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Commanding A Crew Of Agents Of Change
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At the Official opening of Gerik Community College, 2007
COMMANDING A CREW OF AGENTS OF CHANGE
“A good leader needs a good follower,” said Imran. As the captain, he appreciates his crew as he believes that to be successful, all on board, have to work hand in hand. Team spirit is the essence in accomplishing a shared mission. Once infused in a team, the spirit glows in the heart of each team member, smoldering interpersonal relationships amongst them. The spirit also strengthens the bonding where success and failures are shared.
staff develop themselves. “When I see people grow, that’s most satisfying.” He believes that if he can make them grow, he has succeeded in placing another agent down the line to bring about the desired change. Emphasizing accountability, Imran puts in a considerable amount of effort to make his staff aware that they are accountable for themselves. Making this his main target, he wants the staff to be interested and dedicated to their job. Only with dedication can they be passionate with what they do.
Imran encourages them to go the extra mile of developing themselves professionally and personally. Hence Imran promotes the concept of lifelong learning. He is committed in providing the avenues for his staff to venture and reach greater heights. With this in mind, Imran sees the transfer of the polytechnics from the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Higher Learning and its restructuring as a positive move. This enables the polytechnic staff to stand a better chance for professional advancement. With the separation, the polytechnics academic staff is able to secure more scholarships, participate in study visits overseas and enjoy better privileges.
Imran emphasizes that in an organization, everyone has a role to play. The polytechnics are supported by a group of staff with varied abilities. He proposes a leveled playing field where the junior staff and the more senior staff can complement one another making the most out of each other’s potentials and talents. By acknowledging the diversity of each team member, the team will be better prepared to step on a field to play a good game. It is the team spirit that enables the organization to triumph and win championships.
There is a Chinese saying, “If you grow a seed you harvest a day, if you grow a plant you harvest a hundred years but if you grow people you harvest a lifetime.” Imran finds it satisfying when he succeeds in helping his
PUO Convocation Ceremony
ARetirement Tribute to
Dato’ Haji
Imran bin Idris 18
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With the new DH Scheme in place, Imran hopes to grant his staff with privileges they long deserved. Chances of promotion are higher as they can be promoted even without holding a position in the system. Imran believes that a rewarding scheme will boost the morale of the staff making them more motivated and dedicated. Realizing that the staff of the polytechnics has often been left ‘unnoticed’ because they are somewhere in between the universities and the schools, Imran feels that the introduction of the new scheme is timely.
Imran finds it satisfying when he sees people grow. In relation to encouraging professional and personal growth, Imran sees the need to recognize their potentials and talents, giving them persistent encouragement, monitoring their progress and rewarding them accordingly. Imran emphasizes the importance of being versatile and be ready to experiment and experience new things as each day comes. He asserts, an educator plays a multitude of roles. Reminiscing the past when he first started as a lecturer at the Politeknik Ungku Omar, Imran recalled, “At the early stage of my career I was already handling many things. I was given the responsibility to take charge of a fleet of buses. I consider myself a small bus manager. Once, a bus needed repairing after an accident, my boss wanted me to rebuild the bus. I found that he was quite pushy, not allowing us to buy even a small component even when it cost only 50 sen. It took me a while to understand why he did that, only to realize that he actually wanted us to experience manufacturing it. What seemed to be a harsh top down directive and a tough experience turned out to be a meaningful lesson, as is often heard, as your island of knowledge grows, so does your shoreline of wonder.”
PUO Bus
Imran’s passion is teaching. He finds teaching satisfying. “Everyone would need to be a teacher in one aspect or another, for example, as a corporate figure you still take the role of a teacher, you still need to educate your staff. You’re an educator, mentor and motivator, these are the roles of a teacher.”
On top of all Imran regards teachers as agents of change, committed to making a difference in their lives and the lives of others. Adopting a new shift in paradigm, as professionals, teachers need to consistently question what good teaching is and how best could they reach out to their students.
With their expertise teachers can try to bring out the best in each of them to meet high standards. Imran makes his point, “I wanted them to be expert in their own way. The people we have must be equipped with skills. If you have the content and skills, it would be easier to advise the people you lead.” As agents of change the teacher’s role is not just to transfer knowledge but also to teach the students how to lead their lives.
at the 3rd FIRA Robot Soccer Tournament
Briefing to CIDM committee
At the Department’s Monthly Staff Assembly
ARetirement Tribute to
Dato’ Haji
Imran bin Idris 20
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Officiating the Excellence in Service Award Ceremony, 2008
