16th edition

THE GENIUSBEHIND THEREVOLUTIONSTEVE JOBS

A TRIBUTE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

WOMEN OF SUBSTANCE

ENTREPRENEUR

THE FUTURE OFHIGHEREDUCATION

JAVED LEGHARICHAIRMAN, HEC

TAKINGCHALLENGESHEAD-ONMIAN IFTIKHARMD, MIAN TYRE &RUBBER CO.

EDITOR’SNOTE

The first thing that history has taught us to ques-tion is how long our government will be suc-cessful in overcoming the problems at hand.With Pakistan facing an unparalleled leadershipcrisis, the time has arrived to work for the better-ment of our future. It is the intrinsic duty of everycitizen of Pakistan to choose the right leader, sowe should make every effort count. With theaforementioned concerns prevalent, somethingmust be done to bring a political upheaval. Withthe rise of people-centric leadership, our diffi-culties would be history in no time. Every per-son’s voice matters.In the last issue of Manager Today, we coveredthe interview of Imran Khan, Chairman of PTI.Imran is reining the political front this year. Hehas brought a radical change to the mindsets ofpeople in this regard. According to the politicalobservers his rally, at the historic venue ofMinar-e-Pakistan, was ‘one of the biggest’ events. Pak-istanis have had enough with the mendacity ofhope and Imran’s previous services are the rai-son d'etre for his credibility to work in good faithtowards a better Pakistan.For our sixteenth issue, we have paid a tribute tothe great thinker, Allama Iqbal. It was his poetrythat sank in and revived the disconsolate spirit ofMuslims to acquire a separate homeland. Hisverses made Muslim renaissance possible.On the other hand, the world also suffered fromthe loss of a creative genius and a visionary,Steve Jobs. Atif Tufail pays a tribute to Steve byincorporating his unforgettable address at Stan-ford University in his writing. Kamran Rizvi pointsout the valuable asset of Aligarians that we had,but still we have struggled at every stage. Withan unprecedented power crisis, it would be dif-ficult to rely on the textile industry only and that iswhen the IT industry comes in. SalimGhauri callsattention to development of IT in Pakistan.Sualeha Bhatti puts forward that the old princi-ples of management and leadership, laid downby astute people like Chanakya, haven’t lost rel-evance and can be effective even today. Makingthe new employee feel welcomed will not only

help retain him, but will also quadruple your profitmargins. Haroon Waheed has something toshare on onboarding. Weight loss is a muchsought-after trend these days. Instead of goingon a crash diet or sticking to bad food choices,Dr. Maryam Arif proposes to make healthy foodchoices. Hammad Siddiqui explains how thelongevity in customership could be attained bymaintaining a high standard of customer service.Saiqa Razik elucidates that a set of core re-silience principles is more than just a planningmechanism and focuses on the way successfulbusinesses manage risk by incorporating proac-tive and reactive strategies.Our decisions can make us or break us, but itdoes not mean that we should avoid exercisingthis power. Syed Shahzad Ali expands on thepoints to harness the power of decision makingin oneself. Whether it is hiring or firing, recruit-ment practices still have an important role to playin an organization. According to Hassan Razamodernization of recruitment practices can leadto a better coordination. Ahmed Fuad explainshowwe can groom and preserve good leaders inorder to be prepared for the crisis at hand. Lead-ership crisis surely betokens disaster, if we stilldon’t pay heed to it. Sana Alam explains how,whether verbal or non-verbal, effective commu-nication can foster effective relationships and dif-fuse confusion.Whereas, GhulamHussain givessome tips for the managers to maintain theirprofit margins. Then we have the article onwomen empowerment by SadiaWaqas, incitingwomen to give up subservience and set an ex-ample by having an equal share in the society.Ashraf Chaudhry gives an anatomy of successfulpractice for the doctors, as to how they can mul-tiply their income.And lastly, I would mention our featured inter-views that include Sidra Iqbal, the MD of Status-pro Inc., giving a message of empowerment toall the Pakistani women. Then we have JavedLeghari, the Chairman of HEC Pakistan and arenowned industrialist, Mian Iftikhar, MD, MianTyre and Rubber Co.

Together we can make a difference

Be moreconcerned withyour chahacterthan yourreputation,because yourcharacter iswhat you reallyare, while yourreputation ismerely whatothers thinkyou are.

John Wooden

IJAZ NISARFounder & President Manager [email protected]

INSPIRED? MOTIVATED? DID YOU LIKE WHAT YOU READ?

Ithink that the interview with Imran Khan wasrefreshingly truthful. It showed that despite themedia-fueled fallacies, he is the right leaderindeed. Besides it is heartening to see that hislove for Pakistan is still there, also keeping inmind the dedicated charity work that he hasbeen doing for almost two decades. I am gladthat you are putting your best foot forward inorder to keep your readers aware of suchinfluential people.

FARUKH AZHARLahore

Since I have subscribed to Manager Today,I always turn straight to your articles,

thinking a useful piece of writing might be inorder for some difficult situation ahead. Like Ifound the article on stress factor, that was reallyuseful and I realized the grave repercussionsthat it can have on your mind and body. It wasrich with useful tips, I really appreciate it and Ihope that this article wouldmakewomen realizehow easy these hang-ups are to deal with.

NAVEED MALIKLahore

The timing of your featured interview withRahila Narejo was great, as I have juststepped into HR practice. My normal course ofaction is to take things as they come, howeverafter reading the interview I have decided totake up every challenge and opportunity tomove forward in my field. This is a promise thatI made to myself as a woman and a go-getter,the faith in my abilities has been renewedtremendously.

ZAINAB MAQSOODIslamabad

As a businessman, I was extremelyimpressed by your magazine. I welcome

with open arms any coverage that could help

uncover the tips and actions to become asuccessful entrepreneur. And it is only throughattempts like these that we will be able to tacklethe social as well as cultural factors that ourcorporate sector is struggling with at themoment. Kudos to Mr. Ijaz for making such aremarkable endeavor.

AMIR ABBASLahore

Iam pleased to see that you focus yourattention onHR in the featured interviews andarticles. I am doingMasters in HR and I see theareas in which we lack proficiency. It is verylikely that through a constant focus anddiscussion of the issues at hand, wewill be ableto turn the tables in no time. I hope that youkeep up with your great work.

ZUHAIR ALILahore

Ireally liked the featured interview of ImranKhan and I am always pleased to see thevoluptuous section on corporate events as ithelps us put in sync with the current trends inbusiness sector. It is invigorating to see amagazine that is actually willing to pull us in andget involved.

SHAHID HUSSAINGujranwala

What I love about your magazine is that itis visually pleasing. The photos and the

layout both make it first-rate. Since the visualimpact is as important as the written content,and your magazine is nothing short of amazingin this context.

FARKHANDA ABBASIslamabad

If you findManagerToday inspirational for the personal and professional development, do inform us. You can also contribute yourarticles, suggestions and recommendations at: Email:[email protected], [email protected],Website:www.managertoday.pk Ph:04235792066, 03008838428, 03004521298, 03008167229Don’t forget to mention your full name, postal address and phone number on your letters.

Find us on:

MailBox

14 TRIBUTE

The Genius Behind theRevolution Steve Jobs

18MANAGEMENT

SeekingWisdom Desperately

20 INFORMATION

TECHNOLOGYIT industryAn Answer to the Energy Crisis

22 EXCLUSIVE

INTERVIEWTHE FUTURE OF HIGHEREDUCATIONJAVED LEGHARIChairman, HEC

28 LEADERSHIP

Leadership lessons fromChanakyaChanakya’s management ideashaven’t lost relevance even today.

30HUMANRESOURCE

FromOnboarding to Jump-start, Grow and Retain Tal-entUndoubtedly the effective onboardingof new employees takes time and ef-fort, but it will pay big-time for boththe employer and the new hires in thelong run.

32HEALTH &

WELLNESSDiet vs Lifestyle ChangeShedding extra pounds does notmean building a negative relationshipwith food. It is important to exerciseand have balanced eating habits.

34WOMENOF

SUBSTANCEEmpoweringWomenSIDRA IQBALMD, StatusPro

MANAGERTODAY

Editor-in-ChiefIJAZ NISAR

Assistant EditorRABAIL ABBAS

DesignerSHAH JAHAN (SHANI)

Marketing & Sales ManagerHASEEB NISAR0300 816 7229

Marketing ManagerFAHAD IQBAL

0346 468 8536

Business Development ManagerM. SAQIB SHEHZAD

0300 883 84280300 844 5208

LEARNING & OD MANAGERSOMIA ISHAQ

PhotographerKAMRAN

ContributorsPHILIP S. LALLATIF TUFAIL

BAKHTIAR KHAWAJHASALIM GHAURIKAMRAN RIZVIWALI ZAHID

ANDLEEB ABBASMASOOD ALI KHAN

Legal AdvisorMUHAMMAD ZULFIQAR ALI BUTAR

PublisherMANAGER TODAY

PrinterQASIM NAEEM ART PRESS

HEAD OFFICE MANAGER TODAYPL-11 SIDDIQUE TRADE CENTREMAIN BOULEVARD, GULBERG III

LAHORE

Tel: 0423-579 2066Cell: 0300 452 1298

0300 816 72290300 844 5208

email: [email protected]@hotmail.com

website:www.managertoday.pkwww.leadingedge.com.pk

PCPB # 303-M OCT-NOV,2011

40 CUSTOMER SERVICE

Customer is KingMany companies do not realize thesignificance of customers’ expecta-tions.

42ORGANIZATIONAL

BEHAVIOUROrganizational ResilienceA Positive Adjustment under Chal-lenging Situations.

44DECISIONMAKING

Harness the Power of Deci-sionMakingWithin YourselfDecision-making can be a mind-bend-ing exercise, but the rewards areworth it.

46 ENTREPRENEUR

Taking Challenges Head-onMIAN IFTIKHARMD, Mian Tyre & Rubber Co.

50 LEADERSHIP

Leadership CrisisLeadership is neither an inborn qual-ity nor can be acquired but it is achoice of any individual who decidesto lead his people in a given situation.

52HIRING

RecruitmentPractices at Pak-istanThrough online integrated manage-ment and clear coordination betweenHR and other divisions, much of theunsaid troubles could be mitigated.

54 COMMUNICATION

EffectiveCommunication

59 BRANDING

How a doctor canMultiplyhis/herPractice?There are several ideas that doctorscan carry out to increase the traffic ofpatients passing through their door.

is currently thePresident of AsiaPacific, NetSolTechnologies Inc.and the Chairmanand CEO of NetSolTechnologiesLimited, Lahore. Hehas been headingNetSolTechnologiesLimited for the lastthirteen years.During this tenure,NetSol has gainedworld-classrecognition andsustainable growth,topping the list ofIT companies inPakistan andserving blue-chipclients all over theworld. This is whatmakes Salim a truevisionary and oneof the best-knownentrepreneurs ofthe country. Mr.Salim is alsoserving as the firstHonorary Consul ofAustralia for Punjab(Pakistan)

has 20+experience in HR,both in Pakistan andinternational circuit.Helping people togrow together withbusiness is hispassion. Buildingtalent for the futureis his obsession.Unilever alwaysprovided him withhuge opportunitiesto fulfill his passionby working withpeople withinPakistan andoutside, thusgrowing people andbusiness together.This creativity leadhim to win twointernationalawards in 2010,namely ‘Asia HRLeadership Award’(Singapore) and‘Best TalentManagementAward’ (London).

MANAGERTODAY’S

HAROONWAHEED

SALIMGHAURI

KAMRANRIZVIpioneered thepersonal-improvement and ODmovement inPakistan in 1991,after working forfourteen years inretail andcommercialbanking in theMiddle East andthe UK. He is theFounding Director,Trainer, ExecutiveCoach, Keynotespeaker andConsultant atNavitas, a leadingorganizationaldevelopment (OD)consulting andtraining firm in thecountry.He alsoserves on the boardof School ofLeadership (SoL) inPakistan, bestknown for itsflagship program,the Young Leaders’Conference (YLC),now in its 10thyear. He hasspecialized inbehavioral andorganizationalchange and is awell-knowninspirationalspeaker.

ASHRAFCHAUDHRYis Pakistan’srenowned SalesTrainer. He hasworked for morethan 15 years formultinationals andlocal blue-chipcompanies in sales& marketingdepartment. Hisvision is to raiseoptimistic salesand marketing forcein businessorganizations. Aftera brilliant career atWorldcall TelecomLtd. as GM Sales &Distribution, hewent on to pursuehis passion forcorporate trainings,public speakingand writing. He isco-author of thesales novel ‘TheTenCommandments ofSelling: Story ofDanial’, howeverhis latest venture is‘The Craft ofSelling Yourself’.

SUALEHABHATTIis the ChiefConsultant andCEO of WinningEdge. She is one ofPakistan's leadingnames in the fieldof training anddevelopment. Sheholds a Master'sdegree in BusinessAdministration fromUK and has had theprivilege ofinteracting with andlearning from someof the best knownnames in this fieldsuch as TomPeters, RobertHolding, RobertBenninga & RonKaufman etc.

SAIQARAZIKis a Psychologistand a Trainer withexpertise in TraumaCounseling, StressManagement andConflict &Negotiation Skills.Her professionalwork is on the areaof emotional healthand social issues.She has beenteaching as visitingfaculty at UET (Lhr)and CASE (Isb) onOrganizationalBehavior, IndustrialPsychology andBusinessCommunication.Skilled in stressmanagement, shehas beenevaluatingmanagementprograms. Many ofher programsfocused on theissues of ViolenceAgainst Womenand Child Neglectand Abuse.Integrating Personswith Disabilities(PWDs) in theirfunctional life isher passion.

HAMMADSIDDIQUIis working asDeputy CountryDirector at theCenter ofInternational PrivateEnterprise (CIPE).He has qualifiedfrom the Institute forOrganizationManagement, adevelopmentprogram of the U.S.Chamber ofCommerce. He hasover 26 years ofexperience in thesenior managementof internationalorganizations.Besides specializingin institutionalcapacity buildingand leadershipdevelopment, he isalso a traineddiscussionfacilitator from TheBritish Foreign andCommonwealthOffice. Hammad hadthe honor to serveas the official PressOfficer to HerMajesty The Queenduring her visit toPakistan in 1997.Moreover, he hasexpertise in socialmedia strategies.

HASSANRAZAis the Manager ofHR at HKB & amember of Boardof Trustee at LahoreHuman ResourceForum. He hasspecialized as atrainer in the areasof Recruitment &Selection,Leadership, TeamBuilding and HRM.He has expertiseover ChangeManagementPrograms, TalentPool Management,Training &Development andEmployees’Engagement Plans.After starting hiscareer from GoldenBlue Group, a top:notch HRConsultancy, hehas worked indifferent sectors ofInter Market Knit,Pak ElektronLimited and EdenBuilders Limited.He is also runninga consultancynamed PakistanJobs Bank

CONTRIBUTORS

is serving a US-based InformationTechnologycompany as headof human resourcesthese days. He ismanaging allfunctions likerecruitment,performancemanagement,training andcompensation &benefits. Before hiscurrent workcommitment, headded value toAitchison College,Lahore as a facultymember andhuman resourceadvisor for adecade. He didMasters in Physicsfrom GCU, Lahoreand Masters inHRM fromUniversity of thePunjab. Now-a-days, he is alsopreparing for'GlobalProfessional inHuman Resources'(GPHR)certification offeredby the Society forHuman ResourcesManagement, USA.

is presentlyassociated withCOMSATS instituteof IT, Lahore andlooks afterDevelopment &Placement office.He has anexperience of over25 years in salesand sales training.He held manypositions duringhis 16-year longcareer with TCS,where customerorientation andpunctuality havealways been themaincharacteristics ofhis personality. Mr.Hussain is anoptimist, meetingpeople anddiscovering theirpersonality is hispassion.

