On another close encounter with Sukanto Tanoto’s old friend, he shared the drivers for Sukanto’s constant (implicit) search for the “blue ocean” strategy:
- At 20 he wanted to become a successful entrepreneur
- At 30, he wanted to build a diversified conglomerate
- At 40 he wanted to become the king in one industry
- At 50 he wanted to become an emperor having build a global empire
- At 60 he wants to make sure that his empire and all his efforts have not been vain
Sukanto: exceptional you are by your achievements, but exceptional also by your personality.
When asked for some words to describe Sukanto Tanoto, he went on and on without hesitation. “Sharp and quick intelligence, unbounded intellectual curiosity, huge work capacity, incessant out of the box thinking, little tolerance to mistakes, huge risk taking ability, great self confidence (allied to modesty), insatiable thirst for learning, lively imagination and much generosity” Most importantly, given his success today, even though he is exposed to jealousy and envy, to distrust and hostility, he managed to confront these challenges and came victorious.
A suggestion was even made for Sukanto Tanoto to record all his life achievements on a visible and concrete platform – a book – that compiles all the important milestones of his life. Ultimately, through hard work and determination, through self confidence and vision, through vision and strategic thinking, one could change the world. Indeed, as clearly put in words in one of the testimonies to his life, “Sukanto, you have changed the world: you have created value for the world; you have created thousands of jobs; you have produced tons of products for making life better; you have contributed to many projects that will survive you for ever. You should be proud and all your friends gathered tonight around you are here to remind you, beyond your success, their appreciation”.
Many who do not know Sukanto Tanoto personally would not have known the real character of this great man. It is a pity that more often than not, negative rumours that are sensational gain more attention in the public than the true fact.