Launch of Jerry Hermawan's Book, Bamsoet: Simplicity is a Rare Strength
According to him, amid the fast-paced world of business, Jerry Hermawan Lo’s story serves as a reflection that true leadership is built on character, courage in decision-making, discipline, and the ability to understand fellow humans.
“The book ‘The Art of Simple Leadership’ carries an important message that true leadership is born from life experiences, hard work, consistency, and the ability to understand people. Jerry Hermawan Lo proves that success is not always determined by academic degrees, but by courage in decision-making, the ability to build trust, and a willingness to learn ceaselessly,” said Bamsoet in his statement on Saturday (9/5/2026).
He said this while attending the launch of the book ‘The Art of Simple Leadership’ in Jakarta on Friday night (8/5).
The 20th Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives and 7th Chairman of Commission III of the House of Representatives assessed that Jerry Hermawan Lo’s life journey, starting from a simple life in Medan to being involved in various international-scale projects, is a real picture of Indonesia’s resilient entrepreneurial spirit. Data from the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs records that the number of SMEs in Indonesia has now reached more than 66 million business units and absorbs around 97 percent of the national workforce.
He stated that amid global economic slowdown challenges, the national business groups that can survive and grow are those that are adaptive, close to their human resources, and bold in innovating. In this regard, the leadership philosophy highlighted in this book becomes highly relevant.
“Jerry Hermawan Lo shows that business success is not just about big capital or strong networks, but about the courage to maintain trust, build loyalty, and treat people with respect. Values like this are very important for strengthening the foundation of the national business world,” said Bamsoet.
The Deputy General Chairman of KADIN Indonesia and Deputy General Chairman/Head of the State Defense Agency of FKPPI explained that the Pancakrida philosophy introduced by Jerry through the concepts of Opportunity, Hard Work, Smart Work, Thorough Work, and Loyalty is a simple leadership approach but with strategic depth. Many modern companies today face crises of worker loyalty, high stress levels among workers, and weak internal communication due to overly mechanistic work cultures.
Various surveys, continued Bamsoet, show that companies with humanistic leadership cultures tend to have higher productivity and better worker retention rates. Therefore, a grounded leadership approach like that displayed by Jerry becomes an important example amid global changes in work culture.
“Simplicity is often seen as something ordinary, yet in the modern leadership world, simplicity becomes a rare strength. Leaders who can think simply are usually quicker in making decisions, easier to trust, and stronger in building solidarity,” explained Bamsoet.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Association of Alumni of Doctoral Studies in Law at Universitas Padjadjaran added that Indonesia currently needs more leadership figures who can combine business firmness with social concern. The upcoming national economic challenges will be increasingly complex. The World Bank and IMF project that global economic growth in 2026 will still be overshadowed by geopolitical uncertainties, energy price fluctuations, and trade wars between countries.
Furthermore, he revealed that in such situations, the national private sector plays a major role in maintaining economic stability, opening job opportunities, and strengthening national industry resilience. Business leaders with a national vision will become an important asset for Indonesia.
“Indonesia needs more leaders who can work concretely, understand the people’s problems, and build a spirit of productivity. Great leaders are those who can build trust. Leadership must provide a sense of security, a sense of being valued, and a sense of belonging for those being led,” concluded Bamsoet.
For information, other attendees at the event included Jerry Hermawan Lo, Youth and Sports Minister Erick Thohir, Deputy Head of BSSN Police Commissioner General Rachmad Wibowo, Suharso Monoarfa, Lieutenant General TNI (Ret.) Ganip Warsito, Police Commissioner General (Ret.) Mochamad Iriawan, Raja Sapta Oktohari, and Deputy Chief Editor of Kompas Daily Paulus Tri Agung Kristanto.