Leaders in REM: Jim Sanduski

For those who are new here, every week(ish) I'll share various topics that I think are important for the modern leader in Retail Ecommerce Management.

Every so often, I get the privilege to speak with inspirational leaders through my podcast Leaders in REM, and I’d love to start regularly sharing some of my favorite lessons learned from these conversations.

Jim Sanduski, President at Sharp Home Electronics Company of America, is a remarkable individual whose career journey began in the mailroom of a bank in Omaha during his high school years. Jim's ambition and business acumen drove him to tackle challenges such as studying abroad in Japan for two years and assuming pivotal roles at renowned consumer electronic brands like Sony, Samsung, HP, Panasonic, and now Sharp.

During our conversation, Jim shared invaluable insights on leadership, risk-taking, and navigating difficult career decisions. Here are my key takeaways from our chat:

1. Early exposure to business can breed future leaders. Jim's passion for business and leadership emerged early on when he took a business class through Distributive Clubs of America and represented Nebraska as an officer at the national conference. He also participated in Junior Achievement, which until now has continued to give high school students the opportunity to experience the life cycle of a business. Mentored by leaders from Western Electric, Jim and his peers formed a company, sold stocks to their families and friends, produced and sold their own products, reported results, and distributed profits back to shareholders at the end of the year. These experiences laid the foundation for Jim's remarkable career.
2. Be comfortable outside of your comfort zone. Coming out of college, Jim had to make a tough decision between job offers from Northwestern Bell and GE. Initially, he declined the GE offer because it felt safe to stay close to his parents in Omaha. But his gut feeling gave him sleepless nights, so he rescinded his decision and took the risk of getting out of his comfort zone. He learned to not always go with what felt safe and knew that he could always go back to Omaha if it didn't work out.
3. Create an environment that is not risk-averse. Jim's time at Samsung taught him the value of trusting that his employees are making the right decisions. As a leader, he puts proper incentives to encourage appropriate decision-making and then, measures results afterwards. But his ultimate goal is to cultivate a culture where individuals feel that they can take measured risks, and know that even if their plans don't materialize, they can reflect and learn from the experience without getting punished for it.
4. Treat people with respect -- especially on their way out. In the first three months of being the president at Sharp, Jim was tasked to cut down the size of the organization. One-third of the employees had to be let go. Aside from expressing gratitude for the contributions of each affected individual and supporting the transition with a good package, Jim led all the conversations to assure each of them that the decision was not a reflection of the quality of their work, but a business decision that the company had to make. According to Jim, we have to remember that the people we work with spend as much time at work as they do with their families, so we should treat them with utmost respect and compassion.

It was fascinating to revisit my conversation with Jim Sanduski. If you haven't already, listen to my full interview with Jim on Leaders in REM, available on Spotify and Apple.