b'C E L E B R I T Y S P O T L I G H T I N T E R V I E W Guy KawasakiEvangelist-Author-Speaker G uy Kawasaki revolutionized the concept of secular evangelism asApples original Macintosh brand ambassador in 1983. Now, he serves as the chief evangelist of democratized graphic design sensation Canva, represents Mercedes Benz USA as brand ambassador, and served as trustee of the Wikimedia Foundation. Kawasaki is alsoa prolific author, with fifteen titles to his name, many topping theNew York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. His latest book,Think Remarkable, compiles insightful interviews from his hit podcast Remarkable People. Renowned for delivering more than fifty keynotes annually to giants like Apple, Nike, and Google, Kawasaki captivatesaudiences with his expertise on innovation, enchantment, social media, and entrepreneurship.Q: How did your upbringing shape your thirst for knowledge and work ethic? A: So my grandparents came to Hawaii from Japan to pick sugar cane. My parents came, and my mom was a house- wife and my father was a fireman. Those two generations, I think, all they were thinking about was, you sacrifice for your kids. That had a profound effect on me, especially as I look back to understand what they were doing for me, how they were worried about the next generation and the next generation. There was also this humility, the cultural tendency not to brag, not to show off, not to do anything like that. You had an obligation and thats stuck with me to this day. Also its worth mentioning that Steve Jobs was particularly enamored with things Japanese, particularly things like simplicity and minimalism and elegance, so that had enormous ramifications on the Macintosh user interface and Susan Kares work as the designer behind much of the typography and iconography of Macintosh. Q: What is the key message in your new bookThink Remarkable?A: I want to be very clear here: people who are remarkable, theydont wake up one day and say, You know what? I have decided Im going to be remarkable. Im going to reposition myself as a brand evangelist, thought leader, visionary, and guru. The way you become remarkable is not to decide youre going to be remarkable. Its to decide you want to make a difference in the world. And you make a difference by creating a computer, being a teacher, being a coach, being a good parent. And if you do that and you make a difference, people, including yourself, will consider you remark-able. So the way it works is, you do good things, you become remarkable. Its not, you become remarkable and then you do good things.(continued on page 13)14 visionsWinter 2024 Sumitomo Corporation of Americas'