The Art of Listening

Reading Kompas alongside The Economist revealed something interesting — perspective is shaped by interest. The deeper our interest in a subject, the richer and more layered our perspective becomes. Diverse reading doesn't just inform us. It trains us to see the same reality through multiple lenses simultaneously.

Recently two pieces pulled the same thread from different directions. The Economist's report on Indonesia's current situation (May 16-22, 2026 edition) and a conversation with Romo Franz Magnis Suseno (Kompas, 26 May 2026) both pointed to the same concern — a leader losing the ability to listen.

The Economist highlighted the risks of ignoring fiscal and economic fundamentals — specifically the 3% GDP-to-debt ceiling imposed by law since 2003, itself a hard lesson drawn from the economic collapse of 1998.

Romo Magnis observed something more intimate. Invited to the palace to discuss current issues directly with the President, he later noted that a monologue style of leadership makes genuine listening hard to achieve.

Both observations converge on one word: listening.

Listening is perhaps the most underrated quality in leadership — and the most difficult to practice well. Too little of it and a leader becomes ignorant, surrounded by yes-men, gradually disconnected from the reality his decisions affect. Too much of it and conviction erodes, decisions become paralyzed by competing voices, and direction is lost.

The balance between the two is not a formula. It's an art form.

Knowing when to listen deeply and when to commit fully to execution requires disciplined discernment — the ability to hold dissenting opinions seriously without being destabilized by them, and to maintain clear direction without becoming deaf to the signals that reality keeps sending.

For any leader, this balance is never permanently achieved. It has to be actively maintained, recalibrated, and practiced continuously. The moment a leader believes he has found the right balance is probably the moment he has already begun to lose it.