Orchestrating Growth Strategies!
In the modern landscape of strategic leadership, navigating life’s challenges with purpose is not merely a slogan but a guiding principle for success. Amidst ever-changing market dynamics and evolving business models, individuals like Mr. Yohanes Jeffry Johary embody resilience and determination, steering industries toward sustainable growth and innovation. Grounded in principles of seizing the opportunities and prioritising impactful actions, they break conventional barriers to drive positive change and promote organisational excellence.
At the forefront of strategic leadership stands Mr. Yohanes Jeffry Johary, the Managing Director of OCS Indonesia (PT OCS Global Services). With a career spanning 28 years, Jeffry’s journey represents a blend of expertise and vision, steering organisations towards enduring success. His strategic insight, honed through diverse experiences, highlights the transformative power of effective leadership in fostering growth amidst complexity and uncertainty.
Within OCS Indonesia (PT OCS Global Services) there is a commitment to fostering sustainable growth and innovation. The company is seen as a leader in progress, aligning its efforts with broader societal objectives and environmental goals. Through a strategic blend of innovation, digitalisation, and ESG initiatives, OCS Indonesia seeks to redefine industry standards and inspire a future-ready workforce, thereby contributing to Indonesia’s vision for sustainable development and prosperity.
Let’s investigate further to learn more:
Navigating Life’s Challenges with Purpose
Jeffry is guided by two fundamental principles in life: seizing the day as if there is no tomorrow (carpe diem) and always enjoying the moment (profiter du moment). His main goal is to improve people’s lives and help them change for the better. Jeffry’s past experiences have made him grateful and independent, so he can handle tough situations by prioritising the most important tasks to keep moving forward.
With a background in accounting, Jeffry brings a methodical approach to managing and resolving complex problems. He adeptly navigates demanding situations with rationality and efficiency. Although he had the chance to pursue formal education in mathematics, chemistry, and biology, he chose a different path, aspiring to become a “company doctor” and starting his career journey from scratch. He strategically positioned himself for future endeavours aimed at driving positive change.
Jeffry’s motivation to rise to a senior executive leadership role comes from his belief that elevated authority and responsibility offer greater freedom and the ability to positively influence more lives. He firmly advocates that a robust strategy should not only inform decision-making processes but also enhance execution, thereby maximising its overall positive impact.
Architecting Growth in Dynamic Markets
In his view, Jeffry highlights the crucial role of a CFO as a Value-Creation Architect, responsible for steering sustainable profitable growth and aligning all aspects of the business with the overarching business strategy. Expanding on this idea, he suggests that as CEOs take on broader responsibilities, they become essential Growth Architects, ensuring ongoing continual business expansion and relevance in ever-changing markets.
To navigate through VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) and BANI (Brittle, Anxious, Non-Linear, Incomprehensible) scenarios, Jeffry advises CEOs to embrace creative thinking and decisive action, fostering a culture of innovation and optimism across the organisation. He stresses the need for a resilient and adaptable organisational structure, along with the ability to anticipate market trends, empowering companies to tackle challenges with confidence and positively impact stakeholders. This approach not only builds resilience but also fuels long-term growth.
While systems and processes provide the foundation, Jeffry underscores the crucial role of individuals within the organisation in driving progress. A skilled architect, he believes, understands the organisation’s dynamics and readiness, enabling effective strategic decision-making to implement chosen strategies.
Fostering Sustainable Growth Through Innovation
In his leadership approach, he emphasises nurturing systems, processes, and infrastructure that foster continuous learning, development, and innovation within the organisation. Understanding the need to thrive in today’s fast-paced market, Jeffry prioritises efficiency, flexibility, sustainability, and customer experience at every stage of value creation.
His leadership focuses on four key elements: Innovation, Digitalisation, ESG Initiatives, and Customer Experience, all crucial for ensuring the sustainable growth and relevance of the organisations he oversees.
At the core of this journey are Innovation and Customer Experience, forming a constant cycle of evolution to stay competitive and drive innovation amidst challenges. Strategic Digitalisation efforts play a crucial role, improving productivity and convenience for both internal stakeholders and customers.
ESG initiatives demonstrate a dedication to long-term value creation, with a focus on environmental and social responsibility alongside operational excellence. Jeffry stresses integrating sustainable business practices into daily operations to ensure products, services, and practices benefit communities and the environment.
