Oleh

Anwar Rahman, S.Pd., M.Pd.**

I. Pendahuluan

Manusia dilahirkan di bumi untuk menjadi kholifah (penguasa atau pemimpin) dan kelak akan dimintakan pertanggungjawabannya tentang kepemimpinannya itu di akhirat. Menurut Bachtiar Surin dalam Ircham (2010)  yang dikutif oleh Maman Ukas bahwa “Perkataan Khalifah berarti penghubung atau pemimpin yang diserahi untuk menyampaikan atau memimpin sesuatu”. Sebagaimana di firmankan oleh Allah dalam Al-Quran yang berbunyi: “Ingatlah ketika Tuhanmu berfirman kepada Malaikat”; “Sesungguhnya Aku akan mengangkat Adam menjadi Khalifah di muka Bumi”. Dalam suart Al-Baqorah tersebut malaikat juga mempertanyakan kenapa menciptakan manusia yang akan menumpahkan darah (suka perselisih dan perang) dan membuat kerusakan. Tetapi Allah, SWT mejawabnya Dia lebih tahu tentang ciptaanya. Bila dikaji pernyataan ini maka ada misi khusus yang harus dilaksanakan manusia di bumi yaitu sebagai rohmatan lil’alamin.  Dalam konteks yang lebih khusus maka setiap individu (mahasiswa) harus menjadi rahmat bagi dirinya sendiri, orang lain (mahsiswa lain) dan alam sekitarnya (kampus dan bangsanya).

Setiap mahasiswa pasti sepakat bahwa dirinya adalah calon pemimpin. Baik calon pemimpin keluarga, organisasi, kantor, bangsa dan negara Indonesia. Pertanyaanya adalah seberapa jauh seorang mahasiswa mempersiapkan diri sebagai seorang pemimpin di masa depan. Mahasiswa sebagai agent of change (agen perubah) tidak mungkin dapat merubah sesuatu hal lebih baik bila tidak mempersiapkan diri untuk menghadapi perubahan itu.

Dalam makalah ini akan membahas kepemimpinan (leadership) dalam konteks kemahasiswaan dan juga umum. Diharapkan mahasiswa dapat mempersiapkan diri menjadi pempimpin yang baik di masa yang akan datang.

II. Leadership (Kepemimpinan) Organisasi Kemahasiswaan

2.1 Pengertian kepemimpinan

Banyak para pakar yang mendifinisikan pengertian kepemimpinan (leadership). Berikut adalah pengertian kepemimpinan:

-    A simple definition of leadership is that leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal (Ward. 2010).

-    Leadership has been described as the “process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task” (Wikipedia. 2010).

-    Alan Keith of Genentech states that, “Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen.”

Dalam konteks organisasi kemahasiswaan saya mendefinisikan kepemimpinan adalah suatu proses mempengaruhi, memotivasi atau memberi contoh oleh pemimpin organisasi kemahasiswaan  kepada anggota, mahasiwa lain, masyarakat kampus dan sekitarnya dalam upaya mencapai tujuan organisasi.

2.2  Kemimpinan dalam organisasi kemasiswaan

Pasang surut gerakan mahasiswa di tanah air sangat dipengaruhi kualitas kepemimpinan organisasi kemahasiswaan di kampus. Kampus atau universitas yang mempunyai kaderisasi yang baik maka akan melahirkan pemimpin organisasi kemahasiswaan yang handal dan cakap. Sebaliknya betapa banyak organisasi kemahasiswaan di kamus kampus yang hanya tinggal namanya saja. Kalaupun ada pengurusnya, jumlah pengurus yang aktif relatif sedikit (kurang dari  20%) dari pengurus yang ada. Hal ini disebabkan rendahnya motivasi mahasiswa dalam berorganisasi. Mahasiswa, kebanyakan sibuk dengan aktifitas akademik atau tugas perkuliahan sehingga lalai mempersipakan diri untuk menjadi pemimpin di masa depan. Oleh sebab itu motivasi diri dalam berorganisasi sangat diperlukan bagi kalangan mahasiswa.

Pertanyaan bagaimana seyogyanya kepemimpinan dalam organisasi kemahasiswaan sering dilontarkan di kalangan mahasiswa sendiri. Kepemimpinan mahasiswa muncul akibat proses kaderisasi yang cukup lama. Kaderisasi bisa saja telah terjadi pada diri mahasiswa sejak ia sekolah di SD, SMP dan SMA/SMK. Keikutsertaan dalam OSIS atau KIR contohnya, merupakan proses kaderisasi yang membentuk diri seseorang siswa menjadi pemimpin. Proses di sekolah yang baik sedikit banyak akan memberi kontribusi jiwa kepemimpinan mahasiwa saat di perguruan tinggi.

Organisasi kemasiswaan akan maju dan berhasil dalam tujuannya bila anggotanya pernah mengalami suatu proses kaderisasi sebelumnya (disekolah). Kalaupun anggootanya baru samasekali maka kaderisasi yang intensif dan berkualitas dapat mendorong keberhasilan organisasi. Oleh sebab itu pengurus organisasi harus berhati-hati dalam rekrutmen anggota baru. Perlu dipertimbangkan apakah calon anggota sudah pernah ikut organisasi sebelumnya dan apa motivasi sesungguhnya dalam ikut organisasi. Dengan demikian organisasi kemahasiswaan baik divtingkat program studi, jurusan, fakultas, dan universitas akan berjalan dengan efektif.

2.3 Tipe Kepemimpinan

Banyak tipe atau gaya kepemimpinan yang telah dan sedang dilakukan oleh para pemimpin organisasi atau bangsa-bangsa saat ini. Dan sejarah telah mencatat pemimpin organisasi atau negara yang sukses sehingga dicintai dan diukir namanya oleh anggota atau rakyatnya. Tipe kempimpinan seseorang akan depengaruhi oleh latar belakan kehidupan dan pendidikannya. Sebagai contoh Sadam Husein, presiden Irak, dibesarkan di lingkungan yang keras dan berpendidikan militer maka ia menjadi pemimpin yang otoriter. Contoh lain Sultan Hamangkubowono IX lahir di lingkungan keratin yang santun dan lembut dan berpendidikan barat (ala kaisar Jepang) maka mejadi pemimpin yang santun dan hati-hati tetapi mempunyai visi dan misi kedepan yang lebih modern dan mengikuti perkembangan jaman.

Berikut tipe-tipe kepemimpinan yang dapat dikaji dan ditelaah baik dan buruknya dalam organisasi kemahasiswaan dari berbagai sumber yang say abaca. Tipe kepemimpinan tersebut adalah:

a. Tipe Otokratik

Seorang pemimpin organisasi mahasiswa yang memiliki tipe kepemimpinan otokratik dipandang sebagai karakteristik yang negatif. Hal ini dilihat dari sifatnya dalam menjalankan kepemimpinannya maunya sendiri dan sangat egois serta otoriter, sehingga kesan yang muncul dimata anggotanya adalah tipe kepemimpinan ini selalu menonjolkan “keakuannya”. Organisasi yang dipimpin oleh tipe ini tidak akan efektif pada masa sekarang ini dimana keterbukaan dan keterlibatan mahasiswa atau anggota sangat diperlukan.

b. Tipe Kepemimpinan Militeristik

Tipe kepemimpinan militeristik ini sangat mirip dengan tipe kepemimpinan otoriter. Adapun sifat-sifat dari tipe kepemimpinan militeristik adalah: (1) lebih banyak menggunakan sistem perintah/komando, keras dan sangat otoriter, kaku dan seringkali kurang bijaksana, (2) menghendaki kepatuhan mutlak dari bawahan, (3) sangat menyenangi formalitas, upacara-upacara ritual dan tanda-tanda kebesaran yang berlebihan, (4) menuntut adanya disiplin yang keras dan kaku dari bawahannya, (5) tidak menghendaki saran, usul, sugesti, dan kritikan-kritikan dari bawahannya, (6) komunikasi hanya berlangsung searah. Dalam oraganisasi kemahasiswaan yang bisa digolongkan dalam tipe ini adalah resimen mahasiswa (MENWA).

c. Tipe Paternalistik/Maternalistik

Tipe pemimpin paternalistik/maternalistik  ini bersifat kebapaan/keibuan yang mengembangkan sikap kebersamaan. Salah satu ciri utamanya yaitu rasa hormat yang tinggi yang ditujukan oleh para anggota kepada ketuanya. Pemimpin seperti ini menunjukkan ketauladan dan menjadi panutan mahasiswa.