GHULAMHUSSAIN

ATIFTUFAIL

SYEDSHAHZAD ALIis a seasoned HRPractitioner, with anexperience of 7years in this field,and a motivationaland inspirationalkeynote speaker.He has worked bothin national andmultinationalorganizations. Afterfinishing his MPAfrom KarachiUniversity, hespecialized in HR.Syed is a prolificwriter and ablogger too. Hefrequently writesarticles on his blogwhich mainly focuson innovative HRpractices,motivational andinspirationalsubjects.

DR. MARYAMARIFis a doctor withextensiveexperience inclinical research inEndocrinology inthe US. She is akeen observer ofhuman behaviorand psychology.She believes thattrue change canonly come with achange in mindsetand a collectiverevival of a corevalue system in oursociety. She has avery creative andintellectual mindand a spark toachieve and go adistance.

SANAALAMthe AssistantManager HumanResources atNaseeb Networks,Inc. After qualifyingfrom the Institute OfAdministrativeSciences HumanResourceManagement, shehas worked asAssistant ManagerHuman Resourcesat Punjab Group ofColleges & AlliedSchools HO.Moreover, she hashad the chance toserve at EtimaadEngineering Pvt Ltdand First CapitalGroup Pakistan.

AHMADFUADis working forPakistan's largestcellular company,Mobilink, as aCorporate TrainingSpecialist. He hasa vast experience ofconductingtrainings fordifferentorganizations. He isknown as amotivationalspeaker and a softskills trainer.He hasworked as AssistantManager & TeamCoordinator incorporate sectorand as ProfessionalSports Journalist(Sports Incharge &Sports Reporter inLahore) for DailyKhabrain. He hasbeen writing bi-lingual articlessince 1996 indifferent nationaland internationalnews-papers &magazines likeDaily Nation, DailyTimes, Daily News,Daily Nawa-e-Waqt, UrduMagazine, WorldTimes, Urdu Digestetc.

SADIAWAQASThe writer is anacademic and ajournalist. She hasdone Masters inEnglish Literatureand is aphilanthropist andenvironmentalisttoo.

WALIZAHIDis an internationalconsultant,speaker, leadershiptrainer andexecutive coach.He is CEO of SkillCity [Asian answersto Asianquestions], a new-generation learningand developmentregional firm with adeveloping-countryperspective. He hasspoken toaudiences in SouthAsia, SoutheastAsia, Middle East,East Africa,Western Europe,England and theUnited States. Walihas trainedthousands ofmanagers andbusiness leaders inthe past 15 yearsfrom most Fortune-500 companies.His leadership andtraining of trainersworkshops havebeen crowd pullers.His brandedworkshops include‘Leadership forCEOs’, ‘Women inLeadership’,‘LeadershipDerailments’ and'TOT.

TRIBUTE14

14 | MANAGER TODAY | www.managertoday.pk

www.managertoday.pk | MANAGER TODAY | 15

eath is very likely the single best in-vention of life. It is life's change agent.

It clears out the old to make way for the new.Right now the new is you, but someday nottoo long from now, you will gradually becomethe old and be cleared away.’These were the words of the legendary

Steve Jobs in his address to the graduatingstudents at Stanford University in 2005.Steve’s genius lay in his ability to simplify the

complex. He came up with highly engineeredproducts just by stripping away the excess lay-ers of business, design and innovation till onlythe simple and real was left behind. This re-minds me of the time when someone askedPicasso as to how he made flawless sculp-tures, he replied, ‘I just removed the excessmud from the loaf of mud and the sculpturesemerged from it’.Mr. Jobs put much stock in the notion of

‘taste’, a word that he used frequently. Thissensibility shone in all of his magnificent cre-ations like iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad. He be-lieved that great products were a triumph oftaste, of ‘trying to expose yourself to the bestthings humans have done and then trying tobring those things into what you are doing’.The real man, behind the so-called ‘exacting

and fearsome leader’ at Apple, was revealed

in his address at Stanford University. Stevenarrated three stories from his life. His firststory in his own words:‘I naively chose a college that was almost as

expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents’ savings were being spent onmy college tuition. After six months, I couldn’tsee the value in it. I had no idea what I wantedto do withmy life and no idea how college wasgoing to help me figure it out. And here I wasspending all of the money my parents hadsaved their entire life. So I decided to drop outand trust that it would all work out OK. It waspretty scary at the time, but looking back itwas one of the best decisions I ever made.The minute I dropped out I could stop takingthe required classes that didn’t interest me,and begin dropping in on the ones that lookedinteresting.It wasn’t all romantic. I didn’t have a dorm

room, so I slept on the floor in friends’ rooms,I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits tobuy food with, and I would walk the 7 milesacross town every Sunday night to get onegood meal a week at the Hare Krishna tem-ple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbledinto by following my curiosity and intuitionturned out to be priceless later on. Let megive you one example:

Reed College at thattime offered perhapsthe best calligraphy in-struction in the coun-try. Throughout thecampus every poster,every label on everydrawer, was beauti-fully hand calligraphed.Because I haddropped out and did-

n’t have to take the normal classes, I decidedto take a calligraphy class to learn how to dothis. I learned about serif and san serif type-faces, about varying the amount of space be-tween different letter combinations, aboutwhat makes great typography great. It wasbeautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a waythat science can’t capture, and I found it fas-cinating.None of this had even a hope of any practi-

cal application in my life. But ten years later,when we were designing the first Macintoshcomputer, it all came back to me. And we de-signed it all into theMac. It was the first com-puter with beautiful typography. If I had neverdropped in on that single course in college,the Mac would have never had multiple type-faces or proportionally spaced fonts. Andsince Windows just copied the Mac, it’s likelythat no personal computer would have them.If I had never dropped out, I would have neverdropped in on this calligraphy class, and per-sonal computers might not have the wonder-ful typography that they do. Of course it wasimpossible to connect the dots looking for-ward when I was in college. But it was very,very clear looking backwards ten years later.Again, you can’t connect the dots looking

forward; you can only connect them lookingbackwards. So you have to trust that the dotswill somehow connect in your future. You haveto trust in something — your gut, destiny, life,karma, whatever. This approach has never letme down, and it hasmade all the difference inmy life.’His second story was about love and loss.‘I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early

in life. Wozniak and I started Apple in my par-ent’s garagewhen I was 20.Weworked hard,and in 10 years Apple had grown from just

After his demise on October 5, 2011, Steve Jobsleft a legacy of countless wonderful inventions

behind. The world lost a visionary and a creativegenius. With an inspiring persona that he createdin the public eye, we still haven’t seen the likes of

him. A lot could be said in his encomiumATIF TUFAIL

D‘

16 MANAGER TODAY | April - May 2010

the two of us in a garage into a $2 billioncompany with over 4000 employees. Wehad just released our finest creation — theMacintosh — a year earlier, and I had justturned 30. And then I got fired. How can youget fired from a company you started?Well,as Apple grew we hired someone who Ithought was very talented to run the com-pany with me, and for the first year or sothings went well. But then our visions of thefuture began to diverge and eventually wehad a falling out. When we did, our Board ofDirectors sided with him. So at 30 I was out.And very publicly out. What had been thefocus of my entire adult life was gone, and itwas devastating.I really didn’t know what to do for a few

months. I felt that I had let the previous gen-eration of entrepreneurs down – that I haddropped the baton as it was being passed tome. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyceand tried to apologize for screwing up sobadly. I was a very public failure, and I eventhought about running away from the valley.But something slowly began to dawn on me— I still loved what I did. The turn of events atApple had not changed that one bit. I hadbeen rejected, but I was still in love. And so Idecided to start over.I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that get-

ting fired from Apple was the best thing thatcould have ever happened to me. The heavi-ness of being successful was replaced by thelightness of being a beginner again, less sureabout everything. It freed me to enter one ofthe most creative periods of my life.During the next five years, I started a com-

pany named Next, another company namedPixar, and fell in love with an amazing womanwho would becomemy wife. Pixar went on tocreate the world’s first computer animatedfeature film, Toy Story, and is now the mostsuccessful animation studio in the world. In aremarkable turn of events, Apple boughtNeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technologywe developed at NeXT is at the heart ofApple’s current renaissance. And Laureneand I have a wonderful family together.I’m pretty sure none of this would have hap-

pened if I hadn’t been fired fromApple. It wasawful tastingmedicine, but I guess the patientneeded it. Sometimes life hits you in the headwith a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convincedthat the only thing that kept me going wasthat I loved what I did. You’ve got to find whatyou love. And that is as true for your work as

it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill alarge part of your life, and the only way to betruly satisfied is to do what you believe isgreat work. And the only way to do greatwork is to love what you do. If you haven’tfound it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As withall matters of the heart, you’ll knowwhen youfind it. And, like any great relationship, it justgets better and better as the years roll on.So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.’His third story was about death. He was di-

agnosed with cancer in 2004. The intellec-tual concept of death had become a livingreality by then.‘Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the

most important tool I’ve ever encountered tohelpmemake the big choices in life. Becausealmost everything — all external expectations,all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure– these things just fall away in the face ofdeath, leaving only what is truly important. Re-membering that you are going to die is thebest way I know to avoid the trap of thinkingyou have something to lose. You are alreadynaked. There is no reason not to follow yourheart.Your time is limited, so don't waste it living

someone else's life. Don't be trapped bydogma — which is living with the results ofother people's thinking. Don't let the noise ofothers' opinions drown out your own innervoice. Most importantly, have the courage tofollow your heart and intuition. They somehowalready knowwhat you truly want to become.Everything else is secondary.’While we appreciate Steve’s ingenuity, we

also know that he excelled not only becauseof his unusual way of looking at things, butalso for the fact that he was in a country thatrightfully rewarded individuality and creativity.A country where a college drop-out could re-alize his dream, conceive in a garage andexcel through hard work and creativity alone.But the question is: Will our intellectuals andthinkers ever have such mental liberation?Will we ever grow up, unconstrained by pre-determined ideas and ideologies? Will thereever be a Steve Jobs in this Land of thePure? n

ATIF TUFAIL

is serving a US-based InformationTechnology company as head ofhuman resources these days.


IQBALIYAT 17

Iam the poet of tomorrow’, claimed Dr Al-lama Iqbal, who was a great Muslimphilosopher-poet of the Subcontinent. Anyman who has a bit understanding of Iqbalwould bear me out that he was a manwith profound knowledge of history, reli-

gion, political science, philosophy, literatureand modern sciences.He possessed an acute insight to analyze

the fate of different nations. Hewas splendidlysaturated with the glistening pearls of East-ern and Western revolutionary movements.He had seriously brooded over the past, criti-cally judged the present and clearly envisagedthe future of humankind. And Iqbal was thetop grade seer of the world who had seen thecoming ages in the crystal clear mirror of re-alities. Like a true devotee he solemnly prayedto God to grant him special vision for a highunderstanding of realities. He says:“O God give me a heart that can see the in-

side;Give me the sight that can see intoxication

in the wine.”It is necessary for a seer that he should di-

rectly be in contact with the present andstudy the world around him with critical eyes.The common poet does not glorify the humanlife. His presentation of life is photographic.Some poets present a critical view of life. Theyeither degrade life or exaggerate it. But greatpoets always study life with the eyes of realityand present the solutions of world problems.In doing so, they render the job of prophets. Al-lama Iqbal had really rendered the job of aprophet as the Holy Prophet had said:” Thescholars of my Ummah would be like theprophets of the Israelites.” So Iqbal says:“Do not consider my frenzied tune as mere

attempt at versification;For sooth I am conversant with the secrets

of tavern.”I don’t find any exaggeration in the claim of

Iqbal when he announces to be the advocateof liberty of ego which ultimately is the mes-sage against all sorts of complexes.Iqbal was conscious of his revolutionary and

philosophical importance in the making ofposterity and toiled day and night to give aclear cut picture of future systems. Iqbal inthe capacity of a seer believed in the

prophetic mission of poetry and hence said:“If the object of poetry is to invest humans

with creative qualities;Poetry is direct succession to prophet-

hood.”Iqbal burnt like a candle and gave light to the

Muslims of the Subcontinent in particular andto the Muslims of the world in general. Thethickened clouds and lengthening shadows ofslavery withered away by the flash of hisstaunch faith in liberty.The creation of Pakistan is one of the great-

est realities which came out of the nobledreams of Iqbal .He could foresee the emer-gence of a number of free and independentMuslim States in 1932 when he visited theMosque of Cordova. How beautifully he com-posed the following verses:“Deeply slumbered Chinese are awakening,And the springs are oozing fromHimalayan

Mountains.”I am of the view that Iqbal, being the propo-

nent and renovator of the Muslim renais-sance, champion of social justice,banner-holder of liberty and the exponent ofworld peace is still a paradox that needsmoreattention for the right understanding of hismessage. Iqbal can only be understood withan open mind and deep love for reformation,revolution and soul-searching. With the pas-sage of time as the world is getting new turns,Iqbal’s message would be more clearly un-derstood and implemented, as he himself pro-claimed:“After me they will read my poetry, grasp it

and say,A self-consciousman has revolutionized the

world.”As he believed in change and aspired for a

new world it can be rightly said that he is thepoet of tomorrow. He is the poet of future andwas a futurist.

FuturistThe

After me they will readmy poetry, grasp it andsay, A self-conscious manhas revolutionized theworld.

