Leadership is one of the required skills to have nowadays, but it is not easy to master. Invited as a guest lecturer for MM6015 Business Leadership class on Monday (27/9/2021), the President Director of PT Dirgantara Indonesia (Persero), Dr. Ir. Elfien Guntoro, is here to share how to become a reliable leader based on his experience in leading various companies.
According to Elfien, first and foremost is a good work ethic. A leader must be disciplined and willing to go the extra mile. They not only have ambitions to realize their personal vision but also for the company. When given a task, a leader must be reliable and work beyond the expectations.
“This hardworking work ethic is necessary. So, if you get a lot of work, do not grumble. The more challenges we get, the more experience we gain. The energy we spend during the work will not disappear but transform into capability, network, skills, and other things,” said Elfien.
Second, it is important to be a professional with integrity and competence. Dr. Ir. Elfien said that training could always make up for the lack of skills, but there is no school for honesty. Teaching people to be intelligent is easy; what is difficult is teaching people to be honest.
When he was a commissioner, he was once asked to sell existing assets, and he refused because it was against the written rule. They got so angry that he was suggested to be removed, but thankfully his superiors were against it. So, the risk must be taken, but if it’s for honesty, it is ok.
Dr. Ir. Elfien also discussed being a transformational leader who dare to start building, stop looking at best practices to solve problems and start to make stretch targets to produce innovations.
When he entered PT Dirgantara Indonesia, he made a tagline, ‘we are not airplane makers but airplane business.’ The difference is very clear. When a company is an airplane maker, it’s up to the company to do whatever as long as the plane is complete. But for a business, there must be cost, time, and quality consciousness. What we deliver must be in line with what the customers need.
PT Dirgantara Indonesia (Persero) has rapidly grown after the transformation. Sales have declined in the last three years, but the COGS and operating expenses have decreased even more, significantly increasing the gross profit. After the transformation, the company becomes more efficient. It’s just a matter of how we get orders that we can do because there have been many delayed orders in these two years due to the pandemic.
Third, we must develop networking. If we have a good work ethic, integrity, competent skills, networking would be an easy feat, especially if we are also known for being reliable and helpful. Another way to build a network is to engage in activities that you like.
“If our networking is good, the work will be much easier. When dealing with stakeholders, they will automatically support us even without us asking if they appreciate what we do. So, building an emotional connection is important,” adds Elfien.
Lastly, Dr. Ir. Elfien said that the three competencies above must be based on spirituality as its foundation. Without a solid spirituality, we will be easily shaken, especially in disruptive times like now. In addition, we must also build awareness of our existence as individuals. Our existence is related to who we are, life purposes, awareness to contribute, and motivation to achieve something.
“You have to believe that when we can provide solutions or when we succeed, it’s not because we are great, but because God makes things easy for us,” said Elfien closed the class.