The pursuit of “sustainable profitable growth” relies on a robust process and unwavering commitment to the principles of the “triple bottom line”: profit, people, and the planet. Jeffry highlights the importance of balancing these elements to achieve lasting success and make a positive impact.
Navigating Transformation
In his career journey, he faced a significant challenge: steering a turnaround in the company’s business direction. This meant shifting the organization’s mindset and revamping systems, processes, and infrastructure, all within time and resources constraints, while keeping targets and budgets intact. To add to the complexity, the company underwent a change in shareholders midway through this transformative period.
In this dynamic environment, the company had to balance delivering strong business performance with managing substantial changes, such as shifts in customer sectors, infrastructure enhancements, and operational adjustments due to digitalisation. Key to overcoming these challenges was ensuring the mental and emotional resilience of both individuals and the organisation as a whole, fostering optimism as a driving force for positive business outcomes.
Instead of being overwhelmed by the complexity of the challenges, Jeffry focused on seeking solutions, breaking down obstacles into manageable tasks, setting priorities, and addressing them step by step. He cultivated a collaborative environment, forming strong project teams, promoting teamwork, and encouraging open communication to gather diverse perspectives and expedite potential solutions.
Maintaining a growth mindset was crucial for Jeffry, enabling him to see challenges as opportunities for personal and professional development. He viewed setbacks as valuable learning experiences, recognising that failures served as stepping stones towards eventual success. During tough times, patience and tenacity were essential, acknowledging that not all problems could be swiftly resolved, yet persisting, nonetheless. Through thorough analysis of failures, Jeffry gained valuable insights for future improvement, while also ensuring to recognise and celebrate successes with the team.
Mentorship and Leadership
Throughout his 28-year career, Jeffry has been fortunate to learn valuable lessons from esteemed mentors from cross various industries. From family members to educators, these mentors emphasised integrity, laying a strong foundation for his personal growth. Professional mentors further enriched his journey, providing growth opportunities, guidance, knowledge sharing, and constructive feedback. Their support proved crucial in navigating challenges, accelerating learning, and building invaluable networks, ultimately contributing to his skill development and confidence. Each mentor imparted lessons that shaped Jeffry’s character.
The transition from CFO to CEO posed challenges, compounded by external factors like the COVID-19 pandemic and internal crises. Amidst these trials, Jeffry found steadfast support and guidance from a remarkable leader and mentor, Roland Salameh (Regional CEO of Asia Pacific and Middle East at OCS). Roland’s mentorship boosted Jeffry’s confidence, facilitated internal networking with Atalian and OCS, and guided him towards success during and after the transition phase.
A key lesson Jeffry learned from Roland was the analogy of the CEO to a conductor. Understanding each individual within the organisation, aligning them towards a shared vision, and leading by example became paramount. Regardless of cultural difference, clarity about the future is a universal aspiration. Roland’s advice to empower capable individuals and delegate responsibilities deeply resonated with Jeffry, shaping his leadership philosophy. This counsel remains etched in his heart as a constant reminder of effective leadership principles.
Fostering Innovation Through Diversity
To nurture innovation within OCS Indonesia organisation, Jeffry emphasises the importance of implementing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. These efforts are crucial for creating a sense of belonging among his team members enabling everyone to unleash their full potential and drive innovation.
OCS Indonesia’s commitment to DEI starts from the top, with leadership setting the tone and direction for the entire company. Taking a top-down approach ensures that DEI remains a priority and becomes ingrained in the company culture.
Led by the CEO, the leadership team plays a critical role in fostering an environment that encourages innovation and supports business growth through DEI initiatives. This means ensuring diverse representation within the organisation and valuing the inputs, ideas, and perspectives of every individual. It also involves consistently acknowledging and redistributing authority to promote fairness. Integrating all aspects of DEI – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – is essential. Neglecting Equity, for example, could lead to unequal distribution of opportunities and promotions. Likewise, lacking Diversity may result in a homogeneous culture and limited viewpoints.
A diverse leadership approach is crucial for embracing and appreciating a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, which ultimately fuels sustained growth and success. This inclusive approach ensures that the company strategies are enriched by diverse perspectives, enhancing the adaptability in dynamic markets. It’s important to note that DEI encompasses a wide range of identities and experiences beyond gender, highlighting the need for comprehensive inclusion efforts.