‘

DR. MAQSOOD JAFRI


nstitutions are not just bricks andmortar, instead they are built on thelabor of sincere and competent peo-ple. In this sense, Pakistan seemed tobe a privileged beneficiary of the Di-vine planning, since the people weregroomed and educated decades be-fore the nation came into being. Theyear 1875 saw the establishment ofMuhammadan Anglo-Oriental College(MAO College), located in the districttown of Aligarh in India. It was foundedby a group of Indian Muslims, underthe leadership of Sayyid Ahmad Khan.Almost seventy years later Pakistancame into existence. This nationstarted its life with a unique advan-tage – we had the access to an im-pressive pool of educated IndianMuslim talent, who had graduatedfrom Aligarh earlier. The Aligarhiansprovided the leadership that this new-

born nation needed desperately, de-spite that our nation has floundereddue to a lack of leadership at all levelsof society. It seems that we passed upthe fortunate wave of destiny thatwas served to us on a silver platter.However, to think that there is a

leadership crisis is a classic fallacyand it has misled our society fordecades. Waiting for someone tocome and rescue us from our plightwould lead to nothing. It is high timethat we, as individuals, recognize thepower that we possess to make apositive and lasting difference in ourrespective realms. To be alive andaware would be a great place tobegin with. A good management canbe achieved by the people who aregenuinely sincere in their intentionsand efforts. And then it is about de-veloping sufficient competence to

strategize, plan, execute and serve ef-fectively.Wisdom is about making a correct

use of knowledge. Not doing somakes one a fool! However, in today’sworld, knowledge is abundant andwis-dom is scarce. As Lelyveld, the authorof “Aligarh’s First Generation”, said,‘Sayyid Ahmad may have made lightof the BAs andMAs of Bengal, but hisidea for Aligarh was to raise a newgeneration of Muslims who wouldhave the knowledge, skills and valuesnecessary to qualify for public leader-ship’.Example of how the Agha Khan Uni-

versity Hospital (AKUH) was built inKarachi, about three decades ago,comes tomind. Twenty years prior tothe construction of the building, anursing college was built there. Thiswas to ensure that as soon as the

MANAGEMENT18

DESPERATELYSEEKINGWISDOMI

KAMRAN RIZVI

hospital was built, it could be manned by acompetent and qualified staff. Likewise, treeswere planted a decade before its completion.As a result, when AKUH opened its doors tothe public, everything was in place. A beautifulgreen environment with a fully equipped hos-pital was ready to provide the quality care.Now that is visionary leadership!The AKUH analogy compelled me to think

about Aligarh and Pakistan. The results werealtogether different and I wondered as to whyit was so, particularly when you consider thehigh ideals of Sayyid Ahmad Khan and SayyidMahmud for theMuslims of India. In fact, theychose Cambridge University as their bench-mark. In this regard, the timing couldn’t havebeen better. Cambridge was transformedaround the time of Sayyid Ahmad’s trips therein the late 19th century.Seeley, the Professor of History at Cam-

bridge, was of the view that the work of edu-cation was a vital area of social action. He

formulated a new understanding of the role ofhigher education in modern society. SayyidAhmad was very much aligned to such per-spective as he had long denounced any sys-tem of education that left the inner spiritlifeless. According to Seeley, ‘Democracy andindustrialization did require a new kind of edu-cation, but it was not to be a simple surrenderto the vocational training. What was neededwas a generation of intellectuals capable of rig-orous scholarship and research, but also sen-sitive to the totality of human needs’. This viewwas very egalitarian. It also resonates thespirit of Islam, which promotes equality and aclassless society.The United States’ Declaration of Independ-

ence includes a kind of moral and legal egali-tarianism in the phrase, ‘All men are createdequal’. Like many other nations, it was notmuch later that the American society ex-tended these benefits to slaves, women andother groups. With the passage of time, uni-

versal egalitarianism has won wide accept-ance. The notable egalitarian philosophies areon socialism and human rights. Several egali-tarian ideas enjoy wide support among intel-lectuals and in the general population of manycountries. However, it remains to be seen ifany of these ideas have been significantly im-plemented or not. For instance, some arguethat modern democracy is a realization of po-litical egalitarianism, while others believe thatin reality most political power still resides inthe hands of the ruling class rather than thepeople.Study of Aligarh’s history is inspiring and

also very painful. For instance, according toLelyveld, the founders of Aligarh spoke in thename of all theMuslims of India, but offered aprogram designed only to connect with a nar-rower group, namely the North Indian Mus-limswhowere literate in Urdu and formed thereservoir of Muslim intelligentsia and govern-ment servants.The old habit of social exclusivity had some

bearing on an otherwise noble intent.We cansee this social disease in certain quarters ofour society today. And it is verymuch visible inclass distinctions that still permeate our soci-ety.To Sayyid Ahmad, English education at Ali-

garh was a political strategy for the Muslimsto achieve their rightful position of powerwithin the British Empire. In his numerous ad-dresses to the students, Sayyid Ahmad reit-erated the basic theme that the IndianMuslims were the former rulers of the coun-try and the only hope for their regenerationwas to mobilize under the aegis of Aligarh.Lelyveld goes on to share that it was a belief ofthe Aligarh party that only the British-Muslimfriendship could help Muslims improve theirposition in the Indian society. According to thewritten rules of the Union Club, ‘No mattershall be discussedwhich raises the question ofpermanence or stability of the British rule’.The lesson that I derive from the Aligarh

story is that if we aim all our efforts at the ac-quisition of status and power, we are surelydoomed. We need to break out of the debili-tating habit of duality and embrace equilibriumin both our words and deeds. n


Despite having thevaluable asset ofAligarh, Pakistan hasfloundered at everylevel of society. Thereason, as to why it hasbeen so, is a point toponder indeed!

KAMRAN RIZVI

is the Founding Director of Navitas.He also serves on the board of SoL.

INFORMATIONTECHNOLOGY20


SALIM GHAURI


akistan is passing through anunprecedented energy crisispresently. The demand ex-ceeds the supply, hence fre-quent power shutdowns havemade ‘load shedding’ a com-

mon phenomenon. Pakistan needs about18,000 MW per day. Right now it can pro-duce about 13,000 MW per day, so there isa shortfall of about 5000MW. This shortageis terribly affecting the industry, commerceand daily life of the people. The demand fornatural gas and oil has increased manifold.The Middle East crisis is likely to burden theeconomy even more. The government hasplanned major initiatives that include threegas import pipelines, with Gwadar port as en-ergy hub and LNG import to meet energyshortage.Pakistan’s economic growth ismajorly relianton its textile industry, which contributes over$10 billion annually in terms of foreign ex-change. This industry is losing 30% of its pro-duction due to prevailing energy shortage.Installation of Captive Power Plants (CPPs) bythe spinning industry has also failed to deliverthe desired results because the availability ofgas, as a cheap fuel for these CPPs, is be-coming a question mark with each passingday. The textile industry was already deniedSui gas for over 100 days during the last fis-cal year. It is also for the very first time in thehistory that the SNGPL has cut the supply tothis industry during summer this year. Textileindustry has yet to witness the worst in com-ing winter. The government is fully attentive tothis fact and is trying its level best to ensureuninterrupted supply of electricity and gas tothe industry.

An out of box solution todeal with energy short-age in the country hasbecome an urgent needof the hour. It has beencreating a deep dent inthe national economysince November 2007.Chances of meeting en-ergy shortage in near fu-ture are not very bright,at least for anotherseven years. Therefore,this is a right time to re-evaluate the potential ofvarious segments of

economy in order to reshuffle the priorities inan alarming situation like this. The govern-

ment policymakers should consider diversifi-cation of economic model and start thinkingbeyond traditional areas like textile industry.An extraordinary dependence on textile andagriculture, since the independence, is mak-ing the country lose its competitive edge fast,which is also compounded by the prevailingenergy crisis. Unfortunately, all the trade poli-cies are entirely focused on the textile indus-try, which is highly power-intensive and thepresent energy shortage has also resulted inmassive unemployment.Unlike India, Pakistan’s IT sector consists of aweb of small firms andmany of the entrepre-neurs started from a very low level to makean entry into the business. According to Pak-istan Software Houses Association (P@SHA),the industry revenues have exceeded at therate of $2 billion a year and are projected toreach $11 billion by 2016. This target can beachieved much earlier than 2016, providedthe government supports the growth of IT in-dustry. Despite ranking 120th on the infra-structure and logistics components of theWorld Bank’s Logistics Performance Index,Pakistan has successfully achieved thesegrowth rates.The Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB)has recently quoted that Pakistan is produc-ing around 25,000 IT professionals everyyear to meet the growing requirement of do-mestic and international markets. Out of thetotal number of these professionals, about50% enter the job market. The current poolof IT experts and engineers available in thecountry is not sufficient tomeet the domestic

requirements. To achieve targeted re-sults, the government needs to take sev-eral steps to increase the number ofexperts and engineers in IT industry. Thebest way to achieve growth in IT sectorof Pakistan is to follow the Indian model.A shift in focus towards the IT industrywould ease down the pressure on theeconomic growth of the country. It is im-portant to note that the IT industry inPakistan is not as power-intensive as thetextile industry. The IT firms in Pakistanhave not closed their operations, even fora single day, due to power shortfall be-cause the computer machines are notas power intensive as the spinning loomsare.India’s software and services exportshave been rising rapidly. The annualgrowth rate is around 45% in IT services

and nearly 55% in IT-enabled services (ITES),

Business Process outsourcing (BPO) andother administrative support operations. To-gether they grow to 25%per annum. Despitethe fact that Indian share in the worldmarketfor IT services is not negligible, this sector hasbeen growing at a scorching pace. Whereasit is helped by a large pool of English speakingworkers, nearly 3 million engineers and theincreasing tribe of tech-savvy entrepreneursin the country. The IT industry currently ac-count for 7% of India’s GDP. Software serviceexports in India increased fromUS$0.50mil-lion in 1990 to $5.9 billion in 2000-01 to23.6 billion dollars in 2005-06, recording34% growth with a compound annual growthof over 25% per annum till 2010. The impactof software and IT enabled service exports (ofaround $60 billion) is likely to be profound onthe economy. One manifestation is that Indianotched up a current account surplus in2001-02 for the first time in 24 years.Having a strong IT industry in Pakistan couldonly be possible with concerted efforts by gov-ernment and a host of other factors like pri-vate initiatives, emergence of softwaretechnology parks, clustering and public pri-vate partnerships. India formulated the na-tional vision to promote software industry inthe early 1980s and took its IT industry ex-ports to $60 billion in just 20 years. Pak-istan’s IT industry has much higher potentialthan the Indian industry and could earnmoreforeign exchange, provided the focus of thegovernment is there. n

PA shift in focus towards

the IT industry wouldease down the pressureon the economic growth

of the country. It isimportant to note that

the IT industry inPakistan is not as

power-intensive as thetextile industry

SALIM GHAURI

is currently the President of AsiaPacific, NetSol Technologies Inc. andthe Chairman and CEO of NetSolTechnologies Limited, Lahore.

EXCLUSIVEINTERVIEW22

Dr. Javaid Laghari is the Chairperson ofHigher Education Commission ofPakistan. He has remained the Presidentof SZABIST and a Senator (2006 -2009).Prior to that he was the Director ofGraduate Studies and Professor ofElectrical and Computer Engineering atSUNY, Buffalo, USA. He has organizedmany International Conferences and didsponsored research for NASA in the US.Dr. Laghari is a Senior Member of theACM (USA), IEEE (USA), FUIW and theAsia University Federation. He is also therecipient of the Distinguished LeadershipAward by IEEE , the national award'Tamgha-e-Imtiaz' and is listed in theAmerican Men and Women of Science.


IJAZ NISAR

Q:Please share with us your earlylife and educational background?I have been an academician, a researcher

and a scientist all my life. After completingmyPhD from the US, I started working as a pro-fessor at SUNY, Buffalo. Then in 1995 Mo-htarma Benazir Bhutto calledme to Pakistanin order to establish a university named afterher father Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Insti-tute of Sciences and Technology (SZABIST). Iestablished this university from scratch, wasappointed its first President, and took it for-ward to its present international recognition.Mohtarma Bhutto also nominated me for atechnocratic seat in the Senate and I re-mained a Senator from2006 to 2009. I wasinvolved in a lot of partymatters, including thewriting of the power and energy policy for PPP.I was also the co-author of the PPP ElectionManifesto 2008. But when I took the positionas the Chairperson of HEC, I resigned fromSZABIST and the Senate as well.

Q:HEC is reputable for ensuringquality education, what is the

strategic vision of HEC to keep themomentum?HEC is not just about education, it has a

large number of responsibilities. It has a visionto work on the socio-economic responsibilitythrough capacity building, which is attained byHR development .So it is not just about edu-cation, in fact it is a much higher approach.There is a lot of difference among literacy, ed-ucation and knowledge creation. Our aim is tocreate knowledge capital. It is an establishedfact that there is a direct correlation between

knowledge capital and economic develop-ment. If Pakistan wishes to become anemerging power, it needs to enhance itsknowledge and intellectual capital drastically.

Q:What is the core mission of HEC?Has HEC been successful in

achieving it up till now?HEC is faced with three key challenges (a)

Access (b) Quality and (c) Relevance. Acces-sibility is where we ensure that higher educa-tion and research is accessible to the largerpopulation around the country. The other isquality, which should be maintained in allareas of implementation. And finally, we haveto take into account the relevance of both thecurriculum and the research done at the uni-versities, whilemaking sure that they are play-ing their part to the fullest towards theeconomic development of Pakistan.

Q:What are the major achievementsof HEC? Furthermore, what

challenges do you face in running theinstitute?We have gone through many evolutionary

phases. First of all, we a have limited capacityto offer higher education in Pakistan. Speak-ing of accessibility, only 7% of students fromage 17-23 have accessibility to higher educa-tion.HEC has helped greatly in building capac-ity during the last eight years, where we havecome from 2.6% to 7%. The target is toachieve 15% by 2015.The other thing is technology readiness.

There exists a big missing gap in terms oftechnology readiness and its capacity. Butnowwe have three universities in the top 400

and we expect this number to increase in fu-ture.The number of faculty with PhD degrees

has doubled in the last five years. With HECproviding scholarships onmerit, we have sent7,500 people to complete their PhD in Pak-istan as well as abroad. With these qualifiedpeople joining, 40% of our faculty would havePhD degrees by 2015. Different programsare in infancy stages, the results of which willbe visible in the next two years.

Q:What have been theaccomplishments of HEC,

particularly during your tenure?Since I have taken over there are two as-

pects that have been my major focus, one isquality and the other is relevance in the termsof research for the economic development ofPakistan. And the achievement today is thatthere are three Pakistani universities which

JAVED LEGHARI, CHAIRMAN, HEC

THE FUTURE OFHIGHER EDUCATION


Dr. Leghari is one of those eminent personalities who havemade their mark not only on national but also theinternational level. While serving his country, Dr. Leghari hasa compelling vision to create knowledge capital and increaseliteracy rate in Pakistan. And with him calling the shots, thelack of knowledge would be history in no time.


rank in the top 400 universities of the world.In terms of quality HEC facilitates universitiesin achieving their goals and strengtheningtheir capacities by working jointly with themfor their strategic planning and development.Second is research i.e. the number of re-

search publications and PhDs coming out ofPakistan. With HEC we have increased thenumber of PhDs in Pakistan from 200 to800 PhDs per year. The research growth ofPakistan in certain areas has been rankednumber one in the world recently. With thisimprovement we have seen the largestgrowth in Pakistan.Quality Enhancement Cells (QEC) have been

established in all remaining universities in pub-lic and private sector as well. These Cells willreport to the QADivision at the HEC regularly,which will monitor the performance of the uni-versities.With the introduction of InstitutionalPerformance Effectiveness (IPE) this year,quality performance and rankings of the uni-versities and the programswill be significantlyimproved.

