Extol March - April 2020 | Page 68

EXECUTIVE ANDREW TAKAMI in balance at home. My wife Ann, in particular, has sacrificed to ensure our kids have what they need to ensure they are the individuals we wish for them to be; parenting is so important and, to me, our family’s needs come first. Our immediate family has also been of great help to ensure I am able to balance my responsibilities at the office and at home. I do spend more time than I once did, early during my time at Purdue, with my kids over the weekends –– it is a special time for us while we either have Ann join us or “give mommy a break.” I also have an open calendar with my family so we know how to share evening duties at home when I am not working. It is not always easy balancing a home and work life, of course, but God has blessed us. EXTOL: Why do you think a mentor is critical to success? TAKAMI: I believe mentorship, something that has been standard through the ages, is more important today than ever. Our society and culture appears fragmented. We can learn many things from people who have perspectives from years past. When I met my mentor, J. Robert Shine, he was 74 years old; he served as a mentor to me for 20 years. He gave me many perspectives from his years of living. (Mr. Shine was very active in my life, until the accident that took his life; we enjoyed weekly lunches, etc.) Mr. Shine taught me many lessons, including how to be a gentleman. He was well-known himself as ethical and someone with high more character –– a gentleman. I learned many things from him, especially how he approached situations. And often, when dealing with people, the most 66 EXTOL : FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020 important lesson I learned from him – more than what he said – was, often, when he did not say. He held everyone to a high standard. I saw how everyone, including myself, conducted ourselves in such a way as to bring distinction to ourselves and to others. A joke around our house was “Andrew, what would Mr. Shine do?” This was something my wife would ask me from time to time. Mr. Shine was very philanthropic. Many times I watched how he expressed appreciation for when he was solicited by nonprofits. And, almost always, he would give charitably to support community causes. He worked until he was 94 so he could keep giving to others. Another thing I learned from Mr. Shine was to have faith in others, more than what might be commonplace. He believed the best in people and knew they would rise to the occasion with him. I saw this dynamic play out many times. And in the end, he was always about young people learning – not just me, but others. Mr. Shine wanted to impact our futures. And it was not to pay tribute or recognition to him in any way that we started a group called The Windsor Society, but to help young people and the callings God placed on each of us. He was such a patriot. Mr. Shine loved our country. And he saw a way to impact the direction of our country by investing, locally, in many who he believed would make a difference on a broader scale - young people. With my new business, I often wonder if Mr. Shine would be pleased with what we have started. I have concluded that he would be, as giving was such an important part of his life.