Written by gkm2020
Introduction
When you look around the corporate landscape today, you see plenty of highly paid executives. These men and women are obviously all smart, hard working and powerful. But do we have the key leadership attributes of the greatest men and women in Dayak history?
Singular Focus
The greatest men and women in history often were singular in their focus whether it was political success, military victory, building a business empire or leading a great cause. These great people fought the odds, challenge the impossible and popular opinion over and over again to achieve success in their area of focus.
Today’s executives often jump from venture to venture and corporation to corporation and so it goes on. They put a quick fix in place and move on to the next high paying challenge. While there are exceptions, this model had become increasingly common.
Broadly Educated
The greatest men and women in history were often self-educated. But they were also continuously self-educated. Those who were formally educated generally were not specialists in one area of field but were broadly and liberally educated in a number of areas from languages to sciences to history and literature.
Today, more often than not, the men and women who lead the largest corporations in the world are engineers, accountants and MBAs as opposed to liberally educated people. We need to implant educationist mindset in our people. Education is a continuous effort if we want to become a more developed community or at par with others.
Selfless
Historically, some of the greatest men and women have put their cause or their mission far ahead of their personal wealth and stature. They were by definition “selfless” - they did whatever it took to achieve their goal or mission. In many cases, they did in the long run become rich and famous. But this was often an end result and not a goal in and of itself.
Today, it is not uncommon for both organization and/or corporate and other executive leaders to pursue the goal of fame and fortune for those ends alone rather than passion for a cause, vision or mission. That’s human nature and weaknesses being easily influenced by this materialistic world. Ask our inner-self?
Self-Denying
Some of the greatest people in history have denied themselves food, sleep, family, friends, hobbies, home comforts and more to achieve their goals. While there have been exceptions, many of the greats of all time put these comforts low on their list of priorities compared to what was needed to accomplish their life goals and missions.
How many leaders and/or executives today give up anything - except maybe sleep? Generally speaking, they seem to want - no demand - that they have it all. And have it all now. How very different from the majority of the great leaders of the past if we can compare our current Dayak political leadership today?
Leading By Example
Whether it is in politics, military, police and other enforcement bodies, social causes and business or others, the greats of the past have lead by example. To lead by example, our leaders must lead from the front. This exposed them to the greatest danger, the greatest criticism and the greatest exposure to the negative effects of pursuing their goals or causes.
Today, at the height of our political correctness, executives and other leaders do not take a step without the counsel of the public relations, security, legal, shareholder affairs and finance teams or think-tank group and/or advisors. Even then, most are timid to make statements much less to take bold actions visible to their communities or grassroots, employees and/or their customers.
People Come First
Leaders of the past went through subordinates as often if not more so than the leaders of today. What differed was that loyalty, bravery, courages and integrity was often rewarded. Good and great leaders always brought in the best to serve under them in all capacities and levels. They wanted only the best - people stronger, smarter, energizer and more capable than themselves to further their causes, armies, companies and other ventures.
Today leaders though capable, technocratic and adventurous but majority of them are materialistic. So, how could we or ones overcome this?
Chain-of-Command
This multiplied their personal effectiveness. When their people failed or otherwise fell by the wayside, the leaders found other roles and places for their fallen loyalists. When our leaders fell, we “the people” replaced them with new capable, committed and quality leaders who could continuously lead us to achieve our Vision, Mission and Objectives.
Bad leaders, we don’t salute them but dishonorably discharge them. We must maintain a good chain-of-command policy and must have our own shadow cabinet committee.
Traitor & Napoleonic Mugabe Must Be Replaced
Though our ancestral leaders are less educated but they have a brave heart to lead us fight and destroy our enemy and build-up our menua, “Menua Tanah Adat Dayak”. Today, leaders and/or executives fear being outshined by their subordinates or potential contenders. Whose fault is that? By the way, is our “Adat” not a common law and/or recognize law? Or is it a jungle law?
Today, majority of our Dayak political leaders fear of loosing their position. They are ready and willingly to conspire, compromise and/or collaborating with their most common enemy and/or competitor(s) just to protect their personal interest but not the interest their own community. We can call them a traitor in Bangsa Dayak and a betrayer to our great ancestral leaders.
Dayak Communities At Stake
Our Dayak communities are now at stake. We are being regionalized. We are being divisionalized. We are being dammed. We are being resettled. Our native lands are mostly sold and systematically de-heritage to some elite groups. Our cultures and our mother language have been revolutionized and/or indirectly influenced or attacked by an external threat - “Cultural Imperialism”. Our minds are charmed. Our thinking is being poisoned. Our representatives are being blackmail and/or sold. Our peoples are influenced by materialistic elements. Our heart is easily bought with money.
If we were to analyze it well, we are already “Bangsa Orang Setinggan Sarawak” (BOSS) more or less “Pendatang Haram Dayak” (PHD) in our own native land. Is it not shame and sad to hear it? What are we going to do about this new branding? Nama peda aja? Kendiau aja? Change we need.
Today, our very own Dayak leaders particularly our political representatives not all but majority of them dare to keep their mouth silent, head down hidden and turned their back on us. They are our worse enemy of the state within our very own Dayak community. They are also known as “musuh dalam selimut” and/or “katak dibawah tempurung”. Do we still need this Imperials’ cronies? If we lost our lands, our cultures, our pride, our dignity and our mother language, we have lost our entity!
Pass On The Baton
Often, the only reward for loyal service is to be honorably dismissed or relief sooner rather than later. We need to pass on the baton in order to achieve continous development, fairness and equitability. The most important asset is viewed as a disposable and interchangeable commodity by today’s leaders. The aim is to eliminate “megalomania syndrome” in our leaders.
If we disagreed with something that affect our lives, our communities and our future, can we not boycott it or stand-up against it? What is the purpose of being an elected representative if ones dare not to speak up the truth and defend and/or protect our native rights and interest?
We Must Treasure Our Youths
Over the course of history, great men and women have accomplished amazing things. Their achievements have resulting from: seeking a broad and continuing education (learning), singular focus, being selfless, denying themselves to achieve their goals and missions, leading boldly from the front and selecting the best people and putting them first. Not only we need our men and women now, we need our youths more than ever now for they are our future leaders. Our youths are our asset, our human capital and our Millennia Leaders.
Conclusion
While our organizations and/or corporations of today are generating great wealth under the leadership of executives, they could perform exponentially better in the short and long term under leaders who followed and applied the same principals as the Dayak greatest men and women over the centuries.
Notes: According to historian Pak Haji Hassan from Kalteng (Republic of Indonesia), Dayaks rule Nusantara including Borneo starting from the 4th Century. There was no such country such as Sarawak, Brunei, Sabah or Kalimantan that time. Dayaks Empire fall and was replaced by Majapahit Empire in the 14th Century.
Above all, we do need both capable and quality Men and Women Leadership in Dayak communities today i.e. to help us uplift our economic standard of living and business initiaitves, defend our Dayak indigenous peoples rights, protect our lands, to overcome crisis and navigate us to a progressive future. We do not need a “King” in our community but a good, reliable, capable and quality leaders.
Bah…mupuk dulu aku tu…unggal/wai/madik…..ka nurun baru begiga ka kayu-ramu….alu empai mau agi unggun api nya deh….
Happy reading and have a nice day!!
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