Di masyarakat biasanya tipe seperti ini dimiliki oleh tokoh-tokoh adat, para ulama dan guru. Ciri-ciri atau sifat kepemimpinan  paternaliastik adalah sebagai berikut: (1) mereka menganggap bawahannya sebagai manusia yang tidak/belum dewasa, atau anak sendiri yang perlu dikembangkan, (2) mereka bersikap terlalu melindungi, (3) mereka jarang memberikan kesempatan kepada bawahan untuk mengambil keputusan sendiri, (4) mereka hampir tidak pernah memberikan kesempatan kepada bawahan untuk berinisiatif, (5) mereka memberikan atau hampir tidak pernah memberikan kesempatan pada pengikut atau bawahan untuk mengembangkan imajinasi dan daya kreativitas mereka sendiri, (6) selalu bersikap maha tahu dan maha benar.

Sedangkan tipe kepemimpinan maternalistik tidak jauh beda dengan tipe kepemimpinan paternalistik, yang membedakan adalah dalam kepemimpinan maternalistik terdapat sikap over-protective atau terlalu melindungi yang sangat menonjol disertai kasih sayang yang berlebih lebihan.

d. Tipe Kharismatik

Karakteristik yang khas dari tipe ini yaitu daya tariknya yang sangat memikat sehingga mampu memperoleh pengikut yang jumlahnya kadang-kadang sangat besar. Pendeknya seorang pemimpin organisasi kemahaiswaan yang kharismatik adalah seseorang yang dikagumi oleh banyak mahasiwa atau anggotanya meskipun para mahasiswa tersebut tidak selalu dapat menjelaskan secara konkret mengapa pemimpin tersebut dikagumi. Khrismatik muncul biasanya karena kepribadiannya yang mengagumkan dalam menjalankan prinsip-prinsip moral dan keagamaan.

Dalam masyarakat Indonesia tipe kepemimpinan karismatis memiliki kekuatan energi, daya tarik dan pembawaan yang luar biasa untuk mempengaruhi orang lain, sehingga ia mempunyai pengikut yang sangat besar jumlahnya dan pengawal-pengawal yang bisa dipercaya. Kepemimpinan kharismatik dianggap memiliki kekuatan ghaib (supernatural power) dan kemampuan-kemampuan yang superhuman, yang diperolehnya sebagai karunia Yang Maha Kuasa. Kepemimpinan yang kharismatik memiliki inspirasi, keberanian, dan berkeyakinan teguh pada pendirian sendiri. Totalitas kepemimpinan kharismatik memancarkan pengaruh dan daya tarik yang amat besar.

e. Tipe Laissez Faire

Dalam tipe ini seorang pemimpin organisasi kemahasiswaan yang berpandangan bahwa organisasi kemahasiswaan akan berjalan lancar dengan sendirinya karena para anggota organisasi terdiri dari mahasiswa  yang sudah matang dan dewasa yang mengetahui apa yang menjadi tujuan organisasi, sasaran-sasaran apa yang ingin dicapai, tugas apa yang harus ditunaikan oleh masing-masing anggota dan pemimpin tidak terlalu sering intervensi. Sebagai contoh organisasi eksternal kemahasiswaan PB HMI atau PB KAMMI dimana pengurusnya sudah begitu dewasa dan dapat menjalankan organisasi tanpa perlu interfensi pihak lain.

f. Tipe Demokratik

Pemimpin yang demokratik biasanya memperlakukan anggotanya atau mahasiswa dengan cara yang manusiawi dan menjunjung harkat dan martabat manusia. Seorang pemimpin organisasi kemahaiswaan yang  demokratik disegani tetapi bukannya ditakuti. Dalam pengambilan keputusan biasa mempertimbangkan masukan dari sebagian besar pengurus atau anggotanya sehingga keinginan mayoritas anggotanya dapat terpenuhi.

Dalam prespektif masyarakat mahasiswa dan masyrakat pada umumnya dari kelima tipe kepemimpinan mahasiswa diatas, masing-masing tipe memiliki kelebihan dan kelemahannya tergantung dimana tipe kepemimpinan tersebut terjadi. Oleh sebab itu penempatan tipe kepemimpinan tersebut tergantung pada organisasi yang akan dipimpin. Misalnya untuk organisasi kemiliteran (MENWA) diperlukan tipe kepemimpinan yang otoriter, sebab pada organisasi tersebut dibutuhkan kesatuan komando dalam pengambilan keputusan. Sehingga senang atau tidak senang, semua anggota organisasi didalamnya harus melaksanakan perintah dari atasan. Untuk BEM, HIMA dan UKM tentu menuntuk tipe kemimpinan yang berbeda misalnya kharismatik atau demokratik. Jadi, dalam menentukan tipe kepemimpinan organisasi yang akan diterapkan oleh seorang pemimpin harus disesuaikan dengan jenis organisasi kemahasiswaan yang akan dipimpin.

2.4 Ciri-ciri Pemimpin dan Kepemimpinan Yang Baik

Untuk mencapai tujuan organisasi kemahasiswa maka diperlukan pemimpin yang berkualitas baik secara agama, moral, social dan pedidikan. Banyak  mahasiwa atau masyarakat mengharapkan pemimpin yang sempurna atau ideal (setengah dewa) padahal hampir-hampir tidak mungkin menjadi manusia setengah dewa. Tetapi setidaknya setiap individu pemimpin organisasi kemahasiswaan berusaha untuk melakukan yang terbaik untuk organisasinya. Berikut adalah ciri-ciri pemimpin (Ircham. 2010) yang baik yang hendaknya menjadi tujuan setiap individu mahasiswa saat memimpin organisasi kemahasiswaan:

1.Pengetahuan umum yang luas, semakin tinggi kedudukan seseorang dalam hirarki kepemimpinan

organisasi, ia semakin dituntut untuk mampu berpikir dan bertindak secara generalis.

2. Kemampuan untuk tumbuh dan berkembang dalam memajukan organisasi.

3. Sikap yang intuitif atau rasa ingin tahu, merupakan suatu sikap yang mencerminkan dua hal: pertama,

tidak merasa puas dengan tingkat pengetahuan yang dimiliki; kedua, kemauan dan keinginan untuk mencari dan menemukan hal- hal baru.

4. Kemampuan Analitik, efektifitas kepemimpinan seseorang tidak lagi pada kemampuannya melaksanakan kegiatan yang bersifat teknis operasional, melainkan pada kemampuannya untuk

berpikir. Cara dan kemampuan berpikir yang diperlukan adalah yang integralistik, strategik dan berorientasi pada pemecahan masalah.

5. Daya ingat yang kuat, pemimpin harus mempunyai kemampuan inteletual yang berada di atas kemampuan rata-rata orang-orang yang dipimpinnya, salah satu bentuk kemampuan intelektual adalah

daya ingat yang kuat.

6. Kapasitas integratif, pemimpin harus menjadi seorang integrator dan memiliki pandangan holistik mengenai orgainasi.

7. Ketrampilan berkomunikasi secara efektif, fungsi komunikasi dalam organisasi antara lain : fungsi motivasi, fungsi ekspresi emosi, fungsi penyampaian informasi dan fungsi pengawasan.

8. Keterampilan Mendidik, memiliki kemampuan menggunakan kesempatan untuk meningkatkan kemampuan bawahan, mengubah sikap dan perilakunya dan meningkatkan dedikasinya kepada organisasi.

