Wahid had been a manager at Seri Murni Palm Oil Refinery for three years. His numbers were solid. Deadlines were met. Reports were immaculate.
But his team avoided him.
He didn’t notice it at first. He thought walking around every hour to check progress was “being involved.” He believed that pointing out mistakes loudly, in front of everyone, was “ensuring quality.”
In reality, Wahid was micromanaging every valve turn, every boiler setting, every operator’s shift log. His constant corrections drained morale, and his short temper made people tense.
One day, during a morning briefing, his senior technician accidentally left out a minor temperature reading. Wahid’s voice rose. The room went silent.
When he walked out, his boss, Encik Rahman, called him into the office.
“Wahid, your team doesn’t fear the work. They fear you,” Rahman said calmly.
Wahid frowned. “I’m just making sure things get done right.”
Rahman leaned forward. “You’re choking the rhythm. You see tasks. I need you to see people. Rules are fine, but rhythm wins.”
That night, Wahid couldn’t sleep. He replayed Rahman’s words. See people, not just tasks.
The next week, he started making changes—small at first. Instead of giving orders, he asked questions. Instead of checking every gauge himself, he let operators brief him on their sections. He took feedback seriously, even from junior staff.
He also worked on his temper. Whenever frustration rose, he took a deep breath, counted to five, and asked, “Help me understand what happened,” instead of snapping.
It wasn’t magic. Some habits were hard to break. But gradually, the refinery floor felt lighter.
Operators smiled more. Supervisors brought up ideas without fear. Productivity didn’t just stay high—it improved.
Months later, Rahman visited the production floor and saw Wahid laughing with his team while discussing a new process.
“You’ve learned something important, Wahid,” Rahman said.
Wahid smiled. “I learned to trust the hands that hold the work. My job is to guide them, not grip them.”
And in that refinery, amid the hum of boilers and the scent of processed oil, Wahid became not just a manager—but a leader.
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