Tanri Abeng works without stress<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Everyone who works under pressure is prone to
\nstress, but not Tanri Abeng, the president of Bakrie & Brothers.<\/p>\n
"What is stress? If you ask me if I work under pressure, the
\nanswer is yes. But not stress," he said.<\/p>\n
Playing tennis at least twice a week helps him avoid stress,
\nbut what's more important for Tanri is to be realistic, natural
\nand positive.<\/p>\n
"We have to get back to nature... If we think naturally and we
\nare realistic, I think we will be able to deal with our
\nproblems," he said.<\/p>\n
In difficult times, he keeps his chin up. Sometimes things
\njust do not work, leaving him disappointed, but not distressed.<\/p>\n
"If something does not work, we have to admit the fact that it
\ndoes not work. We should not be under stress, but we have to do
\nour best and try to improve things."<\/p>\n
Being aware of one's weakness is important because people will
\nbe able to be better only if they know their shortcomings, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Tanri, one of the best managers in the country, was born in a
\nsmall town of Selayar in South Sulawesi in 1942. He won a
\nscholarship to study in a high school in New York. In 1962, he
\nwent to the School of Economics at Hasanuddin University in
\nUjungpandang in South Sulawesi. There he won a scholarship to
\npursue an MBA at the State University of New York.<\/p>\n
"I had not graduated but they encouraged me to try. In fact, I
\nwas able to finish my study within one year and a half, instead
\nof two years," he said.<\/p>\n
Returning to Indonesia in 1968, Tanri worked for Union Carbide
\nCorporation, an American company. In 1980, he moved to PT Multi
\nBintang Indonesia, a brewer operated by Heineken. The company's
\npoor performance changed soon after Tanri joined.<\/p>\n
Late in 1989, he joined the Bakrie Group for a Rp 1 billion
\n(US$500 million) transfer fee. Tanri, still shining bright at
\nBintang, is currently a chairman of its supervisory board.<\/p>\n
Tanri believes strongly in systems. He built a management
\nsystem at Bakrie Brothers and within five years the company has
\ngrown tenfold.<\/p>\n
"It's true that the company grew well after I joined it. But
\nit develops well not because of me," said the low-profile Tanri.<\/p>\n
He said credit for Bakrie's success should go to the
\nentrepreneurs, who have a good vision for the development of the
\ngroup.<\/p>\n
"I am only the facilitator, who enables the development by
\nbuilding the organization, the system and the human resources.
\nThere is a strong alliance between the entrepreneurs and the
\nmanagement," he said.<\/p>\n
He said the alliance between the management and the
\nentrepreneur is strong because he only deals with Aburizal
\nBakrie, chief commissioner of the company, not with his other
\nbrothers.<\/p>\n
He praises Aburizal for being consistent.<\/p>\n
"I have my power in the management, I can overrule him. He can
\nsay: 'I want this person to hold this position.' But if I say
\n'no,' there is nothing he can do. But he has the power on where
\nto invest and how big the investment is," he said.<\/p>\n
Bakrie Brothers has clear rules, which are not found in other
\nfamily-owned corporations, he said.<\/p>\n
He emphasizes that he works only for the company. "I take care
\nof the business, but not the family."<\/p>\n
Tanri said he works for Bakrie Brothers because he wants to
\ndedicate himself to developing national assets, while sharing the
\nexpertise he obtained after working for almost 20 years with
\nmultinational corporations.<\/p>\n
School<\/p>\n
Management is paramount to the success of a business.
