Brown conquers Jakarta with noble values

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.