Brown conquers Jakarta with noble values

By Lela E. Madjiah

JAKARTA (JP): It took Ron Brown less than a year to "conquer" Jakarta.

Arriving in Denpasar in July 1995 as Ansett Australia's manager for Indonesia, Ron won an ASEAN Development Award for 1996 in April this year. This prestigious management award was also a present for his 45th birthday, which fell on April 14.

He was one of three Australians among 15 expatriates presented with the award by the ASEAN Program Consultant Indonesia Consortium at a function at the Shangri-La in Central Jakarta. His fellow countrymen, Australian Ambassador Alan Taylor and the general manager of Radisson Hotel Jakarta, Alan Featherby, were also among the winners.

"I was very fortunate to be presented with the award, which is really a reflection on the staff here," he said.

Ron's modesty is one of the many traits that have won him the respect of his 44-strong staff at his new office in Jakarta, which opened in January this year.

As manager for Indonesia, it was Ron's responsibility to set up Ansett Australia's Sydney-Jakarta-Kuala Lumpur flight. His hard work and patient negotiation made this possible in February. At present, Ansett runs four flights out of Jakarta a week and has opened two new offices in Jakarta.

Working in Indonesia is an enjoyable change, he says.

"I guess there needs to be a broader appreciation of life in other countries. Every country is special, every country is different. It does not matter if it's the people, the food, the environment, every place has something special," said Ron.

"I found the people here extremely friendly, the work environment exciting and invigorating," Ron said, stressing that as a guest in a foreign country he does not just work here but has something to contribute.

"It's a sharing of opportunities," he said.

A native of Perth, Ron grew up in a family with strong family values, and encouraged to develop a love for work and respect for others. These are the same values he shares with his family -- and his staff.

"So I treat my staff and customers the way I would like them to treat me," said Ron, who joined Ansett in 1971.

He also believes that "All people have ideas and equal opportunities", and he encourages his staff to contribute ideas.

"We do that in a variety of ways, such as regular meetings," he said.

Ron admitted there are cultural differences. For example, his staff are naturally shy.

"But I recognize that I'm the only expatriate, the rest being Indonesians. I encourage them to talk, to feel confident in generating new ideas. The important thing is to make them confident to put forward suggestions," he said.

Apart from encouragement, Ron made sure to create the right environment for his staff to work.

"If you do not enjoy your job you should not be doing it," he stressed.

Training is vital, especially since many of his staff are fresh from university and have no experience in the airline industry.

Ansett provided them with one week of training in Jakarta, focusing on simple things -- how to answer the telephone, how to serve Indonesian customers, how to handle European or Australian clients, what is considered good customer service.

"Next we brought them to Bali for five days, because our office covers not just Jakarta," Ron explained.

Then came a visit to Australia for 10 days of technical training. The visit took his staff to Sydney and Melbourne to let them see the major cities of Australia as visitors.

"It's important to do that because they can't speak confidently from the heart if they haven't been to see it," Ron argued.

"They will be able to explain to customers about the places, what the airport is like, whether it's a small airport or a big one, the facilities, whether it has duty free shops, how far it is from the city to the airport, et cetera...," he said.

Ron said that in the six months he has been in his new office, his staff have developed more confidence, and now have a very high level of customer service.

"We can do better, because they want to, not because I tell them to, but because they genuinely want to provide good customer service."

Good service

It's difficult being with Brown without discussing Ansett. After all, he has been working for the company for 25 years.

It is only natural that Ron is very proud of Ansett, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.

Founded by Reginald Myles Ansett, the carrier started serving international routes in 1993, following the announcement of fundamental changes to Australian aviation policy in February 1992. Ansett made its first international flights -- from Perth, Darwin, Sydney and Melbourne to Denpasar -- on Sept. 11, 1993.

The changes also brought Ron to Indonesia as Ansett's manager for Indonesia, based initially in Denpasar, and then moving to the capital.

According to Ron, it is in the interest of Ansett to provide the best customer service they can. That is what he tells his staff to do.

"They provide good service because they want to, not because someone is going to give them something else. That is not the value that we have. We give something to our customers because we want to, it's the right thing to do, not because we expect a gift from them," he explained.

"For example, people come to our office but cannot find a seat on an Ansett flight. We will send them on to another airline. It does not matter if it's a competitor. The important thing is that we look after our customers," said Ron.

What Ansett does is quite common in Australia. Qantas, for example, which is actually Ansett's competitor, will send passengers to Ansett and vice-versa. Ron admits this is not standard practice elsewhere.

"The airline industry is a very competitive business in Australia so we need to provide good customer service to survive," Ron said.

"For example, we developed the first major Golden Wing Club, which is a service for airline facilities. We were the first to ask our customers to pay for it. By having them pay they have a commitment to it and try to live up to standards. We provide snacks, meals and refreshments, fax machines, phones, and we've been copied by other airlines worldwide," said Ron.

The company's commitment to good service has won it several awards. In 1987 it was voted best airline and won the Air Transport World Service Award, in recognition of the Golden Wing Club concept. The award came from the international airline magazine, Air Transport World.

In 1994, it was named Best Airline in the inaugural Australian Federation of Travel Agents Australian Excellence Awards.

In May 1995 it was again named the National Travel Industry Awards Airline of the Year. The following month, readers of Asian Business magazine voted the airline Best Large Australian Business in Asia, and in August the Australian Federation of Travel Agents chose Ansett Australia as Best Airline for the second consecutive year.

Working in the airline industry leaves Ron with a very tight schedule.

"This is an industry that has very high expectations. A lot of people are looking to share your time," he explained.

In an industry that relies heavily on others, such as the hotel business, an airline executive like Ron has to attend a lot of functions and meetings.

"I try very hard to attend these meetings because people want to see who you are," he said.

Ron believes there should be a balance between work and family, although he admitted that sometimes it's difficult to maintain a balance between the two.

"I try to organize my time. In the evening I always try to be home at seven to have dinner with my family when I don't have a function or meeting to attend," he said.

Ron spends the weekends with his wife Ramona and three children, Tracey, 15, Matthew, 13 and Elissa, 7.

As newcomers to Indonesia, they enjoy visiting new places, not only to relax but also to find out more about the country and its people.

"It's important to understand the community in which you are working. Every place has something special, you have to see it," said Ron, who is working hard on his Indonesian.

"It's important to learn the language. People need to know you care enough to speak their language. You're not accused of being arrogant," he said.