knowledge of the foreign advertising market in Japan helped him
gain credibility. The marketing agency closed after the 2008
Global Financial Crisis, and Mr. Wedemeyer joined Tactus, where
he initially led brand strategy.


 


On maintaining employee engagement, Mr. Wedemeyer says having a
clear direction and purpose gives people a target to aim at,
which helps them stay engaged. He also explains how delegating
and motivating people to take initiative themselves energizes
them. Mr. Wedemeyer recalled one client manufacturing company he
worked with who took this idea to heart. The company wanted their
workforce to think more about better serving customer needs, and
launched an initiative in which the entire company department
delivered a presentation to the CEO on their insight. Mr.
Wedemeyer says this initiative allowed people to think more about
their work and communicate their ideas to the CEO, who was eager
to listen to their thoughts. This boosted the organization’s
motivation, exceeding what Mr. Wedemeyer had originally
envisioned.


 


Mr. Wedemeyer says branding boils down to being a promise kept.
He gives an example: “Our mission is to turn people blue. Then
you make what I call a strategic question. You get your people to
ask this question about everything that they do no matter where
they are in their company and what they're doing. Does this make
people blue? How could I change what I'm doing to make people
bluer? If everybody in the company is thinking how to answer that
one question from a thousand different directions…it really gets
the company moving in one direction.”


 


To newcomers leading in Japan, Mr. Wedemeyer advises them to take
time to learn about Japan, such as joining a local networking
group like the American Chamber of Commerce Japan, and get some
cross-cultural advice from more experienced professionals. He
further explains that knowing how a Japanese business operates
will enable one to understand why people act in certain ways and
be a tremendous time saver. Getting an interpreter is also a way
to get valuable insight from the local Japanese businesspeople
even if one cannot speak Japanese. Secondly, Mr. Wedemeyer
advises to always walk the talk and make sure what you say aligns
with your behaviour. Mr. Wedemeyer thinks that learning Japanese
is very helpful, but depending on how long people are planning to
stay in Japan, it is case by case.