Q:What issue has proved to be areal challenge while you were

running HEC?Relevance is amajor challenge. Today there

is a complete disconnect between the indus-try and the university. Themain dilemma is totransfer research from universities to R&Dor S&T organizations. To facilitate this trans-fer to the industry, I have embarked on amajor program to set up business and tech-nology incubator sectors at our universities.This year we are establishing ten Offices ofResearch Innovation and Commercialization(ORICs) and additional ten offices would be es-tablished every year. They will connect re-search at the universities to the industry, notonly at the national but also at the interna-tional level.Next comes the Technology Parks and Pak-

istan does not have single one of those. Weare in the capacity building stage, creatingnetworks is in the designing phase. Setting upa Technology Park requires funding and weare looking to the government to provide it.Hence, we are trying our best to bridge thegap between the industry and the universities.

Q:Are you satisfied with the qualityof business graduates thatPakistani educational institutes areproducing?Weare not at a stage to produce business

graduates at the level of top business schools

in the world yet. Undoubtedly we have goodschools like LUMS and IBA, but they have onlyarrived at the national level rather than the in-ternational level. In the future I would like tosee managers of Forbes’ 500 companiescome to the university campuses to recruitthe students even before they graduate. Butstill we have a long way to go.

Q:The universities are offering manyother specialization courses

besides their main study programs,would they be opposing their missionstatement in this context?Generally, when a university says something

on it's title, it means that it is their mainstrength. They should also offer other pro-grams beacuse we still have accessibilityproblems. So as long as we have campusesand faculty available, a university should defi-nitely expand on its programs. But the qualityshould never be compromised.

Q:Education has become a moneymaking industry, what is your take

on this?There is private education then there is pub-

lic education. Public education is subsidized bythe government, but when there are notenough spaces to go around in the public in-stitutions, the private universities bloom andflourish. There was a time when Pakistan hada lot of sub standard private universities butnowwe are closelymonitoring and blacklistingthose universities that do not have enough ca-pacity available, so that education does not fallbelow a certain standard.The Current HEC criteria, which catego-

rizes universities under theW, X, Y, Z classifi-cation, is being further elaborated for the Wcategory fromW1 toW4, with W1meetingthe minimum criteria and W4 is offering sig-nificantly enhanced capacity. This will lead toimprovement in quality of education at the uni-


versities. Amerit criteria has been introducedfor the appointment of all faculty and seniorpositions, including the Vice-Chancellors, sothat the political influence is minimized.

Q:Are you satisfied with thestructure and functionality ofHEC?HEC is yet another government organiza-

tion and even within HEC we have active bu-reaucracy. The speed of work is not as Iexpect it to be, but still it is far more efficientthan any other government organization inPakistan, as there are certain governmentrules and regulations that bound us. We setup committees, task forces and at the sametime consult the Vice Chancellors. I believethat we must not impose policies on themrather we should work with a consensus build-ing process.

Q:What steps has HEC taken for thedevelopment of the faculty and

staff?At HEC we conduct professional courses

for the faculty and staff.We prefer that all themembers of our senior management havepost graduate degrees. All professionalsmust have relevant qualifications because I

want HEC and the universities to be purelyprofessional organizations.

Q:There is an air of frustrationamong the people, especially theyouth, about the continuing economicrecession and fewer job opportunities inthe market. In this state of affairs, howdo you keep your optimism alive?The future of any country depends on in-

vesting in its people for HR development andcreation of knowledge capital. All the pros-perous countries of the world primarily fo-cused on investing in their people, butunfortunately in Pakistan we see an utter fail-ure of political wisdom. In 2011, HEC receiveda cut of 10% from its previous year’s funding,while India has received an increase of 25%for their UGC. And this reduction was on topof the 40% cut that we had received last year.While India is increasing its investment in thehigher education at a rate of 25% per year,Pakistan’s higher education funding is 50%of what it used to be two years back.

Q:How is the drastic reduction in thebudget affecting HEC and its

performance?Undoubtedly the reduction to our funding is

affecting development, which is why we areconsolidating by prioritizing things. With thiscutback we cannot do everything, so we havecreated a revised development plan, wherethings have been ranked according to theirsignificance. Therefore, our main focus is onimproving the quality and economic develop-ment in terms of technology transfer.There can be no further expansion, actually

there will be shrinking. Development areashave been cut down (literally), with the shut-down of almost 200 projects. Last year, witha cut of 40% in funding, only those projectswere allowed to be completed that had al-ready developed above 90%, all others werestopped. But now that we have some funds,those projects are moving ahead, but theyhave been stretched. Hence, we are at losswith both time & expense.

Q:How important is careercounseling for the students?

I think it is extremely important. We havebeen focusing on establishing student cen-ters at the universities for the last two years.At GCU Lahore and at IBA Sukkur, we have es-tablished centers that are financed by theHEC and provide student counseling and ca-reer placement services. This is the modelthat we are trying to replicate in all the uni-versities across the country.

HEC is yet anothergovernmentorganization and evenwithin HEC we haveactive bureaucracy.The speed of work isnot as I expect it to be,but still it is far moreefficient than any othergovernmentorganization inPakistan


Q:Please comment on the braindrain?

The economic as well as the security situa-tion in our country is not stable. The financialcrisis, that we are facing by non-payment oftaxes, makes up a loss of almost a trillion ru-pees per year. If this money is invested in so-cial infrastructure and higher educationinstead, then there will be no brain drain. So fi-nancial aspect is very important for which weneed to have good governance. And secondis our security situation, which is beyond ourcontrol (like suicide bombings, kidnappingsetc.). The people do not feel safe here andleave for other countries that offermuch bet-ter prospects to excel. So it can be said thatbrain drain is related to bad governance andthe security situation.

Q:How do you see HR practices inPakistan?What are the

challenges that HRM is facing inPakistan and how to surmount them?I am not satisfied with the HR practices

here. In this area we lack finesse, regardingour graduates. Our raw graduate finds it diffi-cult to adjust himself in the corporate world,as there exists a gap in the university cur-riculum. The solution lies in "polishing" the stu-dents.We are focusing on that by introducingappropriate workshops in areas of educationand training.

Q:Please describe the key points ofyour management style and themost important management strategythat you have implemented so far?I like to take people along, as I am a people’s

person. I believe in consensus and team build-ing rather than the authoritarian style. If I haveto propose a policy, I will not impose it directlyon a university but I would work with the ViceChancellors. Secondly, I believe in continuity.There should be people trained under you, sothat when you are gone, they are able to func-tion far better than you did.

Q:You have emphasized so muchupon bad governance in Pakistan,

what are the fundamentals of goodgovernance according to yourperspective?Qualified people should be appointed on

merit to all key positions in the country. Trans-parency should be maintained. Today, in all ofour organizations, loyalty takes precedenceover merit. These are testing times for theHEC and the universities in Pakistan. Even withthe sharpest brain power and earnest inten-tions, it will still be a struggle, therefore the

community of academics from Pakistan’shigher education institutions has an impor-tant role to play here.

Q:When it comes to work, what isyour philosophy?

I think one has to stand up for his principles,and that is what I do. I make no compromiseon quality or principles, and I make sure thatthere is transparency in everything that wedo. I am very disciplined and there is no back-log of work.

Q:How do you maintain work-lifebalance?

I have been an extremely organized personall my life. I am in my office first thing in themorning. I even go to the office on Sundays. Imake sure that my life is well disciplined sothat I could get a lot of things done. I stay intouch with remote people through emails ona regular basis and take a lot of input via so-cial media. I even work on it, as I am a people’sperson.

Q:For the last many years we havebeen facing the leadership crisis,

how can we overcome it?Leadership has to be nourished and flour-

ished. And in order to achieve this aim wehave to invest in our youth.We need to createleaders out of them. That has beenmy focus.Even my most recent book called "The Wiz-ardry of Leadership", is targeted towardsleadership in our youth. It uses the mode ofstory telling for motivational purpose.

Q:Please definesuccess?The drive, hard work, sincerity andmost im-

portantly uncompromising principles.

Q:Last messageto our youth.

The youth should never give up because thefuture of Pakistan belongs to them. They haveto take responsibility and focus towards build-ing the future because they are the torchbearers of our country. And if our youth doesnot realize this fact, then Pakistan has no fu-ture.

Q:Any favorite quote that motivatesyou when you are depressed?

There is a quote from Shakespeare's JuliusCeasar, "A coward dies a thousand deaths,the brave die but once". n


ost leaders in our country are familiarwith Sun Tzu and his book called ‘Art ofWar’. Many book stores in the countryalso have derivatives of his book, butsadly notmany people are familiar withanother great man who lived muchcloser to home.2300 years ago, there existed a

man in the now ruined city of Taxilawho taught at the greatest universityof his region and was single handedlyresponsible for changing the history ofsub-continent. That man wasChanakya. A man who, threatened by

Alexander the Great’s ever growingambitions to conquer the world, envi-sioned a unified India or ‘AkhandaBharat’. Till that time India was dividedinto several kingdoms and most ofthemwere at war with each other. Themanifestation of his vision was Chan-dragupta Maurya, the first person torule over an empire which stretchedacross India and into some parts ofAfghanistan and Persia. All that cameabout due to the vision and tutelage ofChanakya.Chanakya, also known as Kautilya,

wrote one of the first books on thesubject of governing called ‘Arthashas-tra’. It outlines the duties of a king andthemeans by which he canmaintain abalance between power and keepinghis subjects happy. When I read theArthashastra, I was struck by some ofhis concepts regarding kingship thatare still relevant for the modern lead-ers. I have selected and tried to inter-pret some of these concepts for ourmodern leaders, who do not rule overcountries but organizations.’When in the court, he shall never

cause his petitioners to wait at thedoor, for when a kingmakes himselfinaccessible to his people and en-trusts hiswork to his immediate of-ficers, he may be sure to engenderconfusion in business, and to causethereby public disaffection, andhimself a prey to his enemies.’In almost every organization, we

hear the same story, the higher thestatus a leader enjoys, the less acces-sible he becomes to the very peoplewhowere responsible for delivering re-sults in the first place. Leaders need tounderstand that sending people to acommunication skills workshop doesnot improve it. Communication im-proves only when its channels are kept

LEADERSHIP28

M

LeadershipChanakya

Chanakya’s managementideas haven’t lost

relevance even today. Iffollowed properly, his

philosophy could have adistinct effect on the way akingdom and other facetsof society are managed.

lessons from

SUALEHA BHATTI

June - July 2011 | MANAGER TODAY 29

open, both vertically and horizontally. Whenleaders are willing to answer people’s queriesand take time to explain the deliverables, peo-ple also learn the value of good communica-tion and then practice it themselves.In my trainings I keep hearing a complaint

from the people that neither the leaders northe managers explain as to why somethingneeds to be done a certain way. I usually askthat if theirmanagers do not explain, thenwhydon’t employees take the initiative and askquestions themselves? The answer was,‘Most of the managers do not like it when weask questions’. It is no wonder that only ahandful of managers enjoy the respect andadmiration of their team members. Just likeChanakya said that most managers sufferfrom the disaffection of their people. There isa distance between them and it can only bebridged by direct contact and better commu-nication. Nomatter howmany corporate ven-tures an organization undertakes or howmany training sessions they hold, nothing cantake the place of direct communication be-tween the leaders and the teammembers.’All urgent calls he shall hear at once,

but never put off; for when postponed,they will prove too hard or impossible toaccomplish.’

Themostmalignant of corporate diseasesis the delay in making decision. I have yet tofigure out the mysterious source of thismalaise, as it seems to be plaguing many or-ganizations. There are several reasons to it:1. A lack of empowerment is the one reason

why all decisions get passed up along thehierarchy, which then results in a bottle-neck. People, who are supposed to solvethe problem, are held accountable for itinstead because the corresponding au-thority is not given to them. I can under-stand that the rule of checks andbalances is prevalent here. But does aproblem ever wait for its resolution? Ofcourse it doesn’t! Rather it becomesmore complex with the passage of time.

2. Processes are followed more in lettersthan in spirit. I’ve always maintained thatgood processes make a good organiza-

tion. But these processesneed to be re-visited fromtime to time. If certain issuesare cropping up within aprocess, then it might be thetime to redesign it. Wemakea process and train our peo-ple to follow it but we fail toteach them as to how to dealwith its deviations. So when aproblem arises, mostprocess operators have nochoice but to look up for a so-lution.

3. Decision making is central-ized. It is solely the custody ofkey personnel in an organiza-tion and these people are al-ways busy. The priorities ofthe people, who face a problem, may notbe the priorities of those who take the de-cision.

’In the happiness of his subjects lies hishappiness; in their welfare his welfare;whatever pleases himself he shall not con-sider as good, but whatever pleases hissubjects he shall consider as good.’Wise words indeed! Many times I’ve heard

the helpless HR manager complain aboutwhat he recommended got pushed to theside because the CEO had a completely dif-ferent opinion on the matter. Every organiza-tion is different. Though an intervention maywork most of the time yet the timing of initi-ating a new intervention varies. A good leaderalways realizes that his whims and prefer-ences are secondary to the real needs andissues of the organization.‘Whoever imposes severe punishment

becomes repulsive to the people; while hewho awards mild punishment becomescontemptible. But whoever imposes pun-ishment as deserved becomes re-spectable. For punishmentwhen awardedwith due consideration, makes the peopledevoted to righteousness and to worksproductive of wealth and enjoyment; whilepunishment, when ill-awarded under theinfluence of greed and anger or owing to

ignorance, excites fury even among her-mits and ascetics dwelling in forests, notto speak of householders.’Holding people accountable for their results

is one of the most important tools for aleader. Unfortunately, it is seen that perform-ance becomes punishing and non-perfor-mance is rewarded. Those who perform wellare burdened with even more responsibilityand those who show a lack of performanceseem to get away with minimal work, simplybecause we do not trust them with it. It givesrise to resentment in the high performers asthey see themselves being loaded with moreand more work, while the non-performersslack off.The modern-day kings and queens do not

reside in palaces but are found in corporateBoardrooms, and these words of ancient wis-dom were useful thousands of years ago andhave not lost relevance even today. Althoughwise people have been guiding us for cen-turies, but it seems that only a few haveheeded their advice. n

A good leader realizes that his/her whimsand preferences come secondary to thereal needs and issues of the organization

SUALEHA BHATTI

is the Chief Consultant and CEO ofWinning Edge. She is one ofPakistan's leading names in thefield of training and development.

HUMANRESOURCE30


‘Onboarding’ is a fairly new term in the worldof talent management. This idea used to beknown as ‘new employee orientation’, but intoday’s business world it is more about re-taining talent than just a process for the peo-ple to settle in their new office.Firstly, I will set the context by explaining the

three terms used in the title i.e. ‘onboarding’,‘jump-start’ and ‘grow’.ONBOARDINGOnboarding can be best defined as a “…sys-

tematic and comprehensive approach to en-gage and connect new hires with theorganization from day one so as to create alasting impact…”. The high-level goals of thisprocess are to:l Make the new employees feel welcomed

and comfortable in their new surround-ings.

l Minimize the time before new employeesare productive members of their newgroup.

