Travel, Technology and More…

‘Managing a successful team is akin to coaching a world class sports team. Coaching, motivating and training constantly to stay on top of the game. Forming the game plan, developing the players, playing the game and then reviewing the game; then it goes back full circle to the game plan,’ says Hans Peter Haesslein, President Director and CEO of PT Siemens Indonesia and Country Spokesperson of Siemens Group of Companies in Indonesia.

Peter has been at the helm in Indonesia for the last 5 years, over a career of 34 years with Siemens. He is a well respected industry expert, who takes great pride in being associated with this global ‘first class company’ which has over 1700 employees in Indonesia. He leads Siemens Indonesia team much like a sports coach, with the aim to achieve peak performance with a leadership style ‘based on trust, in empowerment and delegation of responsibilities’.

‘Together we can do it. It is teamwork led by information flow on what’s happening in the company, both the good and the bad, areas where work and attention is required, is communicated through all the levels. Each and every employee is important and has a voice, not only are they informed, but with the same importance, they are heard without fear of any negative consequences,’ he says.

 He believes that success is a five step process, and first and most important is to work hard, learn as much as you possibly can, listening to your seniors, taking on challenges and most importantly to go the extra mile.

Interestingly, Peter asserts ‘I am a strong supporter of having a substantial number of female employees at the workplace. I am not for a quota, but I believe their presence in meetings, in daily business environment, in teams and in problem solving is contributing substantially to the performance and the achievement of good results.’ He relies on his ‘heads of Corporate Communications, Human Resources, and Business Development, all are Indonesian women, in order to get input and together find the most appropriate ways and channels of communication within the entire organization.

 ‘We employ several hundred employees in our four factories, and several hundred engineers, managers, administrative employees. The spread of education, knowledge and understanding of applicable standards among the entire work force is quite substantial and results in quality products and engineering, services by building the bridge between cultural differences, local requirements and the global standards,’ added Hans.

He further emphasized that a culture of acknowledgement and appreciation for work done and targets achieved within the divisions workgroup teams leads to motivation, and money plays only a secondary part. ‘Identifying and promoting talent, challenging the employee with increasingly demanding tasks, and rewarding them with adequate compensation and promotion is the key. As I mentioned earlier, defined areas of responsibility, ownership, and empowerment are essential to recruit and retain talent. I believe you will get and retain the best people only when you give them responsibilities and space to apply their knowledge, their expertise and experience.’

His attention to detail and quality focus is evident, when he stresses that ‘control at all levels is necessary, while working in a big matrix organization to maintain the required quality in performance, that our customers are expecting from us. Performance is constantly monitored to make sure we have the right people in the right place and we are promoting talents in order to have a full pipeline of skilled staff.’

Time management for Peter is based on prioritizing. ‘I use the Eisenhower Matrix to ask myself two questions. First, is the task important? Second, is it urgent? After all, it is the quality of questions that determines the results we get.’ In addition to his hectic work schedule he is the Vice Chairman of the German-Indonesian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (EKONID). He also served as the Vice Chairman of the European Business Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia (EUROCHAM) until 2011. He is currently on the Executive Board (Advisor) of the Indonesian Australian Business Council (IABC), Member of the Board of Commissioner of PT Jawa Power and the German School (Deutsche Internationale Schule Jakarta). He also attends a number of conferences to stay up to date with economic and political developments.

Peter is an avid golfer, and most weekends will see him at a golf course in the company of friends to enjoy the game and reflect on business, economy, and politics. Till a few years ago he used to fly gliders and single engine motor planes. Another of his passions is deep sea fishing in Indonesia, between Manado and Lombok, Bali and Krakatau.

Peter is a mulch-faceted leader committed to Indonesia’s infrastructure and economic development to bring about positive impact to the people in the country, through clean technology and integrated solutions. Hans earned his Engineering degree from the University of Siegen in Germany. He has been working in Siemens since 1978 and has been around the world in various senior positions. He lives in Jakarta with his wife, Sharon, and their two children.

Jason Will, MD Santa Fe Relocation Services

Jason Will finds that diving and business management have one thing in common: both provide new, unexpected and interesting discoveries.

“Diving is an amazing activity and I have learned so much from it. Looking at the surface of the ocean, one cannot imagine how much color and life there is underneath the waves; and so it is in business,” said the managing director of Santa Fe Relocation Services Indonesia.

“It is important to take a fresh approach to what is not obvious, be open to new ideas and adopt best practices to rise above the crowd and deliver better services.”

The Australian national first came to Indonesia in 1999 for two years during the economic crisis and was struck by the contrast between the rich and poor.

“Right outside my window I could see the slums, where even though people lacked material things, they appeared to be happy with big smiles. Even during brief elevator rides, there were conversations and a feeling of camaraderie that I had not seen anywhere else,” Will recollected.

This brought him back to Jakarta in 2004, as Santa Fe Indonesia’s managing director. It was an opportunity with his wealth of experience to take a leadership role, in which he could utilize all his skills and have a positive impact on the business.

“It is rewarding to work in an environment that allows for innovation and forward thinking, and offers the chance to usher in a ‘sense of change’,” Will, 45, said.

“I have been fortunate in my career to have had extensive and diverse experiences in several different organizations and I enjoy applying this experience in competitive and challenging environments to achieve successful results.”

He wakes up every morning with the intention of making a difference and the knowledge that his efforts have had a positive impact at work and on the people around him. This approach is reflected in his proactive efforts in planting trees and building a new office and warehouse in close collaboration with the Indonesian Green Building Council to ensure green certification standards.

The steps he has taken in understanding the business priorities have led to positive changes that have resulted in the company’s continued growth, with branches opening in Bali and Surabaya.

Will is inspired by Lars Lykke Iversen, the CEO of Santa Fe Worldwide, whose core philosophy entails “seeing is believing” and leading by example.

“I am approachable for my staff and expect them to be well prepared and organized if they want to discuss any issues. I believe in being decisive, positive and consistent in my work. One can get a lot done by setting firm ground rules that everyone knows and can follow, without being too inflexible.”

He believes that attitude is more important than experience when selecting new staff as it is far easier to train staff with the required skills and knowledge than to try and install the right attitude.

He explained that “the key to success is to find and surround yourself with skilled professional individuals that you can trust to help you manage the business. Also, being in a service industry, it is important to hire people who also derive the same feeling of satisfaction when they make their clients happy.”

He added: “It’s all about empowering your staff to learn how to deal with challenges. Creative problem-solving needs to be continually encouraged and developed.”

Knowledge, good communication, being supportive, keeping cool in crisis situations and keeping his staff motivated — those are the keys to success, according to Will.

With his education in business and hands-on experience, he encourages his management team to maintain a mature and professional image at all times and not to engage themselves in workplace conflict so that they, in turn, set a good example to their staff.

He also finds that corporate team-building exercises are useful to increase effectiveness among his staff and achieve greater productivity.

Despite his hectic work schedule, Will finds time to be the ambassador for Internations in Jakarta, which is a social networking forum for the expat community and meets every month. He is currently house-hunting with his wife and is a keen diver and golfer in addition to futsal, which he plays with a group every Sunday.

He identifies with the racing driver Mario Andretti’s statement: “If everything seems under control … you’re just not going fast enough.”

“I think this applies to business, too. If everything is moving along too calmly then there is room to push things along faster. I think that angst, stress and emotions are normal symptoms of a dynamic, growing, fast-paced environment. Without them, I would think that the business was not realizing is full potential for growth,” he said with a smile.

As published in The Jakarta Post on Saturday, 1st Sept 2012