Terlahir dari keluarga yang sangat sederhana, aku tidak memiliki mimpi yg "fantastis" seperti kebanyakan anak-anak yang lain. Teman-teman seusiaku saat itu jika ditanya apa cita-citanya, jawabannya terdengar sangat "wow" bagiku. Banyak dari mereka yang menjawab ingin menjadi astronot, guru, dokter, aktris dan lain-lain. Hal inipun juga terjadi pada salah satu kakakku, yang sangat optimis dalam meraih mimpi-mimpinya. Aku hanyalah aku, seorang anak biasa dengan penampilan dan kecerdasan rata-rata. Bahkan sejak aku duduk di bangku sekolah dasar, aku selalu menjadi korban "bullying" oleh teman-teman sekelasku. Ibarat bensin yang disemburkan pada api kecil, lama-kelamaan api akan membesar bahkan menyebar ke segala arah. Begitu pula aku, berbagai perlakuan teman-temanku yang membuatku akhirnya harus pindah sekolah beberapa kali, membuatku terbakar untuk membuktikan pada mereka bahwa "Aku lebih baik dari mereka". Berbagai prestasi akhirnya memang benar-benar aku raih hingga aku lulus SMA. Bermula dari pidato dan debat bahasa inggris, berbagai beasiswa siswa berprestasi hingga menjadi Kader Kesehatan Remaja yang mewakili Provinsi Kalimantan Timur dalam kancah nasional. Nilai di sekolah pun selalu yang terbaik dan aku akan menjadi sangat "stress" jika nilaiku turun satu poin saja.

Menginjak kuliah, entah mengapa aku lelah mengejar berbagai hal baik nilai di kampus maupun prestasi lainnya. Aku ingin menikmati masa mudaku sebagaimana halnya anak muda yang lain but still in good way. Aku yang dulu hanyalah seorang "nerd" yang sangat kuper dan pasif, saat kuliah memberanikan diri untuk mencoba berbagai hal baru. Bermula sebagai PR JOINMUN (Jogja International Model United Nation) 2013, pada akhirnya aku semakin ketagihan untuk bergabung dalam berbagai kepanitian, komunitas dan organisasi. Semenjak aktif di berbagai kepanitiaan, organisasi dan komunitas, aku menjadi orang yang sangat berbeda. Aku menjadi seseorang yang lebih "open minded", dewasa, friendly, memahami apa yang aku inginkan, menyadari apa tugasku di dunia ini sehingga aku lebih peka dengan sekitar. Tidak berhenti sampai tahap ini, aku mulai berpikir bagaimana rasanya jika aku bisa berkumpul untuk sharing pengalaman dan ilmu dengan orang-orang "hebat" yang satu visi dan misi denganku namun bergerak di bidang yang berbeda. Aku pun memberanikan diri untuk mengikuti berbagai seleksi "merit-scholarship" yang menawarkan pelatihan kepemimpinan dan bisnis pada mahasiswa yang terpilih. Program pertama yang aku ikuti adalah XL Future Leader Batch 2. Program ini bertujuan untuk membentuk generasi full of strategy sehingga selalu siap dengan berbagai tantangan baru yang akan dihadapi setiap harinya. Program kedua yang aku ikuti adalan Nutrifood Leadership Award. Program ini bertujuan untuk membentuk karakter pemimpin yang memiliki concern  yang sangat tinggi pada lingkungan. Kemudian program terakhir yang Insya Allah akan saya ikuti di bulan Mei 2015 ini adalah Young Leader Indonesia. Saya sangat berharap agar dapat melakukan yang terbaik dalam program ini dan dapat menyerap ilmu baru yang diberikan selama pelatihan dengan baik. 

Banyak orang yang "kepo" kenapa aku sangat "hobi" mengikuti program-program pelatihan seperti ini?

Jawaban saya hanya satu "curious"

Saya "curious" untuk menyerap ilmu dari orang-orang hebat yang bergabung dalam program-program ini untuk selalu inovatif dalam berkontribusi bagi masyarakat di berbagai bidang.

