 Hi, I'm Rusty Komori, and this is Beyond the Lines on Think Tech, Hawaii. I was the head coach of the Punahou Boys Varsity Tennis Team for 22 years, and we were fortunate to win 22 consecutive state championships. This show is based on my books Beyond the Lines and Beyond the Game, and it's about leadership, character, and creating a superior culture of excellence. My special guest today is an impressive leader who's the founder and CEO of IQ360. She is Lori Teranishi, and today we are going beyond strategic communications. Hey, Lori, welcome to Beyond the Lines. Hi, Rusty. So happy to be here today. Thanks for having me. Lori, you and I know each other since high school. One of your best friends was my girlfriend, so we go way back. And I'm so happy to see how you have become such a highly respected CEO now. It's hard to believe, right, Rusty? We were high schoolers, and we knew each other in college, and I guess we've become leaders to some extent, far cry from where we started, maybe. Well, I'm so impressed. I'm so happy about all the impact that you've been making, not just here in Hawaii, but in the United States and around the world. And Lori, can you share a bit about your background? Sure. Well, as you know, Rusty, I grew up in Hawaii. I moved to San Francisco actually when I was 10 years old, so I started my back and forth between Hawaii and San Francisco actually as a child. But we moved back to Hawaii when I was in eighth grade, and I graduated from St. Andrew's Priory, and then went on to the University of Utah, where I double-majored in political science and communication because I actually thought I would go to law school, which I didn't do. I ended up getting a graduate degree in business, but oddly enough, I always tell people I'm a lawyer magnet because I work with many, many attorneys in my career now, which I enjoy. And anyway, after graduating, I went on to work for a number of multinational companies, including Visa, where I spent the bulk of my career before starting IQ. And so I was in a variety of communications roles. I was chief of staff, charge chief operating officer, and then headed up a division of product development in our R&D group. Well, Laurie, you and I both had the plan of going into law school, and we both didn't go into law school. And I think it's interesting to see how we both have evolved. But Laurie, your company won a big national award being one of the top 100 agencies in the United States. Tell me why you started IQ 360. Well, you know, I started IQ 360 because to be honest, I didn't feel that in our profession, our profession is misunderstood. And that part of it is self-inflicted. There are, you know, like any profession, there are varying levels of how your profession is practiced. But I had this feeling that communications informed by business strategy could be one of the most powerful tools in an organization's toolkit. And so I wanted to practice a different form of communications. And I learned that from my mentor, John Onoda, who I worked with at Visa. And actually, one of the greatest gifts I feel like of my career is having John Onoda come and join our firm a year and a half ago. And so I get to work with him every day. And together, along with all our team, we are offering this different approach to communication. So what does that mean? It means using, really trying to understand a business's drivers or an organization's drivers and what goals they're trying to get to from a business standpoint, then looking at all their stakeholder groups. That's why we have the 360 in our name and trying to ascertain what forms of communication, what messaging will help to create the understanding and, frankly, the action that we would like these audiences to take. Laurie, so do you guys help businesses with crisis management as well? We, yes. I mean, we were actually, when I started the firm in San Francisco in 2010, we almost exclusively did crisis and litigation communication because, you know, when you're in a large market, you have to specialize. And I knew I would be moving back to Hawaii, which I did in 2011. And when I moved back here and our headquarters is in Hawaii, although we have offices in San Francisco, New York and DC, we had to become more broad in our offerings. So we offer now everything from, you know, we do a lot actually of business consulting because when I was chief of staff at Visa, I managed a lot of the business planning process and a lot of the strategic planning process for Visa. So unlike, we kind of sit between what you would think a traditional management consulting firm would do and what a communications firm would do. And we're sort of in this middle area where we do both. So now we don't just do crisis and litigation communications. We do brand strategy and also what you would consider marketing and communications, you know, sort of traditional services. Now, Laurie, when COVID happened, I mean, it affected everybody, obviously. How did COVID affect your business? And what did you do to try to navigate your way through it? Like many businesses, it was a complete shock to the system. Oddly enough, I had delivered a presentation to a number of senior HR executives just one month before the pandemic hit. And I was making, they asked, they had asked me to speak on remote work. And why I believed remote work was something that more Hawaii businesses should embrace fully. And, you know, I did get some pushback in that presentation. And then boom, you know, like in the blink of an eye, we all had to shift toward that model. And you would think because IQ 360 was already operating in that model, at least between our Hawaii and mainland colleagues, we would have been better prepared, but it was still difficult for us. We lost a third of our business in a matter of three months. And we, you know, we had to stop meeting in person in our Honolulu office. So we made adjustments. You know, one thing I'm very proud of, both from a Hawaii community standpoint, as well as