Strategic Leadership
In balancing short-term objectives with a long-term vision, Jeffry stresses the importance of setting achievable milestones that align with broader organisational goals. He takes a proactive approach by prioritising tasks that not only contribute to immediate progress but also support long-term objectives. Regularly reassessing and adjusting the strategies ensures that the short-term actions stay in line with the overarching goals, making it easier to integrate the immediate needs with future aspirations. At the core of this strategy is efficient resources management, which involves optimising available resources, identifying key assets, strategically allocating them based on priorities, and fostering a culture of creativity and flexibility within the team.
In facing the challenges of leadership, Jeffry acknowledges the presence of “Leadership Dilemmas,” which often involve making tough decisions amidst conflicting values or interests. To anticipate such challenges, he takes a proactive approach by staying informed about potential obstacles and nurturing a strong ethical foundation. To address these dilemmas, Jeffry regularly reevaluates situations and seeks diverse perspectives, refining his decision-making skills to navigate ambiguity and complexity effectively.
By integrating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations into the long-term strategy, Jeffry recognises the importance of sustainable business practices in driving long-term value creation. This shift in mindset from short-term profit maximisation to sustainable value creation entails considering the environmental and social impacts of all business decisions in the short term.
Elevating Leadership
According to Jeffry, strategic thinking and calculated risk-taking are key to successful leadership. He believes that effective leaders pose qualities like strong communication, adaptability, empathy, decisiveness, and the ability to inspire and motivate others. Additionally, Jeffry stresses the importance of self-awareness and learning agility among leaders, which help them understand their strengths, weaknesses, and values, and immediately perform self-improvement to learn, unlearn, and relearn. This self-awareness leads to better decision-making, fosters humility, and create a positive work culture by enabling leaders to navigate challenges with a clear understanding of their impact on others.
Jeffry and the Executive Committee (Excom) make it a priority to nurture and develop these qualities through continuous learning, seeking feedback, and embracing challenges. They engage in mentorship, organise internal leadership development programmes like development round tables, and actively reflect on their experiences to hone their skills and competencies. Moreover, they emphasize effective communication, empathy, and fostering a growth mindset as essential components of ongoing leadership development.
Prioritising Self-Care for Balance
When it comes to managing his professional duties, Jeffry stresses the need to prioritise self-care. he believes it’s essential to be mindful of our wellbeing and intentionally make choices that support it.
To maintain balance amidst his busy schedule, Jeffry incorporate specific activities into his routine that bring him joy and relaxation. For instance, he makes time for activities like jogging on a treadmill while listening to music three times a week and running outdoors for 4 to 5 kilometres at least once a week. He also sets realistic limits to prevent burnout and knows when to say no to additional commitments. To support his overall wellness, he stays active, ensures he gets enough sleep, and practices mindfulness techniques. Plus, he makes a point to disconnect from work during off-hours and dedicates time to hobbies, exercise, and relaxation for a more balanced and fulfilling life.
Understanding the importance of a healthy work-life balance, Jeffry believes that these habits should be demonstrated from the top. This means setting clear boundaries between work and personal time, prioritising tasks wisely, managing time effectively, taking regular breaks, and sticking to a consistent daily routine. Additionally, maintaining open communication with employees about availability and being willing to decline extra commitments when needed are vital steps in achieving a sustainable work-life balance.
Driving Sustainable Growth and Innovation
Jeffry sees his personal goals aligned with the company’s mission of making people and places the best they can be. With a specific aim to boost contributions to sustainable human capital infrastructure, Jeffry wants to ramp up productivity and encourage collaboration across industries to support Indonesia’s vision for its Golden Year 2045. Key to these efforts is rolling out structured learning and development programmes that go beyond basic skills, empowering workers with tech-savvy and ESG solutions know-how.
Understanding the environmental and climate challenges facing Indonesia, a country of islands with large population, Jeffry stresses the need for decarbonisation. This goes beyond just technology and economic; it involves shifting social values and behaviours. Leveraging OCS Indonesia’s influence across different sectors, he plans to drive grassroots environmental improvements. By equipping employees with lifelong skills, this initiative not only boost economic and educational opportunities but also enhances access to healthcare services. To make this happen, Jeffry is forging collaborations to tap into the strengths and insights of various players in the ecosystem to shape a future-ready workforce.
To ensure the organisation stays committed to these long-term objectives, Jeffry emphasizes the importance of staying ahead of industry trends, setting OCS Indonesia apart from competitors. This main maintaining a keen focus on innovation, digitalisation, ESG initiatives, and customer experiences to sustain and expand the company’s market presence.
