SPOTLIGHT SERIES: Michael Suantak
DeBoer Fellow 2015, Civic-minded Social Innovator and Entrepreneur
Sometimes leaders are selected; in other cases, leaders are called.
When you feel you are called to do something, it is simply very difficult to turn the other way around, no matter how good that other opportunity is. Michael Suantak felt this calling when he decided to leave a position in an international organization in Yangon. He returned to the hills of Chin State to build a community wireless network as an alternative communication platform, connecting more than 20 jungle villages over the hills in Chin State in Northwestern Myanmar.
Podcast Ep. 2 – Perseverance: Set big goals and stick to them (ft. Jack DeBoer)
In this episode, Kyaw Wai Yar Soe, Associate Director of DeBoer Fellowship and podcast host, interviews Mr. Jack DeBoer, CEO of WaterWalk and Founder of DeBoer Foundation, about the importance for leaders to have both vision and perseverance. In his beloved storytelling fashion, Mr. DeBoer shares with our Myanmar leaders how setting your mind on what is important, no matter how unusual, can lead to impactful results.
Throughout this podcast, we bring a collection of experts who share best practices and practical tools to help you become a more effective leader. We focus our insights for leaders in Myanmar and Southeast Asia.
5 Powerful Ways to Take REAL Action on Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
To read this summary in Myanmar language, click here.
Effective leaders must embrace diversity and learn new skills to promote equity and inclusion in the workplace. Leaders must introduce diversity and inclusion initiatives throughout their organizations in order for all employees to thrive.
In this article, “5 Powerful Ways to Take REAL Action on Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion,” the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) recommends certain “mindsets, behaviors, and practices towards more equitable and inclusive leadership.” Leaders can follow these four steps to practice more equitable leadership.
- Reveal relevant opportunities.
Grit: The power of passion and perseverance, Angela Lee Duckworth [TED]
To read this summary in Myanmar language, click here.
In this TED Talk, “Grit: The power of passion and perseverance,” Angela Lee Duckworth explains that a significant predictor of success is “grit” or “passion and perseverance for very long-term goals.” This characteristic is evidenced in school-aged students, military cadets, sales people, teachers working in challenging neighborhoods, and other contexts as more important than talent or intelligence (IQ) for success.
After leaving a high-powered job and transitioning to becoming a public school teacher in New York City Public Schools,
Guiding Others into A New Future
To read this summary in Myanmar language, click here.
The global community has been living amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting global economic crisis for anywhere between three and eight months, depending on the region of the world. This crisis feels acute and also has lasting effects on our daily lives.
While it is important to act quickly in a crisis, Financial Times author Yuval Noah Harari cautions that “we should also take into account the long-term consequences of our actions…we should ask ourselves not only how to overcome the immediate threat,