9. Rasionalitas, semakin tinggi kedudukan manajerial seseorang semakin besar pula tuntutan kepadanya untuk membuktikan kemampuannya untuk berpikir. Hasil pemikiran itu akan terasa dampaknya tidak hanya dalam organisasi, akan tetapi juga dalam hubungan organisasi dengan pihak-pihak yang berkepentingan di luar organisasi tersebut.

10. Objektivitas, pemimpin diharapkan dan bahkan dituntut berperan sebagai bapak dan penasehat bagi

para bawahannya. Salah satu kunci keberhasilan seorang pemimpin dalam mengemudikan organisasi

terletak pada kemampuannya bertindak secara objektif.

11. Pragmatisme, dalam kehidupan organisasional, sikap yang pragmatis biasanya terwujud dalam bentuk sebagai berikut : pertama, kemampuan menentukan tujuan dan sasaran yang berada dalam jangkauan kemampuan untuk mencapainya yang berarti menetapkan tujuan dan sasaran yang realistik tanpamelupakan idealisme. Kedua, menerima kenyataan apabila dalam perjalanan hidup tidak selalu meraih hasil yang diharapkan.

12. Kemampuan Menentukan Prioritas, dengan membedakan hal yang Urgen dan yang Penting

13. Naluri yang Tepat, kemampuannya untuk memilih waktu yang tepat untuk melakukan atau tidak melakukan sesuatu.

14. Rasa Kohesi yang tinggi, :senasib sepenanggungan”, ketertarikan satu sama lain.

15. Rasa Relevansi yang tinggi, pemimpin tersebut mampu berpikir dan bertindak sehingga hal-hal yang

dikerjakannya mempunyai relevansi tinggi dan langsung dengan usaha pencapaian tujuan dan

berbagai sasaran organisasi.

16. Keteladanan, seseorang yang dinilai pantas dijadikan sebagai panutan dan teladan dalam sikap, tindak-tanduk dan perilaku.

17. Menjadi Pendengar yang Baik, tidak terlalu cepat memberikan tanggapan

terhadap pendapat orang lain.

18. Adaptabilitas, kepemimpinan selalu bersifat situasional, kondisional, temporal dan spatial.

19. Fleksibilitas, mampu melakukan perubahan dalam cara berpikir, cara bertindak, sikap dan perilaku agar sesuai dengan tuntutan situasi dan kondisi tertentu yang dihadapi tanpa mengorbankan prinsip-prinsip hidup yang dianut oleh seseorang.

20. Ketegasan, keberanian, orientasi masa depan serta sikap yang antisipatif dan proaktif.

2.5 Tujuh Langkah Menciptakan Gaya Kepemimpinan

Majunya organiasasi kemahasiwaan sangat ditentukan oleh gaya atau tipe kepemimpin ketuanya. Bila ketuanya memiliki gaya kepemimpinan yang cocok dengan karaktur umum dari anggota dan jenis organiasasi yang dijalankan dapat dipastikan organisasinya akan lebih baik.
Berikut langkah-langkah untuk menciptakan gaya kepemimpinan yang tepat dan mungkin bisa diadopsi unutk organisasi kemahasiswaan menurut Rebecca Hourston, Director of Programs Aspire, sebuah perusahaan di bidang penelitian, seperti dikutip dari Womensmedia:

1. Berani dan penuh percaya diri
Agar seorang atasan memiliki cahaya yang terang, ia harus memiliki keberanian untuk melakukan sebuah tantangan besar. Saat akan mengambil sebuah tantangan, seorang pemimpin harus berani mengambil risiko dan harus terus berjalan, tak peduli yang dikatakan orang lain.

Di sini, karakter yang kuat sangat diperlukan seorang pemimpin. Ia harus memiliki kepercayaan diri yang tinggi bahwa apa yang akan dilakukannya ialah sesuatu yang benar dan akan mendatangkan sebuah keuntungan bagi perusahaan.

Inti dari gaya kepemimpinan ini ialah, jangan pernah takut mengambil risiko dan jangan pernah takut melakukan kesalahan. Untuk memunculkan sifat ini, sebaiknya atasan melakukan evaluasi, hal penting dan menantang apa yang bisa dilakukannya.

Selain itu, setiap hari selama satu minggu, buatlah tiga sampai lima hal tentang gaya kepemimpinan yang efektif jika diterapkan, kemudian terapkan gaya tersebut di minggu berikutnya.

2. Mempertajam kekuatan
Seorang ahli di bidang Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman, melakukan penelitian terhadap gaya kepemimpinan di 500 perusahaan dan menemukan beberapa tipe kepemimpinan yang menonjol, misalnya melihat jauh ke depan (visionary), demokratis, dan senang melatih.

Nah, carilah keahlian atau kekuatan Anda dan jadikan hal tersebut sebagai gaya kepemimpinan Anda. Gaya kepemimpinan tersebut nantinya bisa menjadi ciri khas Anda. Gaya tersebut juga menjadi kekuatan yang akan mengantarkan Anda pada kesuksesan di dunia karier.

3. Padukan beberapa gaya kepemimpinan
Meski memiliki ciri khas gaya kepemimpinan, sebaiknya seorang pemimpin juga bisa memadukan beberapa gaya kepemimpinan sekaligus dalam dirinya.

Dalam penelitiannya, Goleman juga menegaskan bahwa para pemimpin yang sukses umumnya memadukan beberapa gaya kepemimpinan pada dirinya karena satu gaya saja tidak pernah cukup mengatasi masalah yang banyak.

Jika misalnya seorang atasan pria harus banyak berinteraksi dengan karyawan yang kebanyakan perempuan atau sebaliknya, gunakan pendekatan dengan gaya kepemimpinan yang lembut dan penuh perhatian. Tapi, di saat tertentu gunakan gaya kepemimpinan maskulin yang tegas.

Untuk bisa memadukan beberapa gaya kepemimpinan dengan tepat, identifikasi wilayah dan karyawan yang ada di bawah atasan, kemudian carilah gaya kepemimpinan yang tepat untuk dipadukan dengan gaya kepemimpinan yang menjadi ciri khasnya. Setelah itu, lihat hasilnya dan lakukan evaluasi jika hasilnya belum maksimal.

4. Ciptakan tujuan
Untuk menjadi seorang pemimpin yang baik, seseorang harus bisa mengomunikasikan tujuan, visi, dan misi yang ingin dicapai timnya. Dengan mengomunikasikan, ini akan membuat bawahan merasa terpacu untuk mencapai target, dan atasan sang pemimpin juga bisa melihat bahwa pemimpin ini bisa membimbing anak buahnya.

Untuk bisa menemukan tujuan dan visi yang tepat, pelajarilah semua hal yang terjadi di luar perusahaan. Setelah itu, tentukan tujuan, bangun kerja tim, dan gerakkan mereka semua untuk mencapai tujuan yang telah ditetapkan.

5. Pemberi semangat
Pemimpin yang terbaik adalah manusia karena manusia bisa memberikan semangat dan mampu memotivasi karyawannya. Pemimpin haruslah bisa menempatkan dirinya sebagai seorang motivator saat karyawannya menemui halangan.

Seorang pemimpin harus bisa melihat potensi setiap karyawannya hingga tiap karyawan bisa memberikan yang terbaik bagi perusahaan.Karena itulah, seorang pemimpin yang baik seharusnya selalu bertanya kepada dirinya sendiri, “apa yang bisa saya berikan kepada tim saya hari ini?”

6. Seimbang
Setiap pemimpin harus bisa mengukur risiko yang dihadapinya. Selain itu, ciptakan waktu yang tepat untuk menikmati hidup di luar pekerjaan.

7. Menjadi diri sendiri
Tak ada yang lebih baik selain menjadi diri sendiri. Karena itulah, jadilah pemimpin yang sesuai dengan kepribadian Anda, jangan berusaha untuk menjadi orang lain yang bukan diri Anda.