JUMP-STARTIt is generally believed that it is neither the

capital nor the technology but the compe-tence andmotivation of people that act as thegrowth factors. So the companies have cometo realize that onboarding can help minimizethe downtime, especially when brining newemployees in. By sharing company values,goals, pertinent challenges and performanceexpectations, a significant upside on the learn-ing curve can be attained.GROWThe word ‘grow’ has been used here to

highlight that the new hires:l Feel welcomedl Experience connectivityl Have clarity in terms of organizational

goalsThis will help new hires build up knowledge

and skill, thus contributing towards their own

growth. This skill and knowledge will help en-hance personal value proposition and em-ployability, which should be the hallmark ofcareer building for every employee. It is an es-tablished fact of talent management that‘…growth of people in knowledge, skill and ex-perience leads to the growth of business’.Another view supporting the onboarding

process highlights that it helps the employees,but it is the company that ultimately reapsbenefits from it. There could be reduction inthe costs associated with on-the-job learning,saving time of co-workers and supervisors intraining the new employee, thereby increas-ing productivity and raising his morale byshowing that he is valued.Now let’s turn to building up onboarding as

a process that acts as value enabler for boththe company and the employees. Accordingto Erin Perry, the Director of client solutions atPinstripe, Wisconsin ‘… a successful on-boarding program actually begins during therecruitment and hiring process…’, and alsothat this process is linked to the brand thatyou create to attract people who are right foryour company.There is a view that onboarding process be-

gins even before a candidate is formally hired,by providing ample information about work-place and culture in careers section on com-pany’s website. Richard Jordan, a businesscoach, states that “the orientation shouldbegin at the first click of the mouse, whensomeone first goes to the company’s website.And by the time the person comes in for theinterview, he already knows quite a lot aboutthe organization”.Moving on, I would suggest the following key

points to be practiced while laying down an on-boarding program:1) Onboarding Process Formal but Fun

Research shows that during the on-

boarding process employees don’t un-derstand all the things that they need toknow. So while making this program,make sure that the contents include thesessions on:

l Corporate historyl Values of the companyl An overview of the strategy and corpo-

rate goalsl Fiscal goals and overview of the financesl Examples of performance reviews with

the concernedmanager, so that the initialexpectations of the employees could bediscussed, agreed to and written down.

2) Extended Onboarding ProgramAfter an intensive one or two-day sessionin the beginning, subsequent activitiesmay extend over several months at peri-odic intervals. Some programs can in-clude rotational assignments, othersmayinclude special projects that are designedto expose the new employee to parts ofthe company that he would not normallyhave any contact with. This way he will seehow other employees work and will alsoget feel for the culture in action. Anotherway to build up effective as well as inter-active program could be to arrange a get-together of all the employees hired in aparticularmonth. It would help build a net-work that can be used to get the workdone and to learn about other parts ofthe organization.

3) Use E-learning and the Internet Ex-tensivelyWith the drive to work towards creatingpaperless work environment, every em-ployee needs to use the corporate in-tranet and become familiar withtechnological tools. A portion of onboard-ing should have e-learning modules thatcan be offered to the employees before

Undoubtedly the effective onboarding of new employees takes time and effort, but it will paybig-time for both the employer and the new hires in the long run.

FROM ONBOARDING TO JUMP-START,

GROWANDRETAINTALENTHAROON WAHEED


they even start their job. In some casesthis could also help in getting spouse in-volved at a very early stage by learningabout the company and its history andthus enhancing connectivity with it. Latestresearch shows that more the spousesbecome a part of work life, less are thechances that someone will leave on awhim. Usually when a spouse feels con-nected to the workplace, decisions will notbe made hastily but after some discus-sion and conversation.

4) LineManagers to ProvideMeaning-ful Discussion and Reflective WorkExperience.The relationship with the manager is oneof the most significant factors in an em-ployee’s work life. Generally, the turnoveris caused by this relationship and thatmakes the ability to assimilate new em-ployees a core competency of managers.So a manager, who takes time to discussissues with the new employee and showsconcern over a person’s assimilation, willmake wiser decisions and build loyaltyover time. Thus it is critical to include themanager in the onboarding process.Moreover, the inclusion of linemanager inthe team building exercises or luncheonsessions with the new employee can helpbuild a rapport beyond focused business.At executive level, a dinner and receptionwith the CEO could be setup.

5) MentorsResearch shows that providing amentor,who can offer insight into the corporateculture and explain the structure of or-ganization, will increase productivity andresult in a lower turnover. While choosingmentors, look for the individuals who arekind and result oriented. These mentorsshould have lunch with the new hire, atleast once a week, to show him the ropesand transmit some of the tacit culture.They should have good listening skills andshould be able to intervene if an issuearises with themanager. They need to bewell respected and well-networked in theorganization.

List of the Things ThatWill Have aLasting ImpactWhen the NewEmployee Joins In

The following steps are really important, asthey will create high engagement levelfrom day one:

l Get the new hire a security badgel Provide a name plate on his worksta-

tion/office doorl Set up the computerl Configure the new hire’s e-mail addressl Arrange to have guides for any necessary

software he will needl Set up his phone system and other asso-

ciated facilities like voice mail etc.l Get business cards ready on the very first

dayl Get all the people in the company ready

to welcome the new hireNow I will suggest tools that can act as test

agents to evaluate the effectiveness of anonboarding plan.

1) Employee FeedbackAfter six months to a year of hiring, feed-back should be sought from the new hire.This would help gauge effectiveness ofthe onboarding program. It will confirm ifthe onboarding program has been:

l Helping employees to form a connectionwith the new employer

l Allowing employees to understand someof the company’s values, mission and pri-orities.

l Building an optimistic attitude towardsthe company

l Avoiding misunderstandingsl Helping employees feel valuedl Encouraging socializingl Reducing employee anxietyl Setting performance expectationl Decreasing the learning curvel Crystallizing job expectations

l Familiarizing employees with policies andprocedures

l Familiarizing employees with administra-tive housekeeping items like – normalwork hours/days, over time pay

2) Retention and GrowthAnother tool is to check, over a period of18-24 months, the number of new hiresthat are still around and how many ofthem have been performing well.

Undoubtedly, the effective onboarding ofnew employees takes time and effort, but itwill pay big-time for both the employer and thenew hires. It will act as an effective retentiontool and contribute towards making the newhires productive. Employees tend to establishgood or bad patterns in early stages of theiremployment. Once bad work habits are toler-ated, they become ingrained. Onboarding pro-vides an opportunity for the new hires toconnect with the company, understand busi-ness scenario, cope with challenges, under-stand the work culture and share theirexpectations. All this is important for them tojump-start and make positive impact at anearly stage. n

Effective onboardinghas a positive dominoeffect. The new hiresfeel welcomed andprepared in their newpositions, hence givingthem the confidence tomake an impact withinthe organization

HAROON WAHEED

has 20+ experience in HR, both inPakistan and international circuit.Helping people to grow togetherwith business is his passion.

HEALTH &WELLNESS32


Welive in a world that is verymuchappearance conscious. Peoplego to extreme lengths in order to

look good. Everywhere you go the one topicthat always seems to get attention is ‘weight’.Either a person needs to lose weight or thereis someone with a triumphant story of losingit and everyone wants to know how he/shedid it. Usually what’s revealed is a long story ofa rigid exercise program or a morbid tale ofself-starvation. Unfortunately, rapid weightloss is not healthy at all and the pounds shedonce may come back even faster. Now thisfact would raise a big question in a person’smind who is weight conscious, ‘Do diets worklong-term?’I would like the word ‘diet’ to be eliminated

from our social vocabulary. Instead the intro-duction of the phrase ‘lifestyle change’ is nec-essary for a clear roadmap to a permanentweight loss. Diet is temporary, for a ‘limited’time only, while the lifestyle change is ‘forever’.As soon as you drop the diet, the weightcomes running back because you fast trackto your pre-diet lifestyle that led you to diet inthe first place.Stop the Diet Cycle ‘IMMEDIATELY’I believe that there are no shortcuts in life

and the same thing could be applied to weightloss. I view diet as a shortcut to a healthylifestyle which, like everything else, neverworks out that way. It will take more than

some well-devised plan of sound nutrition tosolve the weight problem. As amatter of fact,it calls for a major lifestyle reformation.Most overweight individuals have a lifestyle

that is different from their body’s metabolicand hormonal design. In other cases, most ofthe people are so much exposed to such in-formation through media that they alreadyknow which foods are good for them andwhat they should do to maintain a healthy

lifestyle. But I find that many of them don’tknow how to use this information to their ad-vantage. We come across advertisementsthat make tempting promises of fast andeasy weight loss, when they should really beprompting you to ask yourself, ‘How can I getrid of excess weight without harmingmyself?’World Health Organization advises that it isenough to decrease your body mass by 5-10% during the first 6 months of losing

DIETLIFESTYLECHANGE

VS

Shedding extra pounds doesnot mean building a negativerelationship with food. It is alsoimportant to exercise and havebalanced eating habits.

DR. MARYAM ARIF


weight.Not only is it important to lose pounds, but

it is also vital to prevent them from comingback in the future. When weight comes backagain, it is called ‘weight cycling’, which can bevery frustrating to cope with. Usually, this isthe result of a sudden change in the nutri-tional system and body's reaction to thestress caused by fast metabolism changeand quick weight loss.The proof is in the pudding…Diets just

don’t work!Those who try to count calories should re-

member that all this is useless if oxygen doesnot reach your cells. If this happens the me-tabolism slows down and the fat does notburn. Could this mean that our bodies needmore oxygen? Yes! So how canwe get it? Canaerobic trainings help? The answer is ‘yes’.But it is important to note that such an exer-cise load is not recommended to the peoplewho are overweight, as theymay not be readyfor it physically. Overweight people often suf-fer from the shortness of breath and otherrespiratory problems. So when talking aboutmetabolic normalization in people with excessweight, we should remember some impor-tant factors such as ‘oxygen exchange’. Andin order to improve oxygen exchange wemust improve the lung functioning first.Lifestyle Change1. The first and foremost rule of lifestyle

change is ‘commitment’. Promising that everychange that you make is not temporary butfor the rest of your life. Tell yourself that youdeserve to live the ‘quality life’ that thesetransformations will bring.2. Patience is a virtue! Know that you can’t

change your poor eating habits overnight.Bad eating habits are easy to develop but noteasy to change. It will take time to accustomyourself to the ‘new’ approach towards foodand exercise.3. Prioritize! There will be times when you

will experience setbacks and feel discouraged.If you are truly committed then stick to yourplan. Make health and physical fitness a pri-ority.Now that you have made up your mind

about changing your life, let’s discuss how youcan really get there.Say Goodbye to Processed FoodLife is becoming very fast with the passage

of time. People are always looking for waysthat require least of time to prepare food.Readymade frozen food, fast food and eatingout have become a convenient option. Con-

sequently, there is an increase in the numberof overweight men, women, teenagers andchildren, who have no clue as to how theseeasy treats are affecting their bodies, self-es-teem and daily life.You have to start by setting your eating

habits right. Processed foods are a big NO!Natural foods are always the best choice. Ourbody requires iron, glucose, proteins, fats, vi-tamins andminerals to function optimally. Thebest sources for all of these components canbe found in foods like fresh fruits and vegeta-bles, fish, lean meats, poultry, beans and rawnuts etc. Even multivitamin tablets or cap-sules can’t replace the value of fresh food-stuffs.Of course this does not mean that you can

never eat out. You should condition yourselfto always find the best option for ‘yourself’.When you eat out, always remember to re-place a few unhealthy foods with healthiermenu choices. This will give you the power tokeep a balance between the good and the not-so-good food options. For example, while or-dering your meal have some salad with itinstead of fries.Makeminute changes to yourdiet every week and keep doing it until your un-healthy eating habits become a thing of thepast.Make Time for BreakfastBreakfast is perhaps the most important

meal of the day. Rushing to work without eat-ing anything or grabbing something on theway is not a healthy choice at all. Taking timeout for breakfast is a must. If you start yourday with an empty stomach, within a fewhours your blood-sugar level will drop, whichwill force you to find an instant sugar fix like apastry, brownie or some other sugar treat.Give yourself a fresh start by having a nour-

ishing breakfast. Fresh fruit salad, eggs, milk,oatmeal, bran bread, almonds, yogurt, gra-nola, grapefruit and cottage cheese are allgreat options. Have a cup of tea or coffee(with brown sugar of course). You will be sur-prised at how different your day will becomeafter making these slight changes to yourroutine. Practice it regularly till it becomes ahabit.ExerciseBeing overweight takes a toll on your body.

The risk of high blood pressure, diabetes andheart disease is much higher in people whoare overweight or have a sedentary lifestylethan those who are active and consciousabout what they eat. Therefore, eliminatingprocessed foods from your diet and making

healthier food choices instead will cut downyour calorie intake and you will eventually loseweight. But this is only the first step towardsyour goal.There is a difference between being thin

and being physically fit. Smart food choicescan make you thin but if you want to be fit,physically as well asmentally, then you shouldget up and start moving because your me-tabolismmakes you shedweight and exercisewill set yourmetabolism on fire. Your body willthen utilize your food more efficiently. But ifyou don’t exercise, your metabolism will slowdown and after losing a little weight in the be-ginning, you won’t see any further results.People usually think that exercising means

spending several hours at gym! This is notnecessarily true! But if this physical activity ismore than what you normally do, you aregood. Keeping weight off requires commit-ment, so you have to be regular with the ac-tivity that you choose to keep yourself inshape.It is important to remember that ‘lifestyle

change’ is forever! You should make thesechanges a part of your second nature. Stick-ing to this principle will never let you worryabout gaining weight again. Instead you wouldturn away from the notion of going on a diet.n

The best sources for allof these componentscan be found in foodslike fresh fruits and

vegetables, fish, leanmeats, poultry, beans,legumes, seeds andraw nuts etc. Even

multivitamin tablets orcapsules can’t replace

the value of freshfoodstuffs

DR. MARYAM ARIF

is a medical doctor withexperience in Clinical Research inEndocrinology in the US.

WOMEN OFSUBSTANCE34


Sidra Iqbal is the Founding Managing Director ofStatuspro Inc. Her capacities range from being aYouth Ambassador, PR Practitioner to an Anchor-person. In 1999, she became the first Pakistani towin the International Public Speaking Champi-onship in London, UK. She has made an importanttransition to youth development training and hasprojects with Zayed University (UAE), HonoluluUniversity (US), British Council Pakistan, AgaKhan Education Network and many others. Shehas remained the Vice President of Public Rela-tions at Ogilvy & Mather (Pakistan) for almost 2years. As a freelance anchorperson most of herwork relates to current affairs and corporate is-sues.

PROFILE

IJAZ NISAR


Sidra is the most talked about media per-sonality and a champion of some Herculeanachievements. She is a silver lining and aninspiration for every Pakistani woman in-deed! In her exclusive interview with Man-ager Today she tells us how she was able topull this amazing career off and her owncompany, Statuspro Inc.

Q:Tell us a little about your profes-sional life, as to how it all started as

a media person?

