88: Eric Wedemeyer, Managing Director, Tactus Partners

<p align="left">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.</p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left">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.</p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left">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 lis