III. Hakikat Pemimpin Organisasi Kemahasiswaan

“Pemimpin mahasiswa pada hakikatnya adalah seorang mahasiswa yang mempunyai kemampuan untuk memepengaruhi perilaku mahasiswa lain di dalam kerjanya dengan menggunakan kekuasaan.” Dalam kegiatannya bahwa pemimpin mahasiswa memiliki kekuasaan untuk mengerahkan dan mempengaruhi anggotanyanya sehubungan dengan tugas-tugas organisasi yang harus dilaksanakan.

Pada tahap pemberian tugas pemimpin mahasiswa harus memberikan suatu arahan dan bimbingan yang jelas, agar anggota dalam melaksanakan tugasnya dapat dengan mudah dan hasil yang dicapai sesuai dengan tujuan organisasi yang telah ditetapkan.

Dengan demikian kepemimpinan mahasiswa mencakup distribusi kekuasaan dan wewenang yang tidak sama di antara pemimpin dan anggotanya. Pemimpin mahasiswa mempunyai wewenang untuk mengarahkan anggota dan juga dapat memberikan pengaruh, dengan kata lain para pemimpin mahasiswa tidak hanya dapat memerintah anggotanya apa yang harus dilakukan, tetapi juga dapat mempengnaruhi bagaimana anggotanya melaksanakan perintahnya. Sehingga terjalin suatu hubungan sosial yang saling berinteraksi antara pemimpin dengan anggota, yang akhirnya tejadi suatu hubungan timbal balik. Oleh sebab itu bahwa pemimpin mahasiswa diharapakan memiliki kemampuan dalam menjalankan kepemimpinannya, kareana apabila tidak memiliki kemampuan untuk memimpin, maka tujuan yang ingin dicapai tidak akan dapat tercapai secara maksimal.

IV. Faktor-Faktor Yang Mempengaruhi Aktifitas Pemimpin Kemahasiswaan

Dalam melaksanakan aktivitasnya bahwa pemimpin mahasiswa atau pemimpin pada umumnya dipengaruhi oleh berbagai macam faktor. Faktor-faktor tersebut sebagaimana dikemukakan oleh H. Jodeph Reitz (1981) yang dikutif Nanang Fattah dalam Ircham (2010), sebagai berikut :

a.Kepribadian (personality), pengalaman masa lalu dan harapan pemimpin, hal ini mencakup nilai-nilai, latar belakang dan pengalamannya akan mempengaruhi pilihan akan gaya kepemimpinan.

b. Harapan dan perilaku atasan.

c. Karakteristik, harapan dan perilaku bawahan mempengaruhi terhadap apa gaya kepemimpinan.
d. Kebutuhan tugas, setiap tugas bawahan juga akan mempengaruhi gaya pemimpin.
e. Iklim dan kebijakan organisasi mempengaruhi harapan dan perilaku bawahan.
f. Harapan dan perilaku rekan.

Berdasarkan faktor-faktor tersebut, maka jelaslah bahwa kesuksesan pemimpin mahasiswa dan pemimpin pada umumnya dalam aktivitasnya dipengaruhi oleh factor-faktor yang dapat menunjang untuk berhasilnya suatu kepemimpinan, oleh sebab itu suatu tujuan akan tercapai apabila terjadinya keharmonisan dalam hubungan atau interaksi yang baik antara ketua dan anggotanya, di samping dipengaruhi oleh latar belakang yang dimiliki ketua, seperti motivasi diri untuk berprestasi, kedewasaan dan keleluasaan dalam hubungan sosial dengan sikap-sikap hubungan antar mahasiswa.

V. Kesimpulan

Keberhasilan dalam memimpin suatu organisasi kemahasiswaan sangat tergantung gaya atau tipe kepemimpinan ketuanya. Gaya kepemimpinan yang sesuai dengan jenis organisasi dan karakter anggotanya akan cenderung tumbuh dan berkembang dengan baik dibandingkan dengan memimpin suatu organisasi tanpa mengetahui karakter sebagian besar anggotanya. Sebenarnya gaya kepemimpinan itu bisa dibentuk sejak dini dimana seorang calon pemimpin dibesarkan oleh siapa berlatar pendidikan apa dan dipengaruhi oleh lingkungan seperti apa. Oleh sebab itu membentuk pemimpin organisasi kemahasiswaan yang handal perlu adalnya kaderisasi dalam organisasi dimana seluruh anggotanya dapat mempersiapkan diri sebagai calon pemimpin organisasi kamus dan kelak menjadi pemimpin banagsa.

Referensi:

_______, http://organisasi.org/jenis_dan_macam_gaya_kepemimpinan_pemimpin_klasik_

otoriter_demokratis_dan_bebas_manajemen_sumber_daya_manusia diakses 13 Januari 2011.

Hourston, Rebecca (2011). Tujuh langkah menciptakan gaya kepemimpinan. http://lifestyle. okezone.com/read/   2010/05/20/198/334517/tujuh-langkah-menciptakan-gaya-kepemimpinan diakses 13 Januari 2011.

Ircham , Asrori. 2010. Leadership “ Tipe-tipe kepemimpinana”.http://www.scribd.com/doc/24981382/ TIPE-TIPE-KEPEMIMPINAN. diakses 13 Januari 2011.

Ward, Susan (2011). Leadership. About.com Guide http://sbinfocanada.about.com/od/leadership/g/leadership.htm diakses 13 Januari 2011.

*Disampaikan dalam acara Outbound HIMA Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni FKIP Unila di Taman Bumi Kedaton Bandar Lampung

**Trainer Oase Training Center dan Staf Pengajar Politeknik Negeri Lampung

]]> http://unwarrahman.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/pingin-jadi-orang-luar-biasa/feed/ 0 unwarrahman Revolusi Internet http://unwarrahman.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/tdw/ http://unwarrahman.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/tdw/#comments Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:55:05 +0000 anwarrahman http://unwarrahman.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/tdw/ ]]> TDW University – Tempat Anda merevolusi Hidup , Bisnis dan Keuangan Anda

Compiled by

Anwar Rahman, S.Pd.

Rational

Education Bridge (EB) teachers have to high lighten the new principle in teaching at the class room namely enjoyable, effective, and efficient ( E3). To match these principle is not as easy as we think especially how to make to the class enjoyable. The following steps how to teach song was quoted on internet web. Plese read carefully and apply in your beloved class.

Why use songs and music with this age group?

Children like songs and music and have strong personal

preferences about what they like.

Songs often include a lot of repetition that helps to make language memorable

Songs contain chunks of language that children can remember and use

There are many songs that are about issues of interest to this age group

Songs often contain current usages of language that are meaningful to children of this age group

Because songs are sung at a reasonably fast speed they contain natural phonological features like linking and weak forms that students learn to recognise and be comfortable with

Music can help promote a relaxed, stress-free atmosphere in the classroom

Music can stimulate strong feelings that can be channelled to enrich the language learning experience

Music – in the background

Having music playing in the background during lessons can be very successful in most contexts, though not all cultures will be happy with this, of course.

Music is played while students work in groups discussing, planning or doing language exercises. I choose instrumental music or songs sung in a language that the students do not know, so that they aren’t distracted by the words.

The music helps create a relaxed atmosphere

Often when students are asked to speak together in English, they feel shy about speaking up. With music playing they need to raise their voice to be heard by their partner(s).

If groups of students are planning or competing, they do not want to be heard by other groups, so the music creates a barrier of privacy

Teachers must recognise what is positive noise and what levels of noise are unacceptable in the classroom

If students do not like the music I choose, I welcome their contributions of background music, increasing their sense of ownership in the lessons.

Music as stimulus for speaking

Visualisation is a tool I use to help stimulate students’ imagination, encourage them to speak to each other and as a preparation for writing. For example, while focussing on descriptive writing:

Play some mood-inspiring music in the background e.g. Rodrigo’s Guitar Concertos, Rimsky-Korsakov’s ‘Scheherazade’

Ask the students to close their eyes and relax, listening to the music place in the countryside slowly giving the following prompts: Which country is it? Are there mountains, lakes? Is it green, dry? What can u see? Are there trees? Flowers? Buildings? People? How does this place make you feel? Etc etc for at least 5 – 10 minutes, allowing them to completely ‘enter’ that place.

