Recap written by regional lead Saki Takasu
On February 25, 2025, we heard Visionary Voices from Michael Kobori and John Onoda moderated by Sydney Dake. While their paths may have started from humble origins of academia and non-profit development work, their journey weaving through corporate careers at Levi’s, GM, McDonald’s, Visa, Charles Schwab, and Starbucks showed a life-long career path in top global companies.
A key highlight was the emphasis on visionary leadership. There’s a distinction between visionary leaders and managers – visionary leaders change mindsets and move people with a gravitational pull of inspiration.
I also loved how Michael underscored the most fundamental part of leadership: Trust. The sense of safety that your leader has your back is essential for any team to thrive and perform beyond expectations (we are both fans of The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle). This was another great evening spent with our community of leaders and aspiring leaders!