DEFENCE ACADEMY, TANAH JAMBU, Wednesday, 22 December 2021 – A sharing session on “Learn and Lead” was held today by Lieutenant Colonel (U) Peter bin Ulat @ Yulat, Chief Instructor of Defence Academy Royal Brunei Armed Forces with the Officer Cadets of Intake 20, which took place at the Auditorium, Defence Academy.
During the session, the Chief Instructor shared his personal knowledge, experiences and ideas on how to lead, particularly to prepare the Officer Cadets during their first appointment as a future Junior Officer in the Royal Brunei Armed Forces. He highlighted various principal points and views about leading and among others were firstly, on the importance of fearless leadership focusing on solutions rather than problems, forward momentum and action. Secondly, he stated that it is essential to ‘Listen, Learn then Lead’ in order to give personal attention, to build confidence, trust and a sense of shared purpose. Thirdly, he stressed that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ leadership, be it an extrovert or introvert individual. This is because different leaders require different input to be successful and adapt different style to suit the team and the organization. Fourthly, he also noted that leading is associated with uplifting and encouraging others with words and actions as it fosters a positive attitude and inspires people to be at their best. Fifthly, there is a need to learn towards leveraging the genius of the group that they lead. This is because by engaging with other people or with the ideas of others, the group will become more beneficial for creativity with a more collaborative organizational culture. Sixthly, the Chief Instructor reminded the Officer Cadets to avoid micromanagement in the workplace but to practice delegating effectively as micromanagement will limit the growth of the individual. Finally, leading is related to the power of gratitude as it is one of the most effective ways to become not only a better leader but also a better person as quoted “Life is Magic. You must appreciate life”.
The session was concluded with question and answer session. It is hoped that such sharing session can activate the Officer Cadets innermost motivators and to take hold of the present and future opportunities in developing their leadership skills and potentials to be part of a future workforce that is productive to fulfil the organizational needs in the coming years.
