National vision is essential to the success of a nation. It is a guideline of how a country or organization can develop in the future. Thus, a leader ought to be a visionary and virtuous leader. It was the statement of M. Afnan Hadikusumo, a member of DPD RI of DIY, as a speaker of ‘Masa Ta’aruf’ (MATAF) of Governmental Studies of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) on Tuesday (2/9).

Afnan conveyed that a leader must be visionary. For one reason, a definite leadership vision in accordance with needs of the organization will raise commitment of apparatus and public to their duty, and will link the circumstance of the organization now and in the future since it is vital. “One of the ways to visualize the vision is by imagining the goals of the organization. The vision will lead the leader and member to achieving the aims,” he stated.

In fact, Afnan inserted, the vision cannot create a leader, yet a visionary and communicative leaser will coin other new leaders to foster the organization. “Each leader possesses his own barriers and problems which may come from the past and present. A leader obliges to cope with the issues so that they should dare to decide and should think systematically,” he added.

Afnan argued that a leader have to be extremely virtuous because leadership, essentially, is a process to coin other leaders having integrity, compassion, knowledge, commitment, confidence, and communication. “Leadership is also a process to create followers to obey the leader. A leader has to critical, innovative, and independent,” he contended.

Additionally, he maintained that the greatest power of a leader is not from his authority and intelligence, but his personality to engage others in following his will consciously and sincerely. “Being a leader is not the matter of given degree or position, yet it grows and enhances from one’s self and it bears from an internal process,” he ended.