Saya "curious" untuk mengetahui apa yang membuat orang-orang ini selalu memiliki luapan semangat yang luar biasa dalam berkontribusi bagi masyarakat di berbagai bidang. 

Curiosity is a natural capability possessed by every human being due to the sense that we have. However, over time it will be eroded by the arrogance then people become insensitive to the surrounding circumstances. The leadership programs help us to "remember" this skill, to feel and relearn it.

 

Good leader vs Great leader

“ I can’t”

“I am afraid”

These words were always haunted me, made me whining everytime problem came and feared to try something new. Once I got many inspiring books, written by Andrea Hirata. I really fell in love with them. Since then I wanted to inspire others like him, I wanted my message heard like a leader. 

 “What makes a leader?”

At first, I always thought that a leader is someone who can do everything on his own and also takes the control very much. I was applying this image in a variety of leadership experiences I held and some of them gave good results. Once I got the mandate to become a facilitator in a regional committee and this put me to lead a team that consisted of the professionals who worked in this committee as volunteers. I reapplied the image of the leader as someone who knows everything to them, and the result was too bad. I was being ignored all the time. At that time, I realized that there was something I needed to change. I took initiative to consult with my former facilitator (Mr. Patrick Compau) in XL Future Leader Program. After consulting with him, I was enlighted and applied what I got into my new leadership style by combining it first with my own unique personality. The result was unbelieveable. I got whole intentions from my volunteers. I tried to be more listening than talking, I also tried to be more directive or giving bait when they stuck with the ideas than taking the initiative first. This method was successful. The volunteer who considered me as the stranger at first, now loved me and gave respect to me as well. They did not reject my ideas but instead combined them with theirs into something bigger. In the end, I understand what the leadership is and am able to answer my question above.

“What makes a leader?”

Everyone can lead and this is what defines that everyone can be a “good leader” for themselves, but why there are some people who have greater influence on society than others even though they come from an “average” family?

The answer is inspiration. These people have ability to inspire others, to make people follow what they believe and this is what makes a person is not just a “good leader” but also a “great leader”. I used method of thinking “Start with Why, How and What” from Simon Sinek’s book based on my facilitator’s recommendation when I became facilitator for a group of volunteers after I got many rejections from them. When the "day" held, I could work very well with my volunteer. Everyone was excited, inspired and happy. Our program succeed and was memorable for us. This is one of my leadership experience that I can not forget. I want to share it with others to inspire them for the better of Indonesia.

Race to Green Indonesia

“Ecology is the study of home, Economics is the management of home, and of course our home is the nature.”

-Liestar, 2012

  

Indonesia is still on race to pursue a so-called sustainable development, with having “good economic growth” status. We all are encouraged to pursue this condition as a purpose to live since very young by having good educational attainment, great position in company or establishing own business. However, there are questions that are bothering me,

“Can the economy really go on growing forever and more importantly, What is the economic growth for?”

Argument 1- Global economic growth is necessary to eradicate poverty

Argument 2- People want more, and expect more

In reality, the argument 2 is more rational because as we can see the economic inequality precisely is still occuring more and bigger till today. Economic “wealth” more conventionally represented by money, is actually dependent on environment. Environment plays a key role in our economy, as a direct input into production and through many services it provides. Environmenttal resources such as minerals and fossil fuels directly facilitate the production of goods and services. The environment provides other services that enable economic activity, such as sequestering carbon, filtering air and water pollution, protecting against flood risk, and soil formation. It is also vital for our wellbeing, providing us with recreational opportunities, improving our health and much more (Everett et all, 2010). In conclusion, if the environment is constantly undermined as today then the economy will fail at last.

