Beyond The Applause

Yesterday, I drove along the East-West Highway from Pengkalan Hulu, Perak to Pasir Mas, Kelantan. It was a familiar yet always breathtaking journey. I took a short break at TRaCe in Pulau Banding – one of UMK’s hidden gems nestled amidst nature, often overlooked but full of potential.
 
I had also planned to stop by a few other places: GREAT, JFFV, IFSSA, and several research labs at the UMK Jeli Campus. These are not just names on signboards. They are projects I was once closely involved with. In many ways, they are like my “babies,” nurtured with care and hope. But it was getting late, and I chose to keep driving.
 
As I passed each familiar signboard, a quiet question echoed in my mind: Have we reached a point where we’ve normalised so much that we’ve begun to feel so little? What once stirred our hearts and excited our spirit now barely moves us. The passion, the urgency, the emotional connection to meaningful work – where has it gone?
 
I recall a conversation with a consulting friend not long ago. He said, “Somehow, our priorities have changed. It’s no longer about outcomes. You know that we are not short of strategies – in fact, we are a policy-rich, or maybe even events-rich, society.” His words stayed with me. They captured something I, too, had been sensing for a while.
 
There was a time when we worked tirelessly to create real impact. We stayed late, debated ideas, built from scratch, and took risks – not for recognition, but because we believed in what we were doing. Many initiatives were rolled out without much fanfare. We didn’t wait for an official launch. We believed that what mattered most was the outcome, not the ceremony.
 
But perhaps we were wrong. Or perhaps we were simply from a different time.
 
Today, the emphasis seems to have shifted. Ceremonies, soft launches, MoUs, and ribbon cuttings have become the benchmarks of success. Sometimes it feels like the work itself is secondary – the focus is on the photo op, the headline, the applause. For some, these displays may serve to validate leadership in the eyes of their superiors, or maybe political masters. But what about real, lasting impact?
 
Many of the initiatives we started were only officially recognised after our time. And that’s okay. What matters most is the value they bring, the people they help, and the change they create. True leadership is not about being seen, but about making a difference – even if it goes unnoticed.
 
Leadership changes. I once told a friend: don’t place too much hope in people, because people change, as we’ve seen time and again. Watch their actions, not just their words. Authenticity isn’t declared – it’s demonstrated. It lives in the alignment between intention and action.
 
Despite that, I still believe that academia is a noble profession. What makes it special is its freedom. No matter what, we can still give our best lectures to our beloved students. We can still apply for grants and conduct meaningful research. We can still write, reflect, and publish. Nobody can take that away from us. Isn’t that special?
 
As I drove on, I realised that while the world may change, we can still choose what we value. And for me, outcomes – real, meaningful outcomes – will always matter more than appearances.
 
Note: Dr Azizi is a professor at the Malaysian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship and Business (MGSEB), Universiti Malaysia Kelantan. He can be contacted at [email protected]