Then get students into pairs, describing these places to each other. You can give a task, such as – find what similarities your places had.

You could use this technique for creating a story-line too

After the speaking students could write the description – you’ll find descriptive writing richer after this preparatory activity, as they have had a chance to concentrate on the kind of details that makes writing more interesting.

Music as stimulus for writing

This is another writing activity. I learnt it from a fabulous colleague in Greece, Camilla Ralls, (most of our best classroom ideas are borrowed or stolen from colleagues!)

Choose four very different pieces of instrumental music (e.g. some ragtime, a gentle piece of classical music, a stirring tango and a march or brass band)

Give each student 4 pieces of paper and tell them NOT to write their names or which piece of music they are listening to on them

Play each piece of music separately and ask students to write what they see/feel on the pieces of paper as they listen. They do not need to write in sentences – single words are fine, or even pictures are a possible response.

Give the students enough time to listen, respond and writePin up all the pieces of paper on the class walls and ask students to walk around reading them and decide which piece of music inspired which descriptions

Check if they were right – though it is NOT a test – it’s just interesting

In pairs students choose one description that they like – it can be written by one of them, but not necessarily

In pairs they use that as a basis to write a short story or descriptive piece of writing – this time ensuring that they also focus on grammatical correctness.

Writing in pairs helps maintain interest and students can share knowledge about vocabulary, grammar and their ideas, and takes the stress out of writing. Also if the students are writing in class, you can monitor and help them.

Songs – listening activities

Using pop songs in the classroom is a common activity. They are an enjoyable alternative to the traditional listening comprehension. Choose songs that are clear, make sense and do not contain a lot of unknown vocabulary. You may decide to pre-teach some key vocabulary.

Gap fills

Write out the song lyrics but leave gaps instead of some words. E.g. gap all the verbs or adjectives. Students listen and fill in the missing words. They may need to listen two or three times.

If you feel students will find this difficult, write the missing words randomly around the text and so the students have an idea what they are listening out for.

Jumbled lines

An easier activity – Write out the song lyrics, but this time jumble whole lines and students have to put them into the correct order while listening to the song. You may wish to cut up the lines, to make the task easier for the students – or get them to cut up the sheet before the activity. They can work in pairs.

Spot the mistakes

Write out the lyrics of the song, but make about 20 mistakes e.g. change the tense, write an opposite or synonym instead of the correct word. The students listen. The first time ask

them to underline the words that are different and the second (or third) time actually write what they hear above the word or phrase that is wrong. After each hearing they can check with each other – in a mixed ability classroom this ensures no-one is left behind and gets demotivated.

After they have checked that they got the right words, ask them to go through and see if the mistakes were words or phrases that were the same, similar or opposite in meaning: a good focus on vocabulary and/or grammar.

Songs – translation activity

A challenging activity for monolingual classrooms:

In pairs or small groups, students choose a popular song in their Mother Tongue and translate it into English, ensuring that it is still singable to the same tune! They could also do it the other way round choosing a (pop) song sung in English and translate it into their own language.

You could also do this in a multilingual classroom or where students share two or more language other than English, (such as Senegal where the children could translate an English song into French or Wolof) as long as there are at least 2 or 3 children who can work together.

Songs & Grammar: Passive Voice Quiz

When working on the passive voice with your students, bring in a few well-known songs (no matter whether in L1 or English) and ask: Who was that song sung / written by? A great example of the passive voice in use and also drawing in the students’ knowledge of the world.

Ask students to get into teams. In their teams they must come up with at least 10 similar questions (they could do some research for homework) about songs.

Organise a class quiz, where team members challenge each other with questions like: Who were ‘Satisfaction’ and ‘Brown Sugar’ sung by? (Rolling Stones) or they could bring in tapes/CDs (if this is possible) or sing a snippet of the song and ask the questions.

Songs – discussion of themes

Songs can be a good starting point for a discussion. Choose a song that deals with a topic of interest to your students (e.g. Imagine by John Lennon which is about peace and brotherhood, Money by Pink Floyd or Money Money Money by Abba etc), do a listening activity like a gap fill, then follow up with a careful reading of the song and a discussion on its theme(s).

Songs – presentations

In most of the world a class of teenagers will be full of music fans. I have yet to find a teenager who likes no music at all. By using the theme of music with children of this age group, they will be more motivated than if the topic is of no interest to them.

Students can work individually, in pairs or small groups

They choose a favourite singer, group, musician, composer

They research (internet, magazines etc) the above

They produce a presentation – which can cover the biography of their chosen musician(s), their career. It can be a talk, a role play, interview, sketch

They can use cassettes or CDs, posters, handouts to support their presentation

This could also take a written form – be produced as a poster, booklet, magazine article

]]> http://unwarrahman.wordpress.com/2008/12/07/teaching-english/feed/ 0 unwarrahman http://unwarrahman.wordpress.com/2008/11/23/self-management/ http://unwarrahman.wordpress.com/2008/11/23/self-management/#comments Sun, 23 Nov 2008 14:35:52 +0000 anwarrahman http://unwarrahman.wordpress.com/?p=54 ]]> SELF MANAGEMENT

Definition

Self :

1. The total, essential, or particular being of a person; the individual.

2. The essential qualities distinguishing one person from another; individuality.

3. One’s consciousness of one’s own being or identity; the ego

4. One’s own interests, welfare, or advantage: thinking of self alone.

5. Immunology That which the immune system identifies as belonging to the body.

Management

1. The act, manner, or practice of managing; handling, supervision, or control:

management of a crisis; management of factory workers.

2. The person or persons who control or direct a business or other enterprise.

3. Skill in managing; executive ability.

(http://www.thefreedictionary.comt)

Self Management

Self-management is a psychological term used to describe the process of achieving personal autonomy. In other hand, how a person able to manage himself/herself whether in physic (raga) and non physic (jiwa).

Apa itu manajemen diri? Secara sederhana, manajemen —merujuk Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (Balai Pustaka, 2001)— memiliki dua arti, yaitu; (1) penggunaan sumber daya secara efektif untuk mencapai sasaran; dan (2) pimpinan yang bertanggungjawab atas jalannnya perusahaan dan organisasi. Selanjutnya, apa arti “diri” atau “saya”? Apakah yang kita sebut “diri” itu adalah akumulatif dari pikiran kita, seperti yang dikatakan David J. Schwarz bahwa “Kita adalah apa yang kita pikirkan tentang diri kita”, atau jargon yang diucapkan oleh Rene Descartes, “Saya berpikir, maka saya ada”? Apakah diri itu adalah apa yang kita rasakan, seperti yang dinyatakan Andre Gide, “Saya merasa, maka saya ada”? Apakah diri itu adalah perbuatan; tindakan; kebiasaan kita, seperti ucapan Albert Camus, “Saya memberontak, maka itulah saya”, atau pernyataan Aristoteles, “Kita adalah apa yang kita lakukan berulang-ulang.” Atau, ungkapan Nurcholis Madjid, “Aku berbuat, maka aku ada”? Apakah diri itu gabungan dari pikiran dan perasaan kita, sebagaimana dalam konsep “ego” Muhammad Iqbal, bahwa ego (diri) adalah suatu kesatuan perasaan-perasaan —mental— kehidupan personal dan merupakan bagian dari sistim pemikiran. Dan, apakah diri itu adalah gabungan dari semua itu?