our company is that I think we proved to ourselves that our core values as a state and certainly mine, you know, as a company of taking care of one another, being flexible, being resilient, just trying to find solutions and not panicking. I think we did that. And so, you know, we were able to recover our revenue fairly quickly. We actually, like many businesses, learn new ways to communicate. Sometimes we do try now that it's safe to do so, do brainstorming in person when we can. But when we want to bring in our mainland colleagues, we, we, you know, have used a number of different software tools, like, you know, virtual Post-it Noting and brainstorming tools. So, you know, I think we're all in a much better place than we were three years ago in terms of collaboration and productivity. Laurie, a few months ago, you were a moderator in Tokyo for an executive panel, one of which was the CEO of Amazon Japan. Tell me about that. You know, I was a great honor to be on stage with leaders that have tens of thousands of employees. You know, we're a fairly small firm. And, of course, they are operating at a scale. But that's so much greater. However, one of the things that I was struck by was that even Nick Nagano, who's the chair, chairman of the board of Tokyo Marine, I believe they have over 40,000 employees worldwide. And Jeff Spur Chung, the CEO of Amazon Japan, they talked a lot about culture, about spending a lot of 80% of their time on people and on communication and making sure that companies understood their purpose, which is near and dear to my heart because much of our consulting in the ESG area, but also in our business strategy consulting has to do with how are we aligning against purpose? How do we create the right culture so that you can, you know, get the most out of your teams and meet your business goals? So that's that's what I was really struck by, that they, you know, you think that they focus only on numbers and both of them have a finance background, but they really did focus on on the people aspect. No, I love hearing that, Laurie. And you were also recently on a panel for Hawaii Business Magazine talking about ESG. And can you share with our audience what ESG is and why you're so passionate about it? Yes. So ESG stands for environmental, social and governance. And it has to do with how organizations report beyond their financial performance, what they're doing in the environmental space to address climate change and other environmental issues, what they're doing on the social front. So how are they interacting with society? How are they helping their communities? How are they, you know, with their products and services doing no harm or is doing as little harm as they can and also creating opportunity? And on the government side, how are they managing their companies or their organizations? Do they have the right mix of diversity? And, you know, different voices in leadership roles. And so, you know, while BlackRock and others have really put a focus on this, this is something, you know, people, there have been attacks recently, by the way, on ESG. People who feel that, you know, it's kind of a movement from the left. But when you look in a broader scope, when I first started my career, companies were talking about corporate social responsibility, another acronym CSR. So, you know, people can argue that ESG, you know, is not is the fad of the moment. But over time, when you look at how companies have progressed in terms of their their thinking around what they're doing for society, what they're doing for the environment, this has been a decades long endeavor. And because climate change is such a critical issue, and it will be one of the most difficult issues that we will face in our time, we need to, in my opinion, be focused on ESG. So it's really been interesting for me and something I care about both at a personal level as well as a company level. Now, I can really see that, Laurie. And Laurie, earlier, you mentioned about that importance of creating a culture of excellence. And you have definitely created a superior culture of excellence with your company and your team. What does that culture look like? Yeah, thanks for asking it. It is something I'm extremely passionate about. You know, you mentioned an award that we received on the national level earlier, but actually, the word that I'm most proud of is we were awarded in Hawaii by PPN, Best Workplaces. And we've received that award, thankfully, for four years. And, you know, why do I value that award the most? It's because I have the reason I started the company is I wanted to work with people that shared the same values that I do. And I always talk about David Kelly, the founder of IDEO. I read a quote by him once. He said he wanted to start a company where he could work with his friends. And, you know, I realize in a business, we're not. You can't always be everybody's friend, just like as a parent. You can't be your kid's friend. But we we we do have fun and we work together. You know, it's like what you talk about in your book, Rusty. It's about working together seamlessly as a team. And so we have a we have one way to create a culture of excellence and a culture that everyone wants to be a part of is to have a purpose, you know, and our purpose is to use the power of communication to tackle the greatest challenges of our time and have a lasting impact. And while that seems really aspirational and it should be, there are things that we do every day to to to get there. And and and what we do is we tell we assure our people that they have the leeway and the freedom to make decisions on their own, that they have the opportunity to fail. We have a high, high tolerance for risk taking and failure at our company. And you have to create that environment so that people try to do new things. And I'm sorry to go on and on, Rusty. But if I could just say one thing, when I first moved back to Hawaii from San Francisco area, so, you know, Silicon Valley and San Francisco, I