KUCHING: Building strong organisations begins with building people, with trust, respect and continuous development remaining the foundation of effective leadership.
Facilitating the Sarawak Tribune and Suara Sarawak team building retreat yesterday (July 23), Jeli Bohari Biha from TM Tec Academy drew on more than three decades of leadership experience including assignments in the United Kingdom, the United States and Thailand, to share practical lessons on leading teams and developing future leaders.
Throughout the session, he interspersed leadership principles with personal stories from his corporate career, illustrating how trust, communication and investing in people often determined the success of organisations more than strategy alone.
He said while competitive salaries remained important, organisations were more likely to retain talented employees when they provided opportunities for growth.
“Employees stay when they are well compensated, mentored, challenged, promoted, involved in decision-making, appreciated, trusted and empowered. Retention is about respect, growth and trust,” he said.
Bohari stressed that leadership was not defined by position alone but by a person’s ability to inspire confidence, mentor others and create an environment where people were encouraged to reach their full potential.
He also encouraged participants to embrace lifelong learning, remain adaptable and lead by example, noting that organisations must continuously nurture future leaders to ensure long-term sustainability.
Earlier, Sarawak Tribune and Suara Sarawak chief executive officer Datuk Dr Jeniri Amir in his opening remarks reminded staff that trust remained the newsroom’s greatest asset despite rapid advances in technology and artificial intelligence (AI).
“Technology can be bought. Equipment can be upgraded. AI can do the work. But trust must be earned every single day,” he said.
Jeniri said journalists had a responsibility that went beyond publishing news, stressing that editorial excellence began with curiosity, rigorous fact-checking, balanced reporting and accountability.
He also called on staff to remain committed to strengthening Sarawak Tribune and Suara Sarawak by upholding journalistic standards while preparing the next generation of newsroom leaders.
“Moving forward, I hope our editorial team will strengthen our community above everything else, become truly digital-first while maintaining journalistic excellence. Together, let us build stronger teams, a stronger newspaper and a stronger future,” he added.