Kata “diri” (anfûs) —jamak dari nafsun— mempunyai banyak maknanya, diantaranya: rûh (nyawa), dhamîr (hati nurani), jinsun (jenis), dan syahshiyah (pribadi) atau “totalitas manusia” dimana terpadu jiwa-raga manusia. Nah, makna yang terakhirlah yang kita maksud dengan “diri” itu. Yang kita sebut diri, pribadi, individu, adalah totalitas manusia sebagai perpaduan dari jasad dan ruhani, fisik yang bisa kita lihat dan sesuatu yang tak terlihat yang menggerakan fisik (hati; pikiran; jiwa). Diri adalah totalitas dari pemikiran, keinginan, dan gerakan kita dalam ruang dan waktu. Dengan kata lain, perpaduan antara intelektual, emosional, spiritual, dan fisik.
Berangkat dari makna dua kata —“manajemen” dan “diri”— di atas, maka manajemen diri adalah sebuah proses merubah “totalitas diri” —intelektual, emosional, spiritual, dan fisik— kita agar apa yang kita inginkan (sasaran) tercapai.

Bagi manusia ada malaikat-malaikat yang selalu mengikutinya bergiliran, di muka dan di belakangnya, mereka menjaganya atas perintah Allah. Sesungguhnya Allah tidak merubah keadaan suatu kaum sehingga mereka merubah keadaan yang ada pada diri mereka sendiri. Dan apabila Allah menghendaki keburukan terhadap suatu kaum, maka tak ada yang dapat menolaknya; dan sekali-kali tak ada pelindung bagi mereka selain Dia (QS. Ar-Ra’ad [13]:11).

How you manage yourself

Here some tips, ways, and strategy how you should manage yourself. At list they are:

1. Set your goals for your life

2. Identify and change bad habits

3. Focus on motivation – not discipline

4. Get up early in the morning

5. Plan relaxation breaks

6. Most important minutes of the day

7. When you procrastinate

8. Plan relaxation breaks

1. Set your goals for your life

Before you can successfully improve your time management skills you need clarity on what you want to use the additional time for. This is the most important but also one of the most difficult task and you should not rush but take enough time to accomplish this.

1) Private goals

• Health: Keeping your body and mind in good shape over many year will require a lot of activities and possible giving up some habits such as smoking etc.
• Family: Do want to marry and have children and how closely do you want to interact with the members of your family?
• Friends: How important are friends for your life and how deeply do you want to involve your friends in your life. How much time do you want to spend with your friends?
• Financials: How much do you want to earn and how much wealth do you want to accumulate by when?
• Artistic: Do you want to acquire certain artistic skills and bring them to a certain stage (e.g. piano, literature, etc.)
• Physical: Do you want to perform in certain sports or do you have ambitions in this field (e.g. run a marathon, etc.)
• Experiences: Do you wish to make certain unique experiences (e.g. travel around the world, climb a certain mountain, etc.)

2) Professional goals

• Education: Do you want to learn a foreign languages, complete a university degree, etc.?
• Career: Is a professional career important to you and how much do you want push it also considering what you might have to give up on your private goals
• Society: Do you want to improve the world and in what field?

Take a sheet of paper and write down your lifetime goals in those categories that matter to you. After you completed this exercise put the paper aside and review it after a week or so. Ask yourself again if this is really what you and also consider that some goals might be imposed to you by others or to fulfill other people’s expectation towards you. It took me a few months to become clear on what I really want and I can therefore only recommend to make a  few loops until you are really sure about the final result.

In case you face major difficulties in identifying your goals for life, writing down the answers to the following questions might help you to become more concrete:

• If I died today, what would I wish I had done that I did not accomplish, yet?
• If I knew I had only six months to live from today, what would activity would be my highest priority?
• What do I want to be remembered for?
• What will be the benefit for me in achieving these goals?

Once you have written down your goals you might also realize that some of these are conflicting. In such a case you need to set priorities and try to find a balance. Another option can be to achieve these goals at different times in your life. Some goals might have to be achieved relatively quickly whereas others could also be interesting at a later stage.

If you are in a long-term relationship I also recommend to discuss these goals with your partner and even children if they are old enough and concerned.

At the end of this process you should print the list of your goals in large letters and put them in a prominent place in your home where you will see them every day. This will help you to stay focused and to resist the temptation of every days distraction.

As a next step it is important that you make a clear commitment to your goals. One hand this means that you turn them into actionable items. On the other hand you can make a conclusion on many things you should not do or pursue anymore. Deciding on what you will not do anymore is of particular interest since these often are the things which distract you from achieving your goals.

Make your goals SMART

The better you define your goals the more likely you are to achieve them. SMART stands for a method to define goals in such a way:

• Specific: This means the What, Why and How of a goal. Instead of saying that you want to lose weight you set a specific goal such as I want to loose 5 kg of weight.
• Measurable: If you cannot measure the goal it will be almost impossible to measure your progress. I want to be a good runner is not measurable, but I want to run 3 times a week with a total distance of 30 kilometers is.
• Able to influence: A goal should mean a stretch but it you should somehow be able to influence it. You must at least have a vague idea on how you can get there. Otherwise it is very likely that you will quickly loose track and give up on that goal.
• Realistic: Realistic does not mean easy. It means that you have the basic requirements and that you devise a plan of the steps to get there. On the other hand set the bar high enough, so that can feel satisfaction when you achieved the goal.
• Time bound: Set a timeframe by when you want to achieve this goal so that you have a clear target. This will create a sense of urgency and force you to start and complete concrete actions.

2. Identify and change bad habits

Make a list of bad habits that are stealing your time, sabotaging your goals, and blocking your success. After you do, work on them one at a time and systematically eliminate them from your life.

Quitting a bad habit leaves an empty space with the risk to go back again. A good way to eliminate a bad habit therefore is to replace it with a good habit.

When changing a habit you will go through the classic emotional curve of change:

1) Enthusiasm

You might be in that phase just right now. You decided to change things in your life and you are full of excitement about what you all want to achieve.

2) Rejection

After the first excitement has passed you start feeling the pain of changing the habit. At this stage you question your initial goals, if it is really worth going through this process, etc.

Here is the highest danger for giving up. This is the time where you need to allow yourself incentives and rewards each time you practice the positive habit instead of the negative one.

3) Recovery

After a while you will start feeling the progress of change and also see concrete benefits. Each day you will feel better about the change.

4) Satisfaction

In the last stage the negative habit is fully replaced by the positive habit and feel good because you made it and because you also experience the full benefit of having changed. If you want you can allow yourself a small celebration with a special reward – something you love to do but only can do from time to time.

If you are fully aware of this change process it will be much easier to cope with the frustration during phase two. It will also help you a lot to get through this valley if you determine your rewards and incentives for positive behavior in advance.
Knowing this process you also understand why you should only attack one bad habit after the other. If you go for multiple bad habits at one time the rejection phase becomes very strong and you are very likely to give up the entire project achievement nothing but frustration and even higher hurdles to start again another time.

3. Focus on motivation – not discipline

When I talk to other people on time management many tell me that they simply do not have the discipline to be effective. I think that discipline with regards to time management is a bad thing and it makes people fail early in their efforts to improve themselves.

If you try to have discipline you generally tend to try too much at once. It is often about changing habits and this is a difficult task requiring time. Then you feel that you are failing and accuse yourself that you simply lack discipline. This is a very negative feeling and it kills all motivation to go ahead. As a result often the entire improvement project is at stake and people simply give up. On top of this the mental hurdle to start again get higher and higher with each failure.

So, my recommendation is – if you want to change yourself NEVER use the word discipline again!

Changing your life and your habits is all about motivation and positive enforcement and rewards. Before you start your personal development program you write down the following:

Why do I want to change this?

What is motivating me?

What can be quick wins?

How can I reward myself?, what reward can I give myself for achieving milestones and what will I reward myself with after accomplishment?

Then you start with the quick wins.  These should be easy to achieve and even if they only have small impact you should go for them. Achieving these quick wins will make you feel good and also hungry for more. Each time you have achieved something, you shall reward yourself. Use small rewards for small achievements and big rewards for large achievements.

After completion of the quick wins you are ready to start a bit more challenging steps. However, it is important that you go step by step and don’t try too much. When you don’t manage to achieve a step, don’t blame yourself. Resisting change an absolutely normal reaction. Analyze why you did not achieve your goal and try to find a better way. You might also increase the reward you will give yourself if you feel that the next step is more challenging to you than you initially anticipated. Keep you motivation high and NEVER blame yourself or others.