Indonesia should understand economy as meeting needs rather than promoting growth or satisfying consumer preferences as the definition of sustainable development and also to enhancing the environment’s ability in supporting human’s life by applying strict regulation in exploiting nature, high incentives to those who conserve the nature, environmentally technology innovation enhancement, and also high punishment for those who irresponsibly damage environment. This vision needs government, society and business sector work hand in hand. The business sector plays key role here as driving force to enable the transition to a green economy, by seeing this as a great opportunity and capitalising the transition therefore people will not see the economy activity and environment conservation in paradoxical relation anymore. The business sector also plays role in collaborating with government to launch policies to support this transition.

A clean, sustainable and affordable energy resouces for Indonesia is still on debate. The surveyor, scientist, engineer, local and national government, accountant and business sector should work hand in hand. The surveyor needs to map the society and geographical condition of a region, searching potential energy resources to develop due to the diverse regions in Indonesia that have different potential energy resources. The scientist and engineer work together to develop this potential energy resources into well-established technology. The local and national government plays role in licensing, cooperation and funding issues. The accountant plays key role to marketize and measure every step required to establish this technology and to determine if this technology is competitive with existing one. At last, business sector plays role to realize the technology as a clean, sustainable and affordable energy resouces for people by capitilizing it into investment.

Reference

Everett T., Ishwaran M., Ansaloni G.P., and Rubin A., 2010, Economic Growth and The environment, Defra Evidence and Analysis Series, United Kingdom

“Ecology is the study of home, Economics is the management of home, and of course our home is the nature.”

-Liestar, 2012

Indonesia is still on race to pursue a so-called sustainable development, with having “good economic growth” status. We all are encouraged to pursue this condition as a purpose to live since very young by having good educational attainment, great position in company or establishing own business. However, there are questions that are bothering me,

“Can the economy really go on growing forever and more importantly, What is the economic growth for?”

Argument 1- Global economic growth is necessary to eradicate poverty

Argument 2- People want more, and expect more

In reality, the argument 2 is more rational because as we can see the economic inequality precisely is still occuring more and bigger till today. Economic “wealth” more conventionally represented by money, is actually dependent on environment. Environment plays a key role in our economy, as a direct input into production and through many services it provides. Environmenttal resources such as minerals and fossil fuels directly facilitate the production of goods and services. The environment provides other services that enable economic activity, such as sequestering carbon, filtering air and water pollution, protecting against flood risk, and soil formation. It is also vital for our wellbeing, providing us with recreational opportunities, improving our health and much more (Everett et all, 2010). In conclusion, if the environment is constantly undermined as today then the economy will fail at last.

Indonesia should understand economy as meeting needs rather than promoting growth or satisfying consumer preferences as the definition of sustainable development and also to enhancing the environment’s ability in supporting human’s life by applying strict regulation in exploiting nature, high incentives to those who conserve the nature, environmentally technology innovation enhancement, and also high punishment for those who irresponsibly damage environment. This vision needs government, society and business sector work hand in hand. The business sector plays key role here as driving force to enable the transition to a green economy, by seeing this as a great opportunity and capitalising the transition therefore people will not see the economy activity and environment conservation in paradoxical relation anymore. The business sector also plays role in collaborating with government to launch policies to support this transition.

A clean, sustainable and affordable energy resouces for Indonesia is still on debate. The surveyor, scientist, engineer, local and national government, accountant and business sector should work hand in hand. The surveyor needs to map the society and geographical condition of a region, searching potential energy resources to develop due to the diverse regions in Indonesia that have different potential energy resources. The scientist and engineer work together to develop this potential energy resources into well-established technology. The local and national government plays role in licensing, cooperation and funding issues. The accountant plays key role to marketize and measure every step required to establish this technology and to determine if this technology is competitive with existing one. At last, business sector plays role to realize the technology as a clean, sustainable and affordable energy resouces for people by capitilizing it into investment.

Reference

Everett T., Ishwaran M., Ansaloni G.P., and Rubin A., 2010, Economic Growth and The environment, Defra Evidence and Analysis Series, United Kingdom