Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Edward Law. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Edward, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you ever had an amazing boss, mentor or leader leading you? Can you us a story or anecdote that helps illustrate why this person was such a great leader and the impact they had on you or their team?

This is a great question. I know we are supposed to pick one but honestly there are two people. The first person is Rasha Collins. Rasha and I previously worked together at the Toyota power train facility in Huntsville, AL. She wasn’t formally my supervisor at that point but she taught me things about the automotive industry that helped make my job easier and further sparked my interest in the field. Rasha was later promoted and moved over to the Mazda Toyota Manufacturing joint venture and I came shortly afterwards. It was to my surprise that she was my boss but I was excited because I knew that she’d continue to pour into me and boy did she. Rasha challenged me in every way possible. Anyone that knows her knows that she doesn’t take “no” or “I dont know” as a acceptable answer. She demanded perfection and professionalism from EVERYONE. Rasha taught me that ultimately how you govern yourself is how you’ll govern your team. I didn’t feel like it at the time but she was preparing me for my next professional steps. Rasha helped give me the confidence I have today. I am forever grateful to her. The other manager was Tony Walker. Tony was the General manager at the time and Tony was results driven as well. Tony changed the way I viewed management. Prior to meeting Tony, I always saw managers as people who were too busy to talk to or bother. Although Tony was very busy, he always made time for anyone who needed him and he always remembered the minuet details from those interactions such as your children’s after school activities or something that was going on outside of work. Tony and Rasha showed me that “YOU” define your role, not your role defines you. Like Rasha, Tony also didn’t accept “I don’t know”, “maybe”, or “no” EVER. Tony always challenged me to think about the possibilities of options. Not having an option was never an option in Tony’s book. At the time, I thought he was being difficult but what he was really doing was teaching me the basic concepts of root cause analysis. In hindsight I’m grateful for those lessons because that futher prepared me for what was to come on my professional journey.

Edward, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was born and raised in Mobile, AL in the community of Toulminville. I have one brother and two sisters that I love dearly. Like most families there, we had our hardships but those tribulations helped mold me into what I am today. I attended John L LeFlore High School and afterwards attended Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, AL where I received my bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing. Shortly after, I attended Vanderbilt University where I obtained my MBA. I’m a dedicated family man with 4 beautiful children and a wife who loves and supports me unconditionally. The funny thing about my career is that it found me, literally. I’ve been working with Toyota corporation for about 8 years in total now but I started as a temp in quality at the Toyota power train facility in Huntsville, AL. I initially took the job as a means for quick employment as I was transitioning through a rough period in my life. It was there where I discovered an interest in the automotive industry and that spraked my ambition to start my career with Toyota. I worked there for 4 years and I moved over to the Mazda Toyota Manufacturing joint venture where I worked as a supervisor in quality assurance. I helped prepare the launch of the Corrolla Cross and Mazda CX. This was a pivotal point in my career because it was Mazda’s first Manufacturing plant in the United States and as a result of the launch, I became one of two certified Mazda Master Auditors in the United States. After the start up, I moved over to Toyota Motor Manufacturing of North America where I work out of the corporate office in Plano,Tx. What sets me apart from most people is my work ethic. I don’t believe in “losses”, I believe in “lessons”. My grandfather always talked to me about purpose and living a meaningful life. I am most proud of my professional progression because through it, I found my purpose and my goal is to help others find their purpose. When people read my story, I want them to become inspired and motivated to inspire someone else. We are not defined by the paths we are on in life, we are defined by the decision we make on the journey.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Yes, there are several books that significantly influenced my managerial thinking. “The 48 Laws of power” by Robert Greene, “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki, “The 7 Habbits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey, and “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” by John Maxwell.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

Well there are pros and cons to purchasing NFTs. Obviously you can make alot of money if it’s done correctly but you can also lose alot in the process without understanding what’s going on. Investing in NFTs is a misnomer because NFTs by themselves are not exactly classed as an asset. NFTs use blockchain technology to digitally signify ownership, basically that makes an NFT more like the title to a car rather than the car itself. Just like you wouldn’t buy a car just for the paper title that comes with it, it’s not smart to buy an asset just because it’s been tokenized into an NFT. My advice to anyone who is planning to invest in NFTs is to make sure that they understand the value of the underlying asset(s) before you purchase.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maeztro.law
• Linkedin: Edward R Law