BY GILLIAN NESSLYN AND LAKESH KUMAR
KOTA SAMARAHAN: PEMANDU chairman Datuk Seri Idris Jala gave his take on effective leadership and organisational transformation to a captive audience here Tuesday.
Organised as part of the Borneo Leadership Talk Series, the event attracted a large number of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) students, lecturers and executive committee members.
Idris, who was once named by Bloomberg as one of the ten most influential policymakers in the world, delivered a lecture titled ‘Transformational Leadership: 6 Secrets to Driving Big Fast Results’.
The session highlight was a Q&A session where Idris, a former federal minister, responded to various questions on leadership, transformation and culture.
One of the first questions asked was whether culture acts as a catalyst for change or a barrier to progress.
“Many people believe that when they change culture, immediately things will function better,” he said.
“To me, though, the most effective approach is to change the people’s action first. When you change the way people do things, the culture will follow.”
Drawing on his extensive experience in management, he explained that consistent action, not just theoretical change, is the key to cultural transformation.
“If you focus on what is being done rather than what you want to be, you will see results faster,” he added.
Idris then explained his philosophy on leading transformation through action, using a simple analogy.
“If you want to be a good athlete, don’t just read about it – start running every day.
“The repetition of that action builds stamina, and over time, the culture of being a runner will form on its own,” he said.
He also shared his experience of working in Papua New Guinea, where a focus on action led to successful results, proving that sometimes, simple implementations yield the best results.
“People there just do things – they don’t think too much. And they achieve extraordinary results,” he added.
Another key takeaway from Idris’ lecture was his DMS model – Do it relentlessly, Monitor it constantly, Solve problems recursively – which he believes is essential for successful leadership.
According to him, organisations need to focus on implementation rather than long discussions.
“Start doing, monitor progress, and problem-solve along the way. Results will come,” he said.
He emphasised that by implementing this model, institutions like UNIMAS can foster a culture of accountability and drive significant improvement.
Before closing the session, Idris urged participants to take transformational leadership principles seriously.
He reminded all that leadership is not about positions or titles – it is about inspiring action and making a space in which change can be accomplished and sustained.
