Carolyn Baytion-Sunaryo, Jakarta

After the epic 2007 flooding of Jakarta, everyone blamed one another for the devastation. Those affected by the flood blamed the government. The government, in turn, blamed Jakartans for throwing garbage in the rivers and blocking the drainage system. Even worse, government officials blamed each other; no one took responsibility.

How the problem of flooding is addressed reflects on how we work, be it the government, business organizations or schools. Among other things, it reflects a weakness it planning. We draft plans and then never go back to them. If indeed this big flood happens every five years, shouldn't everyone be prepared?

Perhaps no-one can be completely ready for a disaster of this scale. But if leaders prepared their subordinates to act, the subordinates would know what to do. In situations like flooding, when communications may be cut off, those responsible for delivering the much-needed food and medicines and those running temporary shelters should already be at their posts, ready, when needs arise.

In the process of urbanization, floods can't be completely avoided, but the devastation caused by flood waters can be minimized. We need to be prepared for such emergencies. For that, we need effective leaders.

What does it take to be an effective leader? According to Peter Drucker, an effective leader asks, "How can I contribute to my organization?" Effectiveness in handling a disaster like a flood means having enough personnel attending to the victims and delivering supplies.

The truly effective people are perhaps not the ones who appear on television. Instead they are busy cooking or working in shelters far away from the television cameras. One kind of effective leader is quite active in the smallest unit in the Indonesian government, the neighborhood unit or RT. The RT and neighborhood community (RW) organizations are actually very effective. In bad times like the recent flooding, these RT and RW officials already know what to do. But in places like Kampung Melayu and Kelapa Gading, the RT/RW officials themselves are among the refugees, so the system does not work well anymore. That is where the military, government ministries, and the office of the mayor or governor come in.

Another example of an effective leader is the owner of Pesan Delivery. The Jakarta Post published an interview on Feb. 7 with a company delivery man who was bringing food to executives in Dukuh Atas despite the flooding and the snarled traffic. The owner responded quickly to an opportunity to deliver food to people in need and had employees who were willing to take the risk of traveling through the stricken capital.

The press, I think, has effective leaders. They delivered the news people wanted. These reporters were right there in the flood waters with the victims. They understand very well how people felt. Maybe they or their relatives were affected by the flood. But they still went on and did what they could so that the rest of us would know what was happening.

Being effective in a company or a university or a country is not just the concern of the director, the dean or the president. Everyone can contribute something, from the lowest employee up to the highest-ranking official, as long as that person considers what he or she can do to make things better.

Leaders and their constituents in organizations need to be effective because organizations exist to serve a purpose. The PLN must provide electricity; PAM Jaya, clean water; Telkom has to keep telephone lines and Internet working; schools have to educate the young, the country's future leaders; the Ministry of Social Affairs needs to provide temporary shelters, food and clean water to refugees in times of natural calamities; and the city government needs to provide public transportation, among others.

If these organizations do not function, then the people they aim to serve can't be productive enough to pay their bills and their taxes, threatening the existence of the organizations themselves.

So, let's stop this finger-pointing and get back to work. By sincerely asking, "What can I contribute to the organization I lead or work for?" each of us will begin to understand what needs to be done and address these needs one at a time. There will be a ripple effect causing other organizations to do the same.

Hypermarkets, supermarkets, mini-markets, restaurants and eateries, schools and offices all opened and kept on operating as soon as they could. The press has already done its part. Artists, political parties, business organizations, government officials (the ones doing something, not just talking) have been working. They may have ulterior motives, but the fact that they have acted and alleviated a little of the people's suffering is better than nothing at all.

The writer is the general manager of GS FAME Institute of Business, Jakarta. She can be reached at carolyn@gsfame.ac.id.

Source: Jakarta Post