was struck by just a little more reticence in the Hawaii community for risk. And I understand that because we live on an island here. So people have long memories. But in Silicon Valley, people wear risk taking and failure as a badge of honor. And so I would I have had to try to instill that part that thinking in our culture. And it's a it's an ongoing thing because as you get bigger, the tolerance tolerance for risk is is, you know, receipts. So so it's something that we as leaders, I believe, always have to be mindful of. And, you know, just always creating that culture, that that safety so that people aren't afraid to try. Lori, I'm glad you brought that up, the the difference about how Silicon Valley companies look at risk as a badge of honor. And, you know, I'm trying to inspire companies that I work with that, you know, they need to take calculated risks because risk promotes growth, as you know. And, Lori, you mentioned my books earlier. You have both of my books. What what stood out to you in it? Well, one thing that stood out to me is in the many stories that you tell that you relay based on your experience coaching, many, many of them touch upon communication. And I think communication is an undervalued asset with organizations sometimes, you know, that's sort of like a checkbox. Like, yeah, we have to communicate that, but it's not really considered always at the C-suite level in the early stages. And so what happens is then you get to a certain point, you know, an inflection point where, OK, you have to communicate and all of the stakeholder views, all of the issues or potential issues down the road haven't been considered. And and some companies just forge ahead because it's too late, right? So I it's interesting to me in your books, how you talk not only about, you know, the importance of communication, which is a very instructive to leaders everywhere, whether you're a coach on a sports team, whether you're an athlete yourself, whether you're the CEO of a major corporation, you know, communications has to be done number one at a strategic level and really treated as one of the most important strategic tools that an organization has available to it. Secondly, leaders need to spend time focused on communications. I think in that panel that you mentioned in Tokyo that I moderated people came up to me afterwards and said that they were shocked by how much time these two CEOs talked about communications. Three, leaders have to communicate frequently and say the same thing over and over. I don't know. There are studies out there that say you have to hear something seven times for it to stick. Well, that's true. And so you can't just say it once and expect everyone to to hear it and absorb it, right? And Rusty, the other thing you say in your book, I think I'm going to limp here because I don't remember, you know, actual an actual passage or anything, but reinforcing the communication through action. So it's it's not just your words, but how the company behaves, how the leaders behave. And so all of that is communication, right? And it's it's extremely important, but it can be hugely powerful. So it's an opportunity for all of us. Yeah, you're right, Laurie, because I highlighted the importance of words and actions and and if you can match your actions to your words, I mean, that builds trust and respect, which adds to the culture of excellence of any team. And Laurie, you're you're also the chairman of Girl Scouts Hawaii. And I want to know what is your history and connection with the Girl Scouts? Well, my my yes, I am the board chair of the Girl Scouts of Hawaii. And it's something I'm very, very proud of. They're just proud to be associated with an organization that's doing so many great things nationally, but also locally in the community. And actually, the Girls Scouts of Hawaii to me is a microcosm for how we should be looking in general about projecting Hawaii's strengths to the world. So we are the second smallest council in the country. And yet I believe we are definitely one of the most innovative, definitely having an outsized impact. So and the reason why I got involved in Girl Scouts in the first places, I was a Girl Scout myself and, you know, learned a lot of things. I talked about risk taking and failure. I for anyone who knows me, including you, Rusty, you know that I much rather spend my time at a mall or, you know, like someplace indoors, then going out into the elements. But Girl Scouts taught me that I could I, you know, could enjoy nature. I could enjoy getting out of my comfort zone and learning new skills. And so that's why I encouraged both of my daughters to become Girl Scouts. And I have seen the growth and the moving them outside their comfort zones that Girl Scouts has provided them with. And in fact, my youngest, my younger daughter, just a couple of months ago, received her Girl Scout Gold Award, which is, you know, similar to the what's more known, the Boy Scout Eagle Award. But there's a number of leadership opportunities that accrue from Girl Scouts. And if I could just say one thing, make one plug for Girl Scouts of Hawaii, we are building what's only going to be the second Girl Scout STEM Center in the country. We are in the last stages of our capital campaign. We raised most of the funds during the pandemic, which I think no one thought we could do. And it's been designated an international Girl Scout destination. So my what makes me so excited is that we are going to hopefully take our state of Hawaii that ranks almost last in terms of STEM readiness for our youth and really try to inspire and expose young people, especially young women, to STEM careers. And so that, to me, is really, really exciting. Well, Laurie, when I saw that you were the chair of the Girl Scouts Hawaii, I thought, wow, they are so lucky to have you. And Laurie, you, your IQ360 company was a sponsor for the Alzheimer's Walk, and you had your team members there. And how was that experience for them? We do. So that day