Webinar Series

Leadership: Learning today, Leading tomorrow

Everyone is a leader. We learn to be a wise leader by learning and applying moral values in our daily lives. On 11 June, we held a webinar in collaboration with Tanri Abeng University (TAU) with the theme of Learning today, Leading tomorrow. We felt so grateful that Rob and Cheryl Wood, James Cordiner and Natalia Teguhputri, our friends from Australia, were back to support us and they shared in this webinar.

In our first webinar, we learnt about the value of seeking wisdom through inner reflection and having unconditional moral values of honesty, purity, unselfishness and love to live by.  In our second webinar, we discussed building better relationships. During the third webinar, we also continued our discussion about relationships and some friends shared about their relationships with parents and friends. One student said, “After attending the second webinar, I learnt to improve my relationship with a friend by communicating with her. I am glad that we have a better relationship now.” When we have the courage to talk with others and express our feelings, we will find inner peace.

This session was an opportunity to learn from our friends and their lived experiences; the participants also had the time to share their own stories in small groups. One student said, “We are all leaders. I want to be a wise decision maker and lead by example.” Another student shared that leadership takes courage. The key to being a leader is being trustworthy.

“We are all global citizens and so we have rights and responsibilities. We need to care for our planet and the environment in a better way. The question for reflection was “What can/will we do to make the world a better place for everybody?” (Rob Wood)

“A good leader lives for others, leads by example and lives with integrity.  Every decision we make is very important for the next steps. We can all give something to others and take a lead. A good leader is also prepared to admit his or her mistakes. Life is harder if we don’t learn to say sorry.” (Cheryl Wood)

“Leadership isn’t about the title but choosing to take responsibility, to care for others and to be examples or role models. Responsibility is an important thing in leadership.” (James Cordiner)

“A leader is a learner, a learner is a leader. A good leader doesn’t only dream but also does. A good leader is the combination of realist and idealist.” (Natalia Teguhputri)

At the end of the session, Prof. Dr. Muh. Nur Sadik, M.P.M., the vice rector of Tanri Abeng University (TAU), expressed his appreciation to all speakers, committee members and students who actively participated in this webinar. He said that leadership is a way of life, it is about how you interact and act every day.

A quote says, “The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards he or she sets for him or herself.” May we set the value of honesty, purity, unselfishness and love in living our lives as a leader and to keep learning day by day because leaders are life-long learners. We ended this webinar with gratitude and appreciation for the enthusiasm of all the attendees and we look forward to the next collaboration.

Written by Yofrina Octika Gultom