Start the big steps when you emotionally feel ready. It does not make sense if your mind tells you “I should” but everything in your body tells you “I don’t want at all”. In such a case I recommend to review your motivation and to ask yourself again why you want to achieve tis objective.

As a summary keep in mind that you will achieve much more using positive motivation rather trying to have discipline. I think that many people who are known to have great discipline in reality were real artists in self-motivation rather than extremely strong in their mind.

4. Get up early in the morning

One of the most powerful ways to gain extra time every day is to stand up immediately after you woke up. Many people spend up to an hour in bed awake before they really make the effort of getting up. Imagine what you could all do with for example extra 30 minutes every day. This gives you the equivalent of about 14 working days per year.

Now the question is how to motivate yourself to get up early. A few rules will help you changing your sleeping habits.

1) Go to bed when you are sleepy

You should only go to bet when you are sleepy. You will then fall asleep within a few minutes and usually sleep without interruption until the next morning. The time you feel sleepy varies every day depending on the effort of that day, the weather and many other factors.

2) Set your alarm at the same time every day

Your body adapts quickly to repeating patterns. So if you want to learn getting up early you should set your alarm at the same time every day – if possible even for the weekends.

3) Get up immediately after waking up

The longer to stay in bed after your alarm rings the more difficult it becomes to get up. Once you are awake you better immediately sit up and leave your bed.

4) Reward yourself

Especially in the beginning this might feel very hard. Reward yourself with a nice breakfast, a good treatment during shower or something else. When you wake up but have difficulties to get up you can think of the reward waiting for you to increase your motivation. Getting up early then turns from something negative to something positive in your mindset.

5. Most important minutes of the day

The most important minutes of a day are those when you plan your day. Before starting work you should take a few minutes and check the tasks due, meetings, etc. and decide the priority and order for the day.

You can plan you day in the evening of the previous day, in bed before standing up, when commuting, first thing at work, etc.

In general each minute you spend on planning your day will pay off in higher efficiency and free time for other things.

6. Start with the most important things

Start with the most important things. It is so important to prioritize by the importance of your tasks and then start with the most important ones.If you have difficulties setting priorities you might not be clear about your goals. In this case I recommend  thinking about your goals for life first. After completion of this exercise it will be much easier for you to identify what is important to you.

7. When you procrastinate

When you catch yourself procrastinating you should take a break and ask yourself “What am I avoiding?”. In general you will quickly find the answer (if you did not know right from the beginning). Now you take away all other staff in front of you and think of how you will reward yourself after completion if this thing you are avoiding.

Then you start working on the most difficult or unpleasant part of this task. Once you overcame it the rest will go very smoothly and at the end you can enjoy your reward.

8. Plan relaxation breaks

A good option to keep yourself productive over the day is to also include time for a break and to relax into your schedule. You should create an appointment in your schedule and name it relax. During these minutes you can enjoy a drink, look out of window or just drift.

After the break you will resume your tasks with new energy.

Becoming an effective people actually is easy as long as we want to do it. But the problem is our willing. Though many tips and ways we reluctant to follow them. Here are some habits to be successful person from Stephen R. Covey taken from the book of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”.

Habit 1:  Be Proactive

Change starts from within, and highly effective people make the decision to improve their lives through the things that they can influence rather than by simply reacting to external forces.

Habit 2:  Begin with the End in Mind

Develop a principle-centered personal mission statement. Extend the mission statement into long-term goals based on personal principles.

Habit 3:  Put First Things First

Spend time doing what fits into your personal mission, observing the proper balance between production and building production capacity. Identify the key roles that you take on in life, and make time for each of them.

Habit 4:  Think Win/Win

Seek agreements and relationships that are mutually beneficial. In cases where a “win/win” deal cannot be achieved, accept the fact that agreeing to make “no deal” may be the best alternative. In developing an organizational culture, be sure to reward win/win behavior among employees and avoid inadvertantly rewarding win/lose behavior.

Habit 5:  Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

First seek to understand the other person, and only then try to be understood. Stephen Covey presents this habit as the most important principle of interpersonal relations. Effective listening is not simply echoing what the other person has said through the lens of one’s own experience. Rather, it is putting oneself in the perspective of the other person, listening empathically for both feeling and meaning.

Habit 6:  Synergize

Through trustful communication, find ways to leverage individual differences to create a whole that is greater than the sum of the parts. Through mutual trust and understanding, one often can solve conflicts and find a better solution than would have been obtained through either person’s own solution.

Habit 7:  Sharpen the Saw

Take time out from production to build production capacity through personal renewal of the physical, mental, social/emotional, and spiritual dimensions. Maintain a balance among these dimensions.

Reference:

1. Covey, Stephen R., The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (7 Kebiasaan Manusia

Yang Sangat Efektif), (Jakarta: Binarupa Aksara, 1997)
2. ______________, First Things First (Dahulukan Yang Utama), (Jakarta: Gramedia

Pustaka Utama, 1999)

3. Daud Ibrahim, Marwah, Ph.D, Mengelola Hidup & Merencanakan Masa Depan,

(Jakarta: MHMMD, 2004)
4. Az-Zuhaily, Dr. Wahbah, At-Tafsîr al-Munîr fî al-’Aqîdah wa as-Syarî’ah wa al-

Manhaj (Libanon: Darul Fikri, 1998)

5. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/management

6. http://memytime.wordpress.com

ini tulisan Wahidudin yang saya kopi di bogku. Hoping you (visiters) learn something that you resite every time you want to do a thing. It is in English so you can also learn English just give comment fi you don’t understand. I’m always ready to help you.

Bismillah al rahman al rahim

The Arabic phrase shown above is pronounced as  Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim, and is a beautifully poetic phrase which offers both deep insight and brilliant inspiration. It has often been said that the phrase Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim contains the true essence of the entire Qur’an, as well as the true essence of all religions.

Muslims often say this phrase when embarking on any significant endeavor, and the phrase is considered by some to be a major pillar of Islam. This expression is so magnificent and so concise that all but one chapter of the Qur’an begins with the words Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim.

The common translation:

               “In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate”.

fails to capture either the true depth of meaning or the inspirational message of this beautiful phrase. So, let’s look deeper into the meaning of these wonderful words.

Origin and Spelling:

Every chapter of the Qur’an (except the ninth chapter) begins with  the Arabic phrase:

However, there are many differing views on how this phrase should be transliterated using the English alphabet, as well as differing views on whether or not to include some of the Arabic rules of grammar. Consequently, one may encounter a variety of different transliterations of this glorious phrase, including:

     bismillahi al r-rahmani al r-rahim
     bismillahi al rahman al rahim
     bismillah al rahman al rahim
     bismi Allah al rahman al rahim
     bismillahi-r rahmani-r rahim
     bismillaah ir rahmaan ir raheem
     bismillah ir rahman ir rahim

However, regardless of how one may choose write the English transliteration of the original Arabic, it is neither the writing of the words nor their pronunciation which is crucial, but rather we shall each be rewarded according to what  is in our heart and how we act in the world.

Those who say these words with thoughts of self-aggrandizement, or selfish gains, or self-centered vain profit in any manner, will receive their just reward… suffering, pain and confusion. Likewise, those who truly dedicate every step of their life to the glory and service of the Ever-present One shall also receive their just reward… peace, love and beauty.

This phrase is truly an ideal to be expressed from the heart, an ideal to be expressed with the utmost sincerity, an ideal which leads us toward sacred purpose, the purpose for which we have been given life.

Let’s look at the deeper meaning of each word of this glorious phrase:

bismillah

The common translation for bismillah is “In the name of Allah”, which is actually an idiom, an expression that really doesn’t make much sense on a literal word-by-word basis.

The phrase In the name of  is an idiom having the connotation of  with the blessings of, under the guidance of, as an instrument of, with the support of, or for the glory of. In each of these cases, the idiom In the name of means submitting to, honoring or glorifying that which is referred to.