\nUnfortunately, Indonesia is in dire need of managers and other
\nprofessionals. This has moved the Bakrie group to set up a school
\nof management for professional managers. Tanri is busy preparing
\nthe concept and the school is scheduled to open within a year.<\/p>\n
"I am still preparing the concept. This is a big job. I am
\nstill looking for the best model of management building, taking a
\nlook at Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and the United States. This is
\na big job. I really want this management school to be
\ncomprehensive." he said.<\/p>\n
Last month he met with President Soeharto to discuss the
\nproposal to set up the management school.<\/p>\n
According to Tanri, the school will produce professional
\nmanagers through in-depth managerial training for people who
\nalready fill managerial position.<\/p>\n
Eighty percent of the teaching staff will be foreigners.<\/p>\n
"There is a wide gap between the growth of business and the
\nnumber of professional managers," he said.<\/p>\n
"The growth in the business is very fast. Conglomerates or
\ncapitalists can set up a new company in two days, they can even
\nbuy a company. They often forget that they need competent
\nmanagers," he said.<\/p>\n
"They tend to grab any business opportunity without
\nconsidering who will manage the business. Some of them start to
\nthink about the managerial problems after they make the
\ncommitment for the new investment. Some do not even think about
\nthat at all, believing that things can work on their own," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The shortage of managers and other professionals has forced
\ncapital owners to import expatriate managers or hijack local
\nmanagers from other companies.<\/p>\n
"What happens is incredible. There is no normal growth.
\nBusinesses grow at 30 to 40 percent a year. Just look at Bakrie
\nBrothers. It has grown tenfold within five years," he said.<\/p>\n
Tanri said there are only 11 foreign managers, mostly Asians,
\nat Bakrie Brothers. The number is small compared to 15,000
\nemployees of the group, including 1,000 at managerial levels.
\nBakrie prefers Asians because they come cheaper, are competent
\nand have less trouble adapting to the culture.<\/p>\n
Tanri admits that compared to Western managers, some
\nIndonesians are less disciplined and favor their friends or
\nrelatives.<\/p>\n
"Sometimes it's difficult for us to separate our private
\ninterest from business ones. Because of our culture, we often
\ntake pity on our friends or relatives, and give them
\ndispensation," he said.<\/p>\n
Tanri is married to Farida Nasution, his classmate at
\nHasanuddin University and has two sons. He does not allow them to
\nwork for the Bakrie group. He said there are other places that
\nsuit them.<\/p>\n
Asked how he managed time for his family Tantri said, "I have
\nto sacrifice one of them. I tell my family that I can't have
\ndinner with them all the time... They understand."<\/p>\n
Sufficient<\/p>\n
Tanri lives in a big house in Simprug, South Jakarta. Several
\ncars are seen in his garage.<\/p>\n
"This Mercedes belongs to Bakrie, while the BMW is Bintang's,"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
He is far from glamorous. For The Jakarta Post interview at
\nhis house, he wore a white T-shirt emblazoned with "Indonesia, a
\nworld all its own," and leather sandals.<\/p>\n
He said he does not like to accumulate wealth, saying: "I want
\nto live sufficiently."<\/p>\n
"I also do some businesses because my friends asked me to join
\nthem. My philosophy in life is not to be rich but to be
\nsufficient; to have a lot of friends but no enemy. I want to help
\nmany people," he said.<\/p>\n
"I help many people by working at Bakrie and I want to get
\ninvolved in education because I want to help many people," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Tanri has always been interested in teaching. As a child,
\nTanri dreamed of becoming a teacher. In his eyes, there were no
\nother people better than teachers.<\/p>\n
"I put teachers above other professions. I was also impressed
\nby the way they dressed, which was very neat," he said.<\/p>\n
As he grew up, he plunged himself in economics but he is still
\ninterested in the field of education. When he retires, Tanri
\nwants to dedicate his life to teaching management.<\/p>\n
"I am tired. But the time has not come for me to retire.
\nSuppose today there is one who can replace me, I will resign....
\nAfter I retire, I want to enjoy my life and get involved in
\neducation," he said.<\/p>\n
Tanri, a member of the advisory board of the Indonesian
\nInstitute of Management Development, likes to learn. He always
\nfeels that he needs improvement.<\/p>\n
"I have to know about politics and social issues. I have to
\nbroaden my horizon because social and political factors can
\naffect the working environment," said Tanri, a member of the
\nPeople's Consultative Assembly.<\/p>\n
"But I don't want to be involved in practical politics," he
\nadded quickly. (sim\/rid\/riz)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/tanri-abeng-works-without-stress-1447893297",
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