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Getting personal: Axton Salim, Director of Indofood on learning from his grandfather, YouTube, and young people

Guest
Axton Salim, Director of Indofood
Brand
Indofood
Published
August 2021

Were Axton Salim not the Director of Indofood — one of Indonesia’s largest and longest established food companies — he may have become a food blogger. In this video, he shares how he came to lead Indofood, along with his views on leadership and creativity in business. “Trends come and go quickly. Being creative now means being opportunistic and fast to adapt,” says Axton, who talks about how the internet and YouTube have democratized creativity. If you want to know how to stay relevant in business, Axton’s advice is to be open to learning from old and young. Hear why Axton believes humility is so important in leadership, and why his leadership advice for the next generation — passed down from his grandfather — is to button a shirt correctly.

0:00

I love the fact that now anyone can be creative, from grandmothers to students to middle aged wannabees like us. With the internet, it's really easy to pick up any skills.

0:14

Hi, my name is Axton Salim, director of Indofood.

0:18

My first job was a teaching assistant at kindergarten during my university days.

0:28

I think being a food blogger would be fantastic because you get to try new food. You get to experiment with food and just eat and be happy.

0:42

The last thing I looked for in Google search was how not to procrastinate.

0:56

I love the fact that now anyone can be creative, from grandmothers to students to middle aged wannabees like us. With the internet, it's really easy to pick up any skills. It used to be that we need to go to school for a particular skill. Now, YouTube for one has allowed for this kind of democratization of creativity. Anyone of any age and any social class armed with basic tools, editing skills and points of views can now be content creators. But with that, I think trends come and go very quickly. Being creative now means being opportunistic and fast to adapt.

1:37

Definitely having an open mind to learn, having conversations with people outside of my regular social circles, and always be ready to challenge my own preconceptions and prejudices.

1:50

Having the humility to be learning from different people, be ready to learn from the older generation with more experiences, and also be ready to learn from the younger generation with the speed and ways of looking innovatively for solutions. Every new generation will be presented with different challenges and probably grew up with different sets of values from the last. It is the understanding of how we and how our products will be relevant as solutions for the new generation.

2:20

Something I learned from my grandfather and father is the analogy of buttoning a shirt. The first button needs to be aligned before buttoning the rest of the shirt. Same goes with any project that we embark. Understanding the foundation before diving into the deep end and always go into any partnerships with a win-win as a goal. We’re living in a society where we’re being forced to compare ourselves constantly. Be kind to yourselves. Remember that everyone's journey is uniquely paced and be problem solvers.

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