By Kardison Lumban Batu, BEc, MSc

Lecturer of Polytechnic State of Pontianak, Business Administration

Westk Kalimantan

When a group takes time out for gathering at a retreat, the whole should gain benefit, it supposed to be and hopefully yes. Any amount of time taken to get away and focus on good leadership and collaboration will bear fruit in the lives of individuals and the social life! With a whole world of needs and possibilities facing us, how do we decide what to give our life and energies to? This retreat has always recognized that offered mutual benefit and contains social value for all of us to implement and apply that common good in Asia in our daily life and environment. From my perspective in the Retreats held in Beijing, our main objective is to eliminate all distractions from each and every barricade to allow the good deed work in a multitude of lives.

Here are a few things I’ve noticed and gained in the Retreat held in Beijing.

•    Renewed and refreshed, we are able to share the key truths that gave us a new perspective in Leadership, Networking, Cooperation, Caring, Social Life, and even Collaboration

•    Unity developed among us at the retreat spreads through the whole week as we return to fellowship and home.

•    Relationships at home are dealt with in a more positive and hopeful manner due to the chance to rest and find renewal in good relationship

•    Revived and restored teachers and leaders are better prepared to encourage and minister.

•    Developing deeper and more trusting relationships among us

•    Inspiring teammates to sprint to the finish on an important project for any purposes

•    Convincing each other on the ability and skill owning

•    Inspiring, encouraging all participants to become lifelong learners and agent of change.

•    Creating enthusiasm and negotiating during a difficult change

•    Negotiating a complex contract that benefits all sides

•    Nurturing a corporate culture that engenders loyalty and retention

•    Being Present not pretentious.

•    Reaching Out not looking down.

•    Understanding the role of the effective leader in an organization

•    Ability to assess our natural leadership style, and identify areas for development and improvement.

•    Learning how to make decisions to involve team members to a lesser or greater degree, depending on the circumstances of each situation.

•    Learning to communicate, delegate, and follow through effectively, to help the team deliver organization results and develop group capacities and strengths

Why should you go to retreat?

•    Leadership sharing. We have learnt on leadership by sharing the leadership skill since all the participants noticeable an enthusiastic person and available for future leader.

•    To get acquainted. Others benefit by gaining acquainted, the result of networking is always been fruitful.

•    To have Fun. It was a great moment and golden opportunity to have you all there and having fun as well.

I do strongly believe that in our deepest heart that we have strong wish to have reunion again, please do not let us meet once in a life time. Hopefully we can encounter at the next BABA, meeting, seminar, workshop or even the summit of Asian Leader in the near future. Keep you all in my heart.

By Xueqiong Zhang

On July 23, 2009, I was informed that I was successful in my application to participate in the 6^th BABA Retreat. Since then I had been looking forward to September 13 to meet other fellows whom I just knew by email. It took me three and half hours to fly from Kunming to Beijing. Though I’ve been to Beijing many times, I still couldn’t help being excited.

It is well known that the Asia is the largest continents with the most population. The Asia is also the birthplace of the three major religions and three of the Four Ancient Civilizations. The Asia had been in the lead until the 19^th century. However, the Asia as a whole fell behind in the modern maybe except Japan. Why? Unfortunately, after the World War Two the most countries in the Asia were lost in internal unrest and mutual conflicts. Compared to the EU the ASEAN built in 1967 is still a loose union. At the same time, because of the WWII and with the rising of China and India, there is short of trust among almost all the countries in the East Asia and the Southeast Asia. As for the Central Asia and the Middle East, it seems that the most countries there can’t pursue independent diplomacy. Regional cooperation in the Asia is still in the low level.

The aim of the Retreat is very good. We participants are a new generation and most of us grew up during a relative peacetime. Maybe economic development, political democracy, social progress and equality occupy our mind more. The Retreat helps us be a responsible group for our community. I enjoyed the program and was especially encouraged by the introductions about the Retreat and the Nippon Foundation provided by M. Rajaretnam and Shuichi Ohno separately. Such organizations like IRC and Nippon Foundation are laying the foundation for building a better Asia. They are trying to rebuild the trust among countries by training future leaders. I also like the PPT shown by each of us. Yes, we are diverse but we can appreciate one another. The personal experience of Prof. Amitav Acharya is wonderful. He comes from Singapore (though he looks like an Indian from appearance) and married with a Chinese lady and now lives in the United States. When he communicated with us about “Asia Past & Present: An Asia View from Washington D.C.” I asked him: what does it mean about the Asia rising and what roles should Japan, India and China during the process? As the only superpower, whether or not the United States want the Asia to rise. In my opinion, the Asia rising means every country in the Asia develops and no one will be left behind. It also means the most population in the world can enjoy freedom, equality and prosperity. In a word, the Asia rising means a better Asia in the future. During the process Japan, India and China should play the roles just as Germany, Britain and France play in the EU. The United States can’t stop the Asia rising no matter it likes or not. The methods that the Retreat adopted were good, too. I was impressed by the film “12 Angry Men: Transforming Opinions and Groupthink” and the PPT about Analyzing Opportunities: Value Innovation, provided by Johnson Paul. Fantastic Four is another surprise. What they do not only make us relax, but also help us practice teamwork and leadership. Facilitators, especially Akira Uchimura and Rina Shahriyani Shahrullah, showed a good example how a leader is. From September 20, most of us began departing Beijing one by one. After that, Akira has been busy in building a network for us. I love May Kanniga very much. She is considerate indeed.

Of course, I’d like to make some suggestions on the Retreat.

–No participants came from the Central Asia and the Middle East. I noticed there are no Sylff Institutions in the Central Asia. Maybe when the Tokyo Foundation extends a global reach in the future, the Central Asia can be considered. There are three Sylff institutions in the Middle East. No person from there applied for the Retreat or no one succeed in application?

–Whether or not Keynote Speakers and Resource Persons from other places besides the Asia can be invited, such as the Europe (EU), even the Africa, the Oceania and so on. It’s the era of globalization, to build a better Asia the Asia needs learn from other places and know how they think about the Asia rising. Maybe scholars from the Sylff institutions in other continents can be chosen in the future.

–I think we stayed in the room more and go out to contact with the local people less. However, the latter will help us enhance our perceptual knowledge about what we were learning.

–The mother tongues of the most of participants are not English (except India and maybe Pakistan). I have to admit honestly that I hardly catch the whole ideas of some speeches. Yes, I must practice more in my listening English. However, if these speeches could be provided more slowly and clearly the effects of learning would be better.

These suggestions are for reference only. I just want the Retreat to become better and better.