was, you know, was a really we're we're grateful to be a part of it. We we do participate in many, many community activities that that is part of our DNA. You know, we recently supported Ukraine relief organizations, not not by walking, but, you know, through financial contributions because, you know, people are suffering. So both on a global level, a community level in Hawaii, but in our communities around the country in which we operate, we feel a responsibility to to do that. And I think that is something that I really learned growing up in Hawaii and something I feel is. We talked about ESG earlier, Rusty. And one thing that I don't know if Hawaii leaders see in themselves, but the S part of ESG, the social part, we talked about the pandemic. I just thought it was remarkable how this entire community came together to address a lot of these issues. But that is part of how Hawaii leaders conduct themselves day to day. They don't just think, well, you know, I'm the the head of this company. And so, you know, I'm just going to focus on making money for the company. They look at the larger context because we do come from an island community. And so that's why I think Hawaii has a lot to share with the world in terms of how we think about our businesses within the larger context of our community and how we operate. Yeah, I completely agree with you, Laurie. And you and I have been around many great leaders throughout these years. And what do you feel the greatest leaders do? You know, I think that they create. We talked a lot about culture in this in this talk, and I think they create an environment where people are set up to do their very best, right? No one's the same and you want an organization that's diverse. People have diverse communication styles. They have diverse ways of looking at the world. That's why actually at IQ we have lawyers, architects, you know, engineers, MBAs. I mean, just a variety of different viewpoints. But a leader, a good leader understands how to communicate so that everyone's focused on a common purpose, regardless of the perspectives they walk in the door with. And they're all focused on this common objective and then creates a culture where they feel free to unleash those gifts and get the best. And how do you do that? A lot of it stems from communicating the purpose and how what we're doing. My father has been a longtime CEO of different organizations. And when he retired as CEO of Hawaiian hosts, they made a special box for him and it had my dad's picture on it. And the special Hawaiian host chocolate box said in big letters, you know, you can't manage what you can't measure because that's been his mantra. So, you know, communicating where you are and then inspiring people to continue to work towards those goals. That's what great leaders do and they do and they have fun. They try to have fun. We have a lot of fun because work is hard. So you need to you need to have fun while you're doing it, I believe. Well, Laurie, I know that you you're a lot of fun. And I know that some people, some people say that other people don't. I know that your team, they must have a lot of fun with you, but they must really appreciate you. And how would they describe your leadership style? I hope that they would describe my leadership as open and honest. That's that's the first thing. As a leader, I believe that. People will follow you. They'll listen to you there. They'll open their hearts and minds to you if they believe that you are honest and that they have a trust, you know, a relationship, a trust with you. So I hope that they would say that I am open and honest and ethical. That's that's to me something that's non-negotiable. Secondly, I would hope that they felt that my leadership style was empathetic. I mean, it's not that I have still a lot of work to to do in that area. I might actually mention my dad before he always tells me talk less. So I need to listen more. I know you said that on your book to listen. But I do try to look at problems from, you know, a view of the other person, the other people, the other stakeholders, because that's the only way that you can achieve your your goals usually, right? You can't just look at it from your own perspective. And then finally, one of our key tenets, you know, are one of our values that IQ is to work without ego. And so, you know, I do try to I hope that they would say that we accept constructive feedback and that we are always, always looking to improve our craft. It's continuous improvement. Not, you know, I'm also I mean, we're not perfectionist, but we always want to operate at the very highest highest levels of our profession. I agree with you, Laurie. There's nothing wrong with striving for perfection because you'll catch excellence along the way. And Laurie, I have to say that it was great having you on the show today. I want more Laurie Teraniches in the world. And I want to thank you for joining me on the show today. It was a pleasure being here, Rusty. And I'm, you know, one thing about being from Hawaii is that we really value relationships and we look at relationships as long term endeavors. It's not it's not transactional like it can be sometimes in other places. And so you and I are examples of that, right, of knowing each other for decades and still being able to support each other. And and so I'm very grateful for that. Thank you. Thank you, Laurie. And thank you for watching Beyond the Lines on Think Tech, Hawaii. For more information, please visit RustyKamori.com. And my books are available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I hope that Laurie and I will inspire you to create your own superior culture of excellence and to find your greatness and help others find theirs. Aloha. Thank you so much for watching Think Tech, Hawaii. If you like what we do, please like us and click the subscribe button on YouTube and the follow button on Vimeo. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and donate to us at thinktechhawaii.com. Mahalo.