BECOMING THE BEST: THE POWER OF A TEAM AND COLLABORATION
By: Dr. Mahir Amin, M. Fil.I. Vice Dean for Student Affairs and Cooperation, FSH UINSA Surabaya
*This presentation was delivered during the morning assembly on Monday, December 4, 2023, at Campus A. Yani UINSA Surabaya
Like a soccer team, championships are achieved through teamwork; the team, officials, players, and management. A harmonious performance concoction will create a robust force that propels them to become champions. France and Germany, competing for victory in the U-17 World Cup final in Manahan Solo recently, proved that their hard work as a unified team led them to victory. The unwavering spirit to always be the best with a strong teamwork approach serves as the foundation for their success.
“Being the best” is a crucial guiding principle. Steve Jobs, the owner and founder of Apple Corp, once said, “Good Enough is not Enough; good is not enough if you can do better, better is not enough if you can the best.” Perhaps this mindset is what made Apple successful in dominating the digital device market: iPhones, MacBooks, and others. The spirit of Apple seems to align with the message of the prophet: “Khairun Nas Anfauhum li annas” – the best people are those who can actualize themselves for the benefit of others.
In this era of intense digital competition, renowned business consultant Rhenald Kasali states that success in competition is inseparable from factors such as creativity, innovation, and collaboration. Relying solely on personal abilities is not enough; breakthroughs must be collaborative. There is a popular adage, “Together everyone achieves more,” emphasizing that unity is strength. Besides these three factors, there must be strategy and mentality, as the accumulation of creativity, innovation, and collaboration without strategy and mentality will be futile. Strategy determines the direction; what and how these potentials are actualized. Although we have all the potentials, without a strategy, it will end in dead hopes. Meanwhile, mentality is a crucial factor in execution. There must be courage, positive expectations, and belief to execute all potentials. In the ABCD (Asset-Based Community Development) language, there must be a dream (Dreams) after discovering potentials as assets (Discovery), then executing with planning (Design) and rallying strengths (Define), ensuring that everything can be implemented (Destiny). Another crucial aspect is integrity and dedication in realizing potential; there are regulations, and commitment to compliance with these rules is needed. The framework is building and recognition of what is called “Dignity” – dignity and honor. Honorable achievements are achieved with a commitment to abide by fair play rules; rules and laws are always authoritative and should not be violated as it would tarnish the honor of success.
Let’s work together with different potentials and roles and the spirit for the progress of our university, UINSA. Surely and certainly, our beloved UINSA will flourish. Good luck.
