STRATEGIC RELATIONS

I am very grateful because I studied at IIUM. Previously, I have learned the subjects and courses in the Communication Department which really helps me to understand the theoretical part. Also, I was exposed to a practical environment like IIUM FM and Inspire Club. It has strengthened my soft skills. Thus, this exposure during my studies really helps me a lot for me to be fully prepared before I enter the internship placement.

 

Efficient leadership and followership styles lead to effective and successful teams. As a senior manager, Cik Haliza really brought the team together in a collaborative and cooperative environment. Thus, the team will become very productive and it will result in the achievement of organizational goals. I studied Strategic Human Relations where functional work teams may help the team to obtain the organizational goals. This type of team will involve employees from one particular function to work together to serve various clients inside and outside of the 32 organization. For example, a team consisting of the Wakalah unit, Corporate Communication unit, publishing unit, and many more will work together in discussing the upcoming projects. They will create the best idea and work movement that suits the situational setting. To ensure that the organizational goals will be achieved, the program manager needs to ensure that he/ she divided the task according to the employee’s expertise. Thus, it can result in the employees being more content and competent. For instance, in the Gas Malaysia Berhad event, I, as a program manager would ask help from the publishing unit to design the artwork, and ask help from the Corporate Communication unit for press release. Thus, in an effective team, we need different functional work teams. In the organization, each department will relate to each other. Thus, this can boost the employees’ productivity as well as the quality of the products and results.

 

Cik Haliza also emphasized and promoted self-directed work teams. I noticed that Cik Haliza always chose and recruited very competent and skillful employees to work with. Every morning, she would support, delegate, and supervise the team to ensure the team would be on track everyday. She also always asked us to give our opinion about particular things. That is why she chose the competent and fast learners to work with. Thus, the employees will obtain the higher satisfaction of working as well as believe that they are worth getting this job. Cik Haliza is portraying free rein leaders in the Strategic Relations Unit. She always believed that her team would use our abilities, competency, experiences, and qualification to make each of the programs successful. She has no doubt about the teams that she chose.

 

I also applied an emotional intelligence which I learnt from Strategic Communication and Strategic Human Relations subject. Emotional intelligence consists of managing emotions and empathy. My work is related to asnaf/ B40, especially during this pandemic. There were many people who were in need. In the case of Puan Azimia Abu Hassan, I called her first to get the 33 details of the application. She applied for an electrical wheelchair. When I called her, she cried happily because her application would be approved and her needs would be accomplished. I learned to manage emotions to deal with asnaf. For me, communication skills including verbal and non-verbal communication skills are very important. We need to be more emphatic, good listener, and soft spoken when we deal with people, especially asnaf.

 

Creative and Critical thinking is always promoted when we are in the workplace. Creative and critical ideas should be brainstormed in order to make such a remarkable program or the project. I am in the strategic relations unit where this element of thinking would be very essential because we were proposing the strategic planning to increase zakat collection. We were approaching big companies and organizations to collaborate with. Thus, creative and critical thinking must be developed gradually. For instance, I have been presented the strategic planning with Momentum Internet Sdn Bhd in which I have suggested that the particular company would have the collaboration with PPZ-MAIWP to provide few free business class sessions with asnaf. The win-win situation is promoted when there is an effective economic cycle.