Leader Sharing with Mr. Krestijanto Pandji: Agile Leadership in Times of Uncertainty

In an era where change unfolds at an unprecedented pace, leaders are required to act with agility and decisiveness. The President Director of PT Medela Potentia Tbk, Mr. Krestijanto Pandji, emphasized that the leadership approach relevant today is no longer a top-down model, but rather Agile Leadership, which prioritizes flexibility, empathy, and continuous adaptation.

This perspective was shared during a Leader Sharing session organized by the Human Resources Department of PT Medela Potentia Tbk at the Carrel Room, Titan Center, on Wednesday, 10 December 2025. The session aimed to deepen leadership perspectives amid increasingly complex business challenges.

In his presentation, Mr. Krestijanto explained that the world is currently operating in a VUCA environment (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity). Rising uncertainty, he noted, requires leaders to move away from traditional command and control leadership styles that rely heavily on centralized instructions and rigid hierarchies.

“Change is happening rapidly and often unpredictably. Every decision must be made by considering multiple variables. In a volatile world, rigid hierarchies create information bottlenecks,” said Mr. Krestijanto.

He further elaborated that Agile Leadership is a fundamental mindset that shapes how leaders respond to change. This mindset is built upon three core pillars.

The first pillar is Radical Adaptability, which refers to the ability to remain flexible while staying grounded in the company’s core values. Mr. Krestijanto likened agile leaders to bamboo trees—able to sway with the wind while remaining firmly rooted.

“Agile leaders embrace change and view disruption as an opportunity to innovate,” he explained.

The second pillar is Decentralized Authority, which emphasizes the importance of distributing decision-making authority to teams closest to the source of information. According to Mr. Krestijanto, organizational speed can only be achieved when decisions are made at points where operational context is best understood.

This principle includes decision distribution, building trust and autonomy, and streamlining bureaucratic layers to enable faster organizational responses.

“When teams are trusted, they take ownership of outcomes. That is when organizations become truly agile,” he stated.

The third pillar is Empathy and Connection. In times of pressure and uncertainty, Mr. Krestijanto stressed that leaders must foster empathy and strong human connections with their teams.

Empathy, he explained, is the foundation for creating psychological safety, an environment that encourages innovation and learning without fear.

“Agile leaders must connect on a human level. Without empathy, teams will not feel safe to experiment,” he said.

Leading in the VUCA Era

To help organizations navigate a VUCA environment, Mr. Krestijanto outlined three key strategies: Vision, Clarity, and Agility. Vision provides direction amid volatility, clarity simplifies complexity, and agility enables leaders to respond effectively to ambiguity.

“I see that within PT Medela Potentia Tbk and its subsidiaries, a shift from Command & Control Leadership toward Agile Leadership is already underway. My role is to ensure that this transformation progresses smoothly,” he added.

Mr. Krestijanto concluded the session by underscoring the importance of cultivating a growth mindset among leaders across PT Medela Potentia Tbk and its subsidiaries. He emphasized that the ability to continuously learn and adapt will be a defining factor for future-ready organizations.

“We must continue learning, and more importantly, have the courage to let go of mindsets that are no longer relevant,” he concluded.