Well! Not a lot of people know but my fa-ther, Iqbal Latif, had been affiliated with themedia industry for the past 30 years. Hewas the Senior Director and Producer ofPTV. So you can say that I had it in my genesand growing up in PTV had a great influenceon me too. But coming into the media in-dustry was a big question mark. I knew theins and outs of it because of my father but Iwas not ready to deal with any unexpectedsituations that our industry had to offer.However, as fate would have it, when I wasworking at Interflow in the Strategy Depart-ment as a Management Trainee, Tahir Khanwas launching TV One & I went into the mar-keting department there on his recommen-dation. After some time he put me in chargeof the Morning Show, hence making me itsproducer as well. But there was a problemwith finding someone to host it, so he of-fered me to take it up as a presenter too.That is how it all began and you can say thatmy two mentors, Tahir A Khan and SeemaTahir, pushed me into the media directly aswell as formally.

Q:So academically speaking, what wasthe area of your specialization?

I did my MBA in marketing from Karachi.My first love was not business studies. I tookit up only because my scholarship to BostonUniversity got deferred after 9/11, so I hadno choice but to stick around. But at thesame time I continued working as a Com-munication Skills Trainer and a freelancerthrough-out my undergrad years. Duringthat I got affiliated with the British Counciland did my International Relations Programfrom Oxford.

Q:Has marketing always been yourpassion or did someone guide you to

pursue it as a career?

I love marketing and advertising itself. ThePakistani media does not give you much

chance to grow. So I got bored while work-ing in TV One and told Tahir that I cannot doit anymore. That is when he offered me tojoin ‘Ogilvy and Mather’ in the PR depart-ment. I joined it as the Vice-President of PR.It was my training at Hong Kong and Singa-pore that enabled us to start with the PRdepartment at Ogilvy in a true sense be-cause initially we had no idea how to goabout it. Then in February 2010, I startedmy own company called Stauspro. Althoughthe company is only 18 months old yet a lotof people respect the understanding ofbrands that I have. We have always pointedout that we do not merely publicize or mediamanage the events, rather we do brand PR.And that is the reason why we call ourselvesthe Communication Strategists for anybrand.

Q:You have proficiency over diverseareas like public relations, market-

ing and anchoring, what do you thinkyou are best at?

I leave it to the people to decide that. All Iknow is that I am a very energetic person.Monotony does not enthuse my imagination.I need to be pushed to my limit to do thebest. For example, if I am a good marketerefor Coca Cola or any youth brand, it is justbecause I am a youth skills trainer. The timewe are finished with college, our connectionwith youth is severed. But as I am a trainerand I keep interacting with young people, Ithink I can help a brand in devising a betterplan to connect with them.

Q:What was your experience like whenyou were representing Pakistan at

the Buckingham Palace? How did thatcome about?

There is an Annual Public Speaking Cham-pionship that is organized in London eachyear and in order to represent Pakistan youare first selected from one city. After thatyou have to compete with all the schoolsfrom Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. Everyyear two people are selected from here. Iam the first and only Pakistani to win the In-ternational Championship that took place inLondon. Back in 1999, they invited me toBuckingham palace to receive my certificateand that put me on a journey I could nothave even imagined.

Q:Describe some of the key points ofyour management style and the

most important management strategythat you have implemented so far?

It is a struggle to be taken seriously. Butwhether it is a man or a woman manager,the most important thing is your listeningskill. True communication is a two-way thing.When only one person does the talking andthe other one is no more than a listener, itcannot be called communication at all. In myjob, not only do I have to deal with high pro-file clients but I also have to deal with thevendor and the cameraman. If I do not com-municate properly with both parties, re-gardless of their status, then they won’t beable to perform well. And lastly I would saythat give respect and get respect, as every-one has a sense of self-worth.

Q:What is your personal managementstyle?

When you want to start off with some-thing you need to have very clear objectivesand an understanding of the industry thatyou are stepping into. I always knew that PRbusiness had a lot of potential but therewere two kinds of PR companies working atthat time. One was the old age giants i.e. thebig companies and the other was the fash-ion PR. I observed many loopholes in internalcommunications and brand PR. The mostimportant thing for me was to pick the rightkind of team. Hence, I made two rules forthat. Firstly, I only worked with the freshgraduates. We do not try to hunt for theHeads of different companies, instead wetake people as raw as they come. Our coreteam is very small but if you give us an eventthat requires a team of hundred people, thedatabase of student management traineesis so extensive that we will come up to theexpectations very well. We have developed amodel in which the students of the key uni-versities are our management trainees.Every month we give them a brand relatedtask that in turn results in a meaningful in-ternship. The aim of this exercise is to helpthe students polish their skills in their finalyear of graduation and to have a regularstream of people who are ready to workwith us on a single shout-out. They also getcertificates, personal reference letters andknowledge about PR and event manage-ment. Presently, we have thirty-eight differ-ent universities from Karachi, Lahore,Islamabad and Faisalabad on our panel.

Q:Being a woman, what were the ini-tial challenges and constraints that

you had to face in order to come for-ward in this field?


Growing and developing business wasone hell of a challenge. The cost of doingbusiness in Pakistan is very high, that is whythe profit margins still remain squeezed.But with the grace of Allah our turnover hasdoubled since our company came intobeing. We have managed to come forwardas we have worked with many multinationalcompanies. To be a successful entrepre-neur you need to have a big heart, courageand most of all good intentions.

Q:So how do you see the future ofwomen workers in Pakistan, consid-

ering the fact that it is a gender biasedsociety?

I have noticed some usual trends. Firstly,with an increase in the rate of inflation itwould be impossible for a family to surviveon the earning of the male members only.Women would have to come forward too. Ifyou want a good way of life, you cannot havethat in one person’s income. Secondly,there is social pressure on women to starta family and settle down. The trend be-comes aschewed when a woman, after hav-ing spent so much on her education, isforced to do so. But I think that, whether itis a part-time or a full-time job, a woman’sshare in the earning will prove to be a hugeeconomic factor.

Q:Would you recommend people to fol-low courses in public speaking?

I think that everyone needs to be a publicspeaker, it is our responsibility as a Pak-istani. What Pakistan is suffering from isthe lack of perception. We assume that wehave gone through a media revolution andnow the world is listening to us, but the re-ality is altogether different. The world stilldoes not know the real story of Pakistan,the great talent still has not been revealed.It is the responsibility of every good Pak-istani to be a good communicator, so thatthey can stand up and convey their mes-sage clearly. Another dilemma is that weneither analyze things nor reflect, rather weplagiarize which does not make us goodthinkers.

Q:Being the founder of Statuspro,what are your goals in this role?

People here are not fully aware of thescope and meaning of PR, they are only fa-miliar with the conventional ideas. However,PR is about managing perception. Unfortu-nately, this is a very negative status quowhich Statuspro is going to challenge and

this is our philosophy as well. We want tochange the understanding of PR in people.Secondly, we do not indulge in selfish PR.We tell our clients that if they want the qual-ities of their product to be communicatedto the general public, then they should de-velop an understanding of public’s needs aswell. That is the paradigm shift that we wantto bring about.

Q:The TV programs today direly lacksubstance. Extra emphasis is laid

on flashiness and ostentation insteadof the content, what is your take onthat?

In the present scenario I have observedthat the cultured people are disappointed.As far as television is concerned, we se-verely lack innovation. There are a fewnames who rule the screen and peoplehave had enough of them. We can take theexample of the comedy that we have today,it is merely slapstick and very superficial. Noone is able to put together something thatreflects true humor, like that of Anwar Maq-sood. What our media needs is to createheroes. The people who are achievers intheir respective fields should be broughtinto the limelight. Secondly, it is very unfor-tunate that the producers of our media in-dustry do not trust their audience with theability to take in a truly meaningful idea.

A lot of people will tell alot of different things.

But whether it is a manor a woman manager,the most important

thing is your listeningskill. True

communication is atwo-way thing. Whenonly one person does

the talking and theother person is no

more than a listener, itis not communication

at all


They treat masses like sub-humans, whenthey should really stop doubting their abili-ties and start providing them with qualitycontent instead.

Q:Does blogging and online broadcast-ing play important role in terms of

Public Relations.

Fortunately the tools of modern age haveproved to be favorable for us as we are notrelying on the traditional media only. ThePakistani media boom has helped PR verymuch. At present, there are so many newchannels and publications coming on. The in-crease in the number of Pakistanis at Twit-ter, Facebook and Youtube has also helpedus. But I have one reservation at this pointthat on one end this development hashelped us and on the other it is also re-sponsible for the deterioration of our lan-guage and ethics. This situation is extremelyalarming. All of us have become Facebookactivists. Instead of taking practical steps,we only join a group there.

Q:What do you think is the biggestethical question facing PR profes-

sionals today?

I think that ethics are very significant. Un-fortunately, our market is dominated by thebuyers. There is a large number of peoplewho want to start out with their venturesbut a very small number of companies isready to do the business with them. Whatpeople do here is that they steal someoneelse’s idea and get it done by yet anotherperson. It is a highly unethical practice,which is very regular here and a firm standshould be taken against it. We should pusha muscle and request our clients to sign anon-disclosure contract, so as to put a stopto it.

Q:Undoubtedly our youth is endowedwith many skills and abilities but the

one dark aspect that I see here is thatafter completing their education theyjust jump in and want to make money.What is your take on this?

In fact, it is a trickle down effect. Our prob-lem is that we do not promise durability, wedo not think long-term or trust each other.This behavior is giving rise to uncertainty.Nobody wants to take the pains of starting

a company and then struggle with it. Insteadeveryone is looking for a better opportunityin a multinational company or to go abroad.As long as we continue having that per-spective, we will fail at burgeoning.

Q:How do you keep yourwork-life balance?

I have a very hectic schedule, which makesmy work-life balance terrible. But I am happywith that, as I am a workaholic. Besides, myfamily structure has been of great help tome. I believe in self transcendence. Oneshould have the perseverance to face chal-lenges in life.

Q:Who is yourrole model?

My mother has always been my rolemodel. I look up to her as my teacher, myfriend and my mentor.

Q:How would youdefine success?

Success can be defined as the absolutepersistence in the face of hardships. Not giv-ing up is the essence of accomplishment. n

CUSTOMERSERVICE40

ow many times did you personally suf-fer from a bad customer service? If youhave, will you go back to the same com-pany or even recommend that specificproduct to your friends? I guess the an-swer will be a BIG NO!During my brief stay in Canada, Iworked at a fast food outlet as acounter salesperson. I goofed up thevery first day by serving a wrong order.My sales manager called me to explainthe situation and told me that he hadgiven the customer a coupon for a freemeal because of my blunder. His in-

structions were that I should serve thecustomers in a best way possible. Mymanager did not want to lose the cus-tomer and he wanted to give me achance to re-build the relationship.Let me ask you: How many time haveyou changed your cell phone carrier orbank due to a poor customer service?Did they ever come back to you asking,‘Why did you leave?’. My question is:How can you improve your service if youdo not even knowwhat your customersexpect, particularly those who have leftyou? Generally speaking, the concept of

effective customer service is absent inPakistani society. With the passage oftime the companies will realize that‘customer is their king!’. And mostly,once the sales are made, this KING isseverely neglected.Customer service team is not consid-ered to be a part of sales team and it isoften forgotten that only their servicesare bringing the customer back andfetching referrals too. Customers are apain indeed! If not impossible, they arehard to please. They endlessly whineabout the quality of the company’s serv-ice, the price of the product and thecomplimentary features they think theyare entitled to. And why should theynot? They are burning their hardearned money in buying the productsand every piece sold brings inmore rev-enue to your company. Now isn’t thispain worth taking!Technology has worked wonders, andone of its wonders is the speed withwhich it can spread the word around!Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn aremak-ing it really difficult for the companies toavoid reputational damages. Cus-tomer’s influence and expectationshave never been greater than in today’sround-the-clock web-connected world.Comments and opinions, whether pos-itive or negative, spread across the in-ternet and its many channels,communities, blogs, discussion groupsand trusted business and social net-works with a speed we cannot evenimagine! In Pakistan, our society islargely connected via social media,which can now be accessed from sim-ple cell phones too. The reputation andbrand image can go downwith just onetweet or a Facebook update. Inmy opin-ion, the people who do not believe in thepower of social media are still living inthe Stone Age. In Pakistan, there areover 5.5 million people on Facebook.Just consider if someone with only1000 followers on Facebook, sitting at


H

isMany companies do notrealize the significance ofcustomers’ expectations.Paying attention to thisarea can make incrediblethings happen.

HAMMAD SADDIQUI


a restaurant, updates, ‘What a pathetic serv-ice at xxx restaurant!’ and the same is likedor commented on by only 10% of his follow-ers, its multiplying effect could be 700 times!And it is even more viral and damaging onTwitter. Remember that writing a letter canno longer inflict harm, damage can be donein only 140 characters on Twitter!Undoubtedly, the customers need more at-tention, quick response and a personalizedservice nowadays. And most customers donot complain, they just stop coming back!Since a regular customer reduces the costof doing business, so he is very important. Thecompanies today need to invent new ways toretain customer’s loyalty. Let us think on howyou can keep the customer coming back toyou or how you can add value to your currentcustomer service. At times it is as simple aslistening to your customer– yes so simple.Many companies and brands put their repu-tation at stake only by the lack of listening orprompt responsiveness. Remember that yourcustomer is busy, he would call you only ifthere is an issue and your careful listeningcan make a significant difference to yourbrand perception, hence resulting in cus-tomer loyalty and retention. Also you can buildyour brand value by engaging your happy cus-tomers through social media network for aviral impact! With an ever-increasing cost ofdoing business, only those companies will beprofitable and successful that are able tokeep the cost of sales at the lowest possiblelevel and are still able to generate exponen-tial sales. The cost of sales includes adver-tisements, promotions and reduced pricesales.