Now, let’s take a deeper look into the Arabic roots of this magnificent word bismillah.

 The term bismillah, is a combination of three words:

1. The particle bi  which can mean by, for, with the aid of, through or by means of and points toward that which happens next.

2. The next word in this phrase is ism, based on the root variously reported to be s-m-w or a-s-m, which indicates the means by which something is distinguished, whether by use of an identifying mark, or by being raised up high so that it may be distinguished, and would include  a name, reputation, light or vibration, and points toward the very essence of something, the inherent qualities and signs of the existence of something, the underlying reality of something.

3. The ending of the term is the word Allah, which is the Arabic name of the One. The Semitic roots of the word Allah extend back several thousand years to the Canaanite Elat, Hebrew El and Elohim, and Aramaic Alaha. These roots point toward unity, oneness, the eternal power which includes all of existence and of non-existence. In modern English this would generally be translated as God (which is old English, likely based on the Sanskrit word hu, meaning that which is worshipped, honored or adored).

Using these basic roots, the term bismillah might be literally translated as:

     – By means of the very essence of God

     – For the glory of our Creator

     – With the light of the One

     – With the guidance of The Divine

     – As an instrument of the One

The central idea here is that whatever we do, every step that we take, every breath that we breathe, is done for, because of, and through the essence of, the One who has created us.

It is not us that does the work, it is not us that makes opportunities appear, it is not us that produces fruits from every action. We alone are powerless. The Creator has given us life and has given us the ability to move and think and feel, yet we are totally dependent upon the Creator for the very essence of life itself.

Thus, this beautiful word bismillah is a magnificent reminder of our relationship to our Creator and our relationship to all of creation.

In one simple word bismillah expresses our wonder, awe and thankfulness while it also expresses our innermost prayer that we may have the blessing of another breath, another moment of life, and that we may walk on a path of truth and understanding.

To say bismillah is to humbly offer one’s self as a vehicle for the glory and majesty of The One.

ir rahman ir rahim

These two terms rahman and rahim refer to attributes of the One. While they are often translated simply as Merciful and Compassionate, the roots of the words point to a deeper meaning.

Both rahman and rahim are derived from the Semitic root r-h-m which indicates something of the utmost tenderness which provides protection and nourishment, and that from which all of creation is brought into being. And indeed, the root rhm has meanings of womb, kinship, relationship, loving-kindness, mercy, compassion, and nourishing-tenderness.

Thus, both rahman and rahim point toward that which emerges from the source of all creation, while also conveying a sense of tenderness, loving-kindness, protection and nourishment.

The term rahman is a very emphatic statement, and then the sentiment is echoed by being immediately followed by the use of another form of the same root-word. Such repetition is a joyful celebration of this Divine attribute, much the same as saying “The One who is the Supreme Loving-Kindness, oh such Loving-Kindness”.

These two words, rahman and rahim, also express slightly different variations of meaning, as described in the following paragraphs.
 

rahman:

The term rahman describes that aspect of the source of all creation which is endlessly radiating, endlessly nourishing, regardless of who or what is receiving the endless flow of blessings.

Rahmân conveys the idea of fullness and extensiveness, indicating the great quality of love and mercy which engulfs all of creation without regard to any effort or request on our part.

According to Ibn Qayyum (1350 AD), rahmân describes the quality of abounding Grace which is inherent in and inseparable from the Almighty.
 

rahim:

On the other hand, the term rahim describes that aspect of the source which is issued forth only in response to the actions and behavior of the recipient. It is in this manner that God takes ten steps toward us when we take even a single step toward God.

Rahîm conveys the idea of constant renewal and giving liberal reward in response to the quality of our deeds and thoughts.

According to Ibn Qayyum (1350 AD), rahîm expresses the continuous manifestation of the Grace in our lives and its effect upon us as a result of our own activities.
 

ir rahman ir rahim:

Rahman points toward the Beneficent One whose endless outpouring of love and mercy are continually showered upon all of creation, while Rahim points toward the Merciful One whose love and mercy are manifested in that which is received as the consequence of one’s deeds.

So, the phrase ir rahman ir rahim is a recognition and honoring of the very source of all existence, the source of all blessings, the source of all compassion, the source of all mercy who gives endlessly to us and who also responds according to our moral integrity, our harmony with all of creation and our love of Allah.
 

 
Poetic Renderings:

There is no way for any one translation to capture the many facets of this beautiful phrase Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim. Here are some poetic renderings that attempt to capture some aspects of the meaning without being literal translations:

With every breath that we breathe, may we be ever aware of the Divine Presence,  the Source of all that we receive. 

With every step that we take, may we always honor the Light which guides us, the Source and Nourisher of all of creation.

Every moment of this life is filled with your eternal radiance my Beloved, You are the Beneficent One who endlessly showers all of creation with nourishment and blessings, and the One who generously rewards those who live in harmony with Your Divine Will.

Calligraphy:

The words Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim are so magnificent, so inspiring, so joyous that they have long attracted the hand of calligraphers who have used pen and ink to bring this phrase to life. The samples of calligraphy on this page are all renderings of the magnificent words Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim.

Songs:

The magnificence of the meaning of these words Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim brings out music from somewhere deep in my soul, celebrating the majesty and glory of the One…. and you can find some of these songs, on my music page.

 with love,
      wahiduddin

continues artinya terus menerus dan improvement adalah permperbaiki, meningkatkan, menambah dan membuat sesuatu lebih baik.

Dalam buku tujuh kebiasaan orang yang efektif memperbaiki diri secara terus menerus adalah resep manjur menjadi orang sukses. jika kita ingin jadi orang sukses ya harus memperbaiki diri secara terus menerus pokoknya sepanjang hayat deh

(bersambung)

The Seven Habits

The chapters are dedicated to each of the habits, which are represented by the following imperatives:

1. Be Proactive. Here, Covey emphasizes the original sense of the term “proactive” as coined by Victor Frankl. You can either be proactive or reactive when it comes to how you respond to certain things. When you are reactive, you blame other people and circumstances for obstacles or problems. Being proactive means taking responsibility for every aspect of your life. Initiative and taking action will then follow. Covey also argues that man is different from other animals in that he has self-consciousness. He has the ability to detach himself and observe his own self; think about his thoughts. He goes on to say how this attribute enables him: It gives him the power not to be affected by his circumstances. Covey talks about stimulus and response. Between stimulus and response, we have the power of free will to choose our response.
2. Begin with the End In Mind. This chapter is about setting long-term goals based on “true north” principles. Covey recommends formulating a “Personal Mission Statement” to document one’s perception of one’s own vision in life. He sees visualization as an important tool to develop this. He also deals with organizational vision statements, which he claims to be more effective if developed and supported by all members of an organization rather than prescribed.
3. Put First Things First. Here, Covey describes a framework for prioritizing work that is aimed at short-term goals, at the expense of tasks that appear not to be urgent, but are in fact very important. Delegation is presented as an important part of time management. Successful delegation, according to Covey, focuses on results and benchmarks that are to be agreed upon in advance, rather than prescribed as detailed work plans.
4. Think Win/Win describes an attitude whereby mutually beneficial solutions are sought that satisfy the needs of oneself, or, in the case of a conflict, both parties involved.
5. Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood. Covey warns that giving out advice before having empathetically understood a person and their situation will likely result in rejection of that advice. Thoroughly reading out your own autobiography will decrease the chance of establishing a working communication.
6. Synergize describes a way of working in teams. Apply effective problem solving. Apply collaborative decision making. Value differences. Build on divergent strengths. Leverage creative collaboration. Embrace and leverage innovation. It is put forth that when synergy is pursued as a habit, the result of the teamwork will exceed the sum of what each of the members could have achieved on their own. “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” Mathematically this can be written as 1+1=3.
7. Sharpen the saw focuses on balanced self-satisfaction: Regain what Covey calls “production capability” by engaging in carefully selected recreational activities.

(quoted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)