All these ways to attract new customers areexpensive as compared to retaining an exist-ing one, but they generate more salesthrough effective referral programswith him.The fact of the matter is that only a satisfiedcustomer will bring referral sales. I have ob-served that the service sector of the travelbusinesses, educational institutions and fi-nancial sector often get referred customers.These companies need to realize the impor-tance of recognizing and rewarding the re-ferring customer, who can bring more saleswith hardly any efforts on the company‘s part.In my conversations with sales and customerservice people, I usually come across an ar-gument that we do not have a proper cus-tomer service policy and I tell them,‘Regardless of the fact that you are selling aproduct or providing a service, if a company is

struggling to keep it’s customers satisfied,the suffering at your end will be unprece-dented! It is the responsibility of sales leaderto prepare an effective customer service pol-icy and train the professionals by giving thosetools that are required to provide the bestservice possible’.In the end I would like to share two quoteswith you, ‘If you do not take care of your cus-tomers, someone else will.’ – Clark Harley.‘Choose to deliver amazing service to yourcustomers. You’ll stand out because theydon’t get it anywhere else.’ - Kevin Stirtz. n

Remember that yourcustomer is busy, hewould call you only ifthere is an issue andyour careful listening

and reacting can make asignificant difference toyour brand perception,

hence resulting incustomer loyalty and

retention

HAMMAD SADDIQUI

is working as Deputy CountryDirector at the Center of InternationalPrivate Enterprise (CIPE).


e frequently hear the word ‘re-silience’ which means ‘to re-bound’, but in fact it expresses

‘the ability to absorb change gracefully and re-maining stable in a turbulent environment’.However, it certainly doesn’t mean dealingwith turbulence just once, in fact it is antici-pating and adjusting to the trends continu-ously.In organizational terms resiliencemeans ‘themaintenance of positive adjustment underchallenging conditions’. A resilient organiza-tion is the one which has the capacity toachieve its core objectives in difficult times,while being able to maintain its productivepower simultaneously. This ability can be de-veloped over time with repetitive experiencesrelated tomanaging issues. Of course one re-quires personal and organizational support todeal with challenging situations effectively.Welive in a world that is changing constantly atan unpredictable pace and our skill and knowl-edge are the only effective tools to resist dis-integration.According to a recent report by The RoyalUnited Services Institute, ’Corporate entitiesare facing a dazzling array of fast changingconditions from technology to terrorism, so-cial responsibility to social unrest…all theseconsiderations now exist in a quickly evolvingandmutating context ... a company that is un-

able to respond to change will not survive’.Usually, it has been seen that the organiza-tions that flourish over long periods of timeshow a stable pace of resilience i.e. they im-mediately bounce back from the harsh condi-tions and keep moving on. Interestingly, thefeatures that strengthen an organization’s re-silience are the same as those of personal re-silience. These features are intangible and arefound in organizational values, attitudes andculture. It is very important to understandthat the resilient organizations are made upof resilient individuals. So we need to under-stand the ways in which organizations can en-courage resilience in their workers.Let’s examine some of the common featuresbetween personal and organizational re-silience:• Individuals need to have a clear sense ofidentity and direction, enabling them to knowtheir strengths and weaknesses and acquir-ing the ability to take up challenges in life. Sim-ilarly, organizations should have a clearlydefined set of values and guiding principles• Individuals make effort to take initiatives.They focus more on their personal strengthsinstead of thinking about the control on envi-ronment. Successful organizations have a vi-sion to develop a sense of ‘ownership’ and‘commitment’ towards organizational goals intheir employees.

• Individuals seek to have a support group(family, friends) for encouragement, sharing,high self-esteem and dependence. Researchindicates that the employees deal with the ex-ternal clients in the samemanner as they aredealt within the organization. A supportive or-ganizational environment enhances organiza-tional resilience and contributes towardstrustworthy relationships.• Individuals have a natural tendency to adaptto the changing environment. This flexibilityhelps in adjusting with new ideas and chal-lenging situations. A good organization is al-ways flexible in adapting new ideas,innovations in management practices, sys-tems and policies.

ORGANIZATIONALRESILIENCE

A Positive Adjustment underChallenging Situations

ORGANIZATIONALBEHAVIOUR42

W

SAIQA RAZIK


Some of the basic characteristics that we canrelate to a resilient individual can be as follow:• Strong support system• A clear sense of direction in life• Sense of control over life• Focused and flexible• Manages stress and finds work/life inte-gration• Imagines future professional roles in thecompany for himselfAccording to an old saying, ‘Into every life a lit-tle rain must fall’. It suggests that no oneleads a simple life without encountering chal-lenges, we need to build capacities to adjustwith occasional rainstorms. Resilience is anability that empowers us to get up and try

again, no matter what the circumstancesare. It has been seen that successful busi-nessmen are those who are resilient enoughto bounce back from any crisis.Let’s consider the following methods to in-crease organizational resilience:1. Having clearly defined core values that arecustomer-focused2. Developing genuine trust in leadership3. Practicing open communication4. Supportive managementSteven Covey recommends, in his article‘Leadership Now’, that the leaders who wishto be trusted must follow these 13 actions ofhighly trustworthy leaders worldwide:1. Talk Straight

2. Demonstrate Respect3. Create Transparency4. Right Wrongs5. Show Loyalty6. Deliver Results7. Get Better8. Confront Reality9. Clarify Expectation10. Practice Accountability11. Listen First12. Keep Commitments13. Extend TrustThere are more chances that the employeeswill share their problems and discuss the op-portunities with the management when theyfeel at ease with them. A strong effort shouldbe made to increase the amount of positiveinteractions and supportive communicationbetween the managers and the employees.Some of the tips are as follows:• Guidance and support from the managersand coworkers should be accessible on regu-lar basis• Sharing the organizational culture• Regular and frequent staff meetings, whichbring all of them together and foster a feelingof belonging• Respect for confidentiality, so that the peo-ple can feel safe in requesting help• Creation of peer support systemIn all these instances, resilience is best un-derstood as a process. However, it is oftenmistaken as the trait of an individual. Re-search shows that resilience comes aboutwhen an individual interacts with his environ-ment and those processes begin which eitherpromote the well-being or protect themagainst the risk factors. It could be an individ-ual managing himself or helped along by fam-ily, community and social policies. In this sense‘resilience’ occurs when there are cumulative‘protective factors’. The greater an individual’sexposure to the cumulative ‘risk factors’ is,the more important the role of these factorswould become. The phrase ‘risk and re-silience’ is quite common.Where taking stepstowards organizational resilience helps youand your organization achieve long-term suc-cess. n

A supportiveorganizational

environment enhancesorganizationalresilience and

contributes towardstrustworthyrelationships

SAIQA RAZIK

is a Psychologist and a Trainer withexpertise in Trauma Counseling,Stress Management and Conflict &Negotiation Skill.

DECISIONMAKING44


ast week one of my colleagues resignedfrom his job. But prior to the submission ofhis resignation, he seemed quite per-

plexed. Ultimately, under the pressureof his Manager, he took it back. But now he isin the search of a new job opportunity, yetagain. Although I had been in touch with himall this period yet it kept bothering me as towhy don’t we commit to our decisions ? Afterthinking about it and dedicating a good num-ber of hours to sort this dilemma out, I havesummed up the following points.Use the Power of DecisionWe have the power of decision making withinourselves. From choosing the clothes that weare going to wear to what we want to havefor dinner, we make a lot of decisions in ourdaily life. There is a need to use this power ina right and effective manner. As Henry Fordhas said, ‘Whatever you do or can’t do, you

are right’.Acquire the Hardest Step towardsAchieving Your Goal i.e. The TrueCommitmentIt is the hardest task to build an honest andtrue commitment with your goal. It is like a fuelto any decision. Once you develop a true com-mitment then decision making would easedown. Decision are affirmed by the commit-ment in our mind first, then we roll it into ac-tion. A firm resolution is very important.Make Decisions FrequentlyDecision making is a prime skill which is in-herent in oneself. We should harness thispower by making frequent decisions. Repeti-tion is the mother of skill, so take quick andfrequent decisions. You may make some im-mature decisions in the beginning, but youshould not falter because it is an art and artcould be immature but not wrong. Doing it re-

currently would eventually make you perfectat it.Learn from Your DecisionIt is not your conditions but your decisions thatshape your destiny. So every time youmake adecision, whether mature or immature, itgives you a sense of achievement and some-times it is a learning experience as well.Whether it is an accomplishment or an expe-rience, youmust evaluate the lesson that yougot from your decision. Success truly is theresult of good judgment. Good Judgmentcomes from experiences and experiencesare often the result of bad judgment.Stay Committed to Your Decisions andbe Flexible in Your ApproachStudies show that successful people makefrequent decisions and remain flexible in theirapproach to achieve their goal. Quite con-versely, unsuccessful people make rare deci-sions and change their goal frequently i.e. theyposses lack of persistence. Successful peoplefocus on long-term outcomes, whereas un-successful people focus on short-term re-sults. It is as if we have an aim to reach somedestination and we have already planned theroute on the map as well, but don’t have aplan B in case our original plan does not work.Hence, not only must we have an alternateroute to reach our destination, but we shouldnot change our destination as well.Enjoy Your DecisionsShare the outcome of your decisions with oth-ers, it will enhance your self-confidence. Yourdecisions should be enjoyed equally. Never getinfluenced by anyone, whatever choice youmake just stick to it because it is your ownjudgment.And finally, my advice and slogan would be,‘Practice, practice and practice until youmas-ter the art of decision making perfectly’. n

HARNESS THE POWER OF

DECISIONMAKING

WITHIN YOURSELF

Decision-making can be amind-bending exercise, butthe rewards are worth it.

So why not chooseexcellence for yourself andyour performance would

improve exponentially.

SYED SHAHZAD ALI

SYED SHAHZAD ALI

is a motivational keynote Speakerand HR Practitioner.

ENTREPRENEUR46


Q:Kindly share with us your profes-sional background?

I didmy intermediate from FCCollege. Afterthat I took admission in Engineering Univer-sity. There I realized that engineering wasmore than just a study for me, so I went tothe US to pursue it further. That academic ex-perience was so fulfilling that when I steppedinto the work world, I was really satisfied withmy educational background. I worked in theUS for almost two years and then came backto Pakistan. After working for more than twoyears here, I started my very own company.With an educational background of engineer-ing, I decided to open a rubber factory. The ini-tial three years of business were really tough,but after overcoming all the setbacks westarted picking up and then there was nolooking back. My company introduced beachsandals here for the first time, but soon everyrun-of-the-mill company started making it. Isoon realized that dealing in this area had no

depth and therefore conceived a tyre manu-facturing company in 1982. Tyres were im-ported at that time. Then in 1982, I eventuallyset up Mian tyre and Rubber Company. I per-sonally visited different companies in Japan,Taiwan and Far-East in order to get hold of thetechnicalities and knowledge of tyre manu-facturing. Then in the same year I introducedPanther Tyres here. Later, I came up with an-other line of ‘wheel barrow tyres’ in this busi-ness. My business has been flourishing sowell since then that we also started export-ing these tyres to Europe. And for thisachievement I have been getting export tro-phies consecutively for ten years from thegovernment of Pakistan. With an increase inthe number of rickshaws in Pakistan since2000, we had to increase our capacities aswell. I am proud to say that the local demandfor motorcycle tyres is all met by our com-pany and I have made this contribution to thetyre technology. In 2005, we started manu-

head-onTakinG challenGes

MIAN IFTIKHAR MD,Mian Tyre & Rubber Co.

Mian I7ikhar introduced and revolutionized the tyretechnology in Pakistan. His contribution to thePakistani industry is bound to take us beyond success.4e conviction of his aims and mission thoroughlydefy what doubters believe about our nation. When6scal and energy crisis have become signs of the times,people like Mr. I7ikhar have become the power ofnation.

IJAZ NISAR


facturing tractor tyres.Moreover, I have offices at Dubai, which is

the hub of diverse buyers, and Egypt, which isthe biggest consumer of tyres. And I want toexpand it to China as well.

Q:Please describe the key points ofyour management style and the

most important management strategythat you have implemented so far?

I have a democratic culture atmy company.I listen to the people from every sphere. I letthem voice their suggestions and recom-mendations. I accept it if it suits our vision andrequirement but I also give reasons for turn-ing down an idea too. This approach hashelpedme a lot, as everyone participates andwe work as a team.

Q:How does your company ensureemployee retention?

This is the most difficult front that we haveto struggle with. People here are not career-oriented but money-oriented. They keepchanging companies formonetary gains, andend up having a zilch of knowledge about theirproduct. While the people who spend consid-erable time in a company, become its biggestasset. Theymay start small but their learningmultiplies exponentially with the passage oftime.Secondly, I think that the legacy of British Raj

has still not left us. People get over-awed bythe authority, which I do not like. I try to be veryfriendly with them because this is what I havebeen trained like.

Q:Brands need to reach the con-sumers, has your company been

taking effective steps towards advertis-ing in this regard?

As far as advertising is concerned, we donot focus on it too much, rather we are al-ways busy adding new products to our port-folio. Undoubtedly advertising is vital for acompany’s profile, but what we do not indulgein it as much as we should. We make surethat we keep at the consumer advertising in-stead of the public advertising.

Q:What has been the contribution ofMian Tyre towards CSR so far?

We regularly contribute to ShaukatKhanamHospital and TEDS, which is a schoolfor brilliant students. I strongly believe thatCSR should be about helping people and notprojecting your company’s profile, so we arerather complacent in this regard. Publicizedcharity would neither be service to God nor tomankind.

Mian I7ikhar is the founderand MD of Mian Tyre & rub-ber Co. (pvt) ltd., which is anillustrious name in tyre indus-try and is striving hard to ex-pand the scope of Pakistan'smotorcycle tyres/tubes ex-ports around the globe.Under his leadership, thededicated team of this com-pany has been winning thePakistan export trophy con-secutively for the last tenyears. Mr. I7ikhar also has ahand in the large technologi-cal advancement in the tyreindustry and it is the result ofhis efforts that 90% of the tyredemand in Pakistan is all metwith locally.

ProfIle


Q:Pakistan severely lags behind inHRMwhat are the core competen-

cies that our CEOs and managers mustacquire?

The main thing is stability in a line. Oneshould have a substantial career in a specificprofession. You cannot expect to become aCEO overnight, but you have to have expertiseover three or four jobs for that. And most im-portantly you should posses the drive, dedi-cation and honesty.

Q:Has the economic recession af-fected your company in any way?

The local conditions do not affect us at all,as a person cannot do without tyre for long.The only thing that affects us is fluctuation ininternational prices of rawmaterial, since theraw material is imported. International vari-ables are important in this regard. We man-age to come out of local pitfalls very easily.Like for the electricity shortage, we have ourown power generation system.

Q:Please tell us of your own goalsand aspirations as CEO.

Sky is the limit, that is what I believe in. It isnot just Pakistan but my company hasstarted exporting our products abroad e.g.our products have started reaching Africanow. We have diverse range of tyres exceptthe passenger car radial tyres, which are notbeing manufactured in Pakistan due to someGovernment policies that seem to favor theimporters, plus it requires an investment ofalmost 100 million dollars, therefore I thinkthat it would not be worthwhile for our com-pany to ponder over this idea for now. Andlastly, I would say that if you are providing highquality products then you can surely run yourfactory 24/7 in a year and secure substantialprofit margin too.

Q:How do you keep your responsibili-ties balanced with your family life?

Since my stay in the US, I have had a habitof working from nine to five and that is stillwhat I do. But the time after five is strictly fam-ily time, I make no professional engagementsthen.

Q:What core competencies do youexpect to see in our future man-

agers?

What I have seen is that after the captainleaves, the whole a company collapses.Whatwe need to do is to find honest and brilliantpeople, who are suitable enough for the dele-gation of power. We can take the example ofDunlop Company, which has been running thebusiness for two hundred years, only because

the legacy of business was handed over toworthy people. Therefore, what we really needare professional successors.

Q:So have you chosen your profes-sional successor to take over and

carry your legacy forward after you?

I think my son could have been my succes-sor, but he is studying business not engineer-ing. However, I am seeking someone who isworthy enough to fit into my profile of growthand success and carry that vision ahead.

Q:Definesuccess.

Success is the strength that you possessto reach your aims.Makingmore friends thanenemies in that journey is one’s success.Keeping yourself fit enough to enjoy your ac-complishments is also an achievement.

Q:Inspiration keeps the strugglealive. Who and what inspires you

to keep going?

I think it is the coaching and the guidancefrom your parents that does not let you quit.And this is the only thing that takes you fromgood to better and eventually the best.

Q:Who is your role model?

There are numerous personalities from dif-ferent spheres that inspire me. Speaking ofphilosophy, my mother’s teachings have al-ways inspired me, as she has always taughtme to be modest and down to earth. And inthe business, I am deeply inspired by Lee Ia-cocca’s style and progress. n


When the whole young gen-eration was busy discussing thefuture of the world after 2012,

the big guns of business were talking aboutthe leadership crisis they will face in 2015.Those who lead the market during the 20thcentury, and even in the first decade of 21stcentury, would have retired from their re-spective organizations by then. The questionis: Who will replace them? And how will thenew lot respond to the crisis that they havenever faced before? Whether it is a nationor an organization, only leaders decide the fu-ture. Organizations from the whole worldhave started working on it. There is newsroaming around that a few of them are think-ing about extending the contracts of the ex-isting leaders, while others are searching forthe replacements and energetic backups.Sooner or later, the first ones will also have tochange their existing strategy and groomleaders. Only those, who are ready to facethis challenge with a better plan, will be ableto handle it successfully.Is leadership an inborn quality or can it be

acquired? This question has been an old de-bate and it sounds quite logical this timearound. In past, organizations had born lead-ers only, but the challenge at hand is alto-gether different now.Organizations do not develop strategies to

survive in the market now, instead they arebusy acquiring leaders for the future. They

develop replacements. But the question is:Who will come forward to fill the gap? Whowould like to be trained by the existing lead-ers?

Born leaders do not need formal guidance,but the problem here is that the organiza-tions cannot wait for the born leaders tocome forward. Therefore, they will trainthose individuals who, according to the latesttheory, have made a CHOICE to be the lead-ers. “Leadership is neither an inborn qualitynor it can be acquired, but it is the choice ofan individual. He who dedicates himself tolearn the techniques of leadership and im-plements them at his workplace, is eligible tobe a leader in any organization”, they say.Companies all over the world are investing

heaps of dollars in developing leaders. Hereare a few highlights:Annual investments by themultinationals:Accenture: $800 millionIBM: $700 millionMcDonald's: $480 millionGeneral Electric (GE), $400 millionCoca-Cola:$14 millionMultinational organizations of Pakistan

have also started investing in the develop-ment of the leaders. However, they do nothave a separate budget for that, so they areinvesting money in leadership developmentfrom the training budget. But what they re-ally need to do is to allocate a separate

budget to develop leaders so that the peopleand the organizations could make consciousefforts to improve their leadership skills andbe fully equipped to handle the expected cri-sis.They must know what is expected of a

leader and what traits hemust have in orderto get the best out of people. The leadersfrom the corporate sector of Pakistan arestill unaware of these traits. Most of themhave a bossy attitude towards their subordi-nates and there is hardly any point of dis-agreement between them. They do notexhibit the essential traits of the leaders andcarry only one style in all situations. If youCHOOSE to become a leader, then you shouldbe well-aware of the traits of a leader andstyles of leadership as well.Traits of a Business Leader:1. SELF-KNOWLEDGEA leader knows himself well. He is aware of

his strengths and weaknesses too. He isclear in his thoughts and the roadmap. He isself-motivated, positive and optimistic but atthe same times he avoids illusions and mys-teries. He takes responsibility of his decisionsand is accountable to himself first. He analy-ses the areas that he needs to work on andimproves them in a structured way.2. LEADING FROM THE FRONTOrganizations encounter different issues

and change the strategies accordingly, theycannot share the reasons to do so with allthe employees. Here comes the role of aleader. He needs to come forward, gatherthe information and share it with the team.And if there is any unexpected change, thenhe handles that even before the team.3. FAIR AND FIRMIf you are not influential, then you are not a

leader. A leader’s presence and words moti-vate his people to perform well. But thosewho are popular in their respective teams,they normally hesitate in taking unpopular de-cisions. A team leader must know the rules,regulations and values of the organization. Heshould be brave, fair and firm in taking deci-sions. If any of his subordinates is found guilty,he must refer the case to the Human Re-source department. Such decisions convey avery strongmessage to others and increase

LEADERSHIP50

LEADERSHIPCRISIS2 0 1 5

Leadership is neitheran inborn quality norcan be acquired butit is a choice of any

individual whodecides to lead hispeople in a given

situation.

AHMED FUAD

a leader’s credibility.4. NO DEPENDENCE ON RESOURCESOR OTHER AUTHORITIESLeaders never rely on resources or ask for

any other authority to perform their duty.They influence people around them and getthe required results. Organizations seek tohave such leaders who can perform even inunfriendly circumstances. Everything cannotbe written in the books and charters. Aleader has to understand the need of thehour and perform according to the com-pany’s vision, instead of waiting for the au-thority to allow him to perform his duty.5. DOESN’T WAIT FOR THE BESTTEAMOrganizations do not hire the people who

are unfavorable for them. The hiring criteriaand authorities may have flaws and need im-provement, but it does not mean that thewhole team cannot perform. If the team isunable to give the best performance, thenthe leader needs to improve first. People areblessed with different strengths. A leadermust know what those strengths are andhow to utilize them effectively. He definestheir roles according to their strengths andworks to improve the weak areas too.

6. HELPS THE EMPLOYEES ACHIEVETHEIR DREAMSEmployees are more satisfied when they

discuss the possibilities of their growth in or-ganization’s hierarchy. They always aspire togo a level up. Help them, guide them, sharethe possibilities and challenges, strengthsand areas of improvement and materializetheir dream by implementing the SMARTGoals formula. This will help the organizationand the leader grow together.7. KNOWS DIFFERENT LEADERSHIPSTYLES FOR DIFFERENT SITUATIONSA common error that the leaders make is

that they only have one leadership style inevery situation. Not only are such mistakesdetrimental to a leader’s image, but they arealso against the organization’s benefits. Lead-ers must know different leadership style andthey should be aware of the situations to ex-hibit them accordingly.

According to Kurt Lewin, there are threedifferent leadership styles which a leaderneeds to practice in a business organiza-tion. The descriptions, and where thesestyles fit best, are discussed below:

Authoritarian leaders give a clearoutline of what needs to be done,

when it should be done and how itshould be done. Decisionmaking is less cre-ative under the authoritarian leadership.Abuse of this style usually comprises of con-trolling, bossy and dictatorial behavior. Au-thoritarian leadership is best applied tosituations where there is a little time forgroup decision-making or where the leaderis the most knowledgeable member of thegroup.

Participative leaders (also knownas Democratic leaders) offer

guidance to the group members.They participate in the group and also ac-quire input from other members. Partici-pative leaders encourage group membersto contribute but they retain the final sayover the decision-making process. Groupmembers feel engaged in the process andget even more motivated and creative.

Delegative leaders offer little orno guidance to the group mem-

bers and leave the decisions up tothem. This style can be effective in situa-tions where group members are highlyqualified in the given area. However, it oftenleads to poorly defined roles and a lack ofmotivation.

Neither these leadership styles are goodnor bad, but it is the situations which makethem so. Leaders should be careful in re-sponding to the situations because their re-sponses have a great impact on the people.The organizations need to focus on trainingtheir leaders in order to deal with the ex-pected leadership crisis in 2015. Theyshould also find people who choose to beleaders and train them on different leader-ship styles to be an effective leader. Han-dling the crisis in 2015 will not be a difficulttask then. n

LEADERSHIP STYLES:

They do notknow the

difference, infact. If you want tomake a CHOICE of

becoming a leader thenyou must know thetraits of a leader

and styles ofleadership


A.

B.

C.

AHMED FUAD

is working for Pakistan's largestcellular company, Mobilink, as aCorporate Training Specialist.


More or less all businesses inthe world are incessantly look-ing for better ways to recruitsmarter brains. Much has

been said and written about the factors be-hind the HR snags. Many companies are con-sidering some innovative ways to impart skills,train, and motivate the employees. Then whyare recruitment practices looked up as ex-alted events in Pakistan, while the turnoverfor every quarter in the companies, whetherengaged in retail, construction, engineeringor manufacturing, is much higher.‘The rightman for the right job’ might be the

HR hymn then. Candidates are interviewed onthe lines of this particular saying. The good orbetter among the brain pool is offered withthe letter. All goes well for the first fewmonths. But slowly, out of nowhere, a pungentsmell of dissatisfaction starts to spreadacross the corporate floor. The functioningstyle of management, the impressive delega-tion of work, the manner in which construc-tive utility of manpower is exercised and thesense of job satisfaction and security are thereliable factors for a lasting cordial relation-ship with the employer.The distaste initially starts with absen-

teeism. Staying away from work without per-mission and the renunciation of bondage withone’s company, both result in discontent. Therecruitment team, that had relaxed for awhile, suddenly gets into a feverish action anddoes not stop till the goal is achieved. It hasbeen seen that, on an average, an employeewith a rich experience in Pakistan or abroadalso shows low enthusiasm and the heat is onthe downbeat. Since Pakistan is emerging asa successful entity in the global arena, it has

been an improvement on the economic sta-tus of an individual (billing wise as well asgrowth wise).Many strategies were evolved over a period

of 8 to 10 years, but it has not been easy toanalyze the psychological changes and atti-tude of an employee in the long run. A seriousthought has to be given to support the humancapital more effectively.How good is our Pakistan’s HR system? It is

high time that the delivery model was re-vamped. 90% of the HR activities end up inthe routine papers, interviews, referencechecks, hiring and firing letters. As these ac-tivities swallow a lot of time, HR professionalshave little or no time to concentrate on otherstrategies or to keep abreast of the latesttrends in HR. Hence, after a short time, theyget stamped as ‘obsolete’.‘Online integratedmanagement’ is a better

remedy as it involves transparency, cost-ef-fective and paperless atmosphere. If this sys-tem is put to use in all the organizations inPakistan, a sound coordination would beachieved among the employees, heads andorganizations. Through online integratedmanagement and clear coordination betweenHR and other divisions, much of the unsaidtroubles could bemitigated.With this our HRprofessionals can progress in redefining HRintelligence. That is when the analysis to iden-tify explorable skills in the employees and todeploy them in the appropriate positionscomes in.

This is also the prescription to cut cost,boost performance, motivate and retain em-ployees. Whatever the advancement be, theso called human factors still remain a mys-tery and cannot be gauged through any pro-filing tests. The HR professionals also fall inthis category, without exemption. They go toextreme lengths in order to set the ball rolling.The mentality of the quitting employees hap-pens to be contagious, but the HR people arecaught in the quick sand and still they keepfrom falling sick and emerge like a ‘phoenix’.Recruiters can only supply the manpower,where the satisfaction that a new employeederives in his work purely rests in the handsof his groupmentor. HR builds up a healthy at-mosphere in every company, but it cannot al-ways detect and eradicate the latent politicswhich are the ubiquitous characteristics ofhuman beings.So, are we heading in the right direction?

Being proactive in the matters of salary andcompensation alone is not the solution to em-ployee turnover, but there is something elsebeyond it.What is behind the trends of boom,crash, survival, recovery and growth map inthe industry? Perhaps it is the human satis-faction that matters ultimately. n

RecruitmentThrough online integratedmanagement and clearcoordination between HRand other divisions, much ofthe unsaid troubles could bemitigated.

practices inPakistan

HASSAN RAZA

HASSAN RAZA

is the Manager of HR at HKB and amember of Board of Trustee atLahore HR Forum.

HIRING52


Communication is around useverywhere and it is thelifeblood of every organization. It

is an interpersonal process of shar-ing knowledge, opinions, expressions,emotions and many other things inthe form of speech, symbols,thoughts, signs and body language.Communication involves transmittinginformation from one person to an-other. Speaking, listening and the abil-ity to understand verbal andnon-verbal meanings are the mainskills in it. But most of all, it is thefoundation of everything that we do,

we would not be able to perform theeveryday tasks without it.

When it comes to the work world,whether it is a small or a giant corpo-ration, communication is the only wayto run a business smoothly. Withouteffective communication, messagescan get mixed and information can be-come skewed.Whenever communica-tion occurs between the employees ofan organization, we call it ‘internalcommunication’ and when it is with thepeople of other organizations, we call

SANA ALAM

EFFECTIVECOMMUNICATION

54 COMMUNICATION

The hand movements and theclenched fists are the gesturesthat have universal meanings.


it ‘external communication’. Effective com-munication links together all the different ac-tivities involved in a business and ensuresthat all the employees are working towardsthe same goal and know exactly what theyshould be doing and by when. Therefore it isa key to successful business.There are thousands of ways to communi-cate fast like emails, fax, telephones, mes-sages, website, web portals, webinars andpodcasting. Today, technology has made iteven faster and easier, and yet myriads ofways are emerging every day. But are we re-

ally ‘communicating’ with such abundanttools? Are we really reaching our listenersor making the difference that we should?How can we actually communicate effec-tively? The answer to all these questions liesin understanding the difference betweencommunication and effective communica-tion.Out of many types of communication, thetwo fundamental types are verbal and non-verbal communication.Verbal and Non-verbal CommunicationThere are different modes of communicat-ing like words, voice, language, tone and non-

verbal cues. Verbal communication is aninseparable part of business communica-tion. According to a modern research:Words are 7 % effectiveTone of voice is 38% effectiveNon-verbal cues are 55 % effectiveNon-verbal communication includes body lan-guage, gestures, facial expressions, eye con-tact and body postures. Even the way wedress up or stay silent is a kind of non-verbalcommunication. It is vital for business pro-fessionals to realize that most of our com-munication occurs non-verbally. Becausewhat we say is not as important as how wesay it. We need to have knowledge of non-verbal cues, so that we may respond tosomeone in a way that is suitable to theirstyle and it may enable us to prevent anyhostile situation from getting intense. As In-dira Gandhi has said, ‘You cannot shakehands with a clenched fist’.Our static features, which include distance,personal space, orientation, posture andphysical contact, also provide information.The distance at which we stand from some-one conveys a cultural message e.g. it mayconvey a message of attraction and in somecases a message of status. Personal spaceis the boundary that we set between our-selves and the others. It reflects our level of

comfort while sending and receiving mes-sages. If we are competitors or co-opera-tors, we may position ourselves face to faceor side by side respectively. Our posturesconvey the degree of formality or relaxationwhile communicating. Our physical contactof shaking hands, patting or embracing, allthese give away a message of intimacy orthe lack of it.There are some dynamic features of non-verbal communication. Our facial expres-sions i.e. the yawns, raised eyebrows, smilesand frowns are continually monitored by therecipient. The hand movements and theclenched fists are the gestures that haveuniversal meanings. The eye contact maysignal when to talk or when not to, where itsfrequency may signal boredom or interest.It may also convey emotion or the lack of it.As a communicator one should be sensitiveto the non-verbal cues like tone, pitch, thequality of one’s voice, the dynamic and thestatic features. Our communication and co-operation improves as we learn to recognizeand respond appropriately to the non-verbalcues.Communication ProcessThe communication process starts withaperson who wants to connect with theother person i.e. the sender. The sender in-terprets the thoughts into various symbolsand words, that the receiver can under-stand, and then transmits the message. Themessage is then transmitted through amedium such as e-mail, oral or any otherwritten/visual media. Then there is a re-ceiver for whom the message is intended.The last step is the feedback, where the re-ceiver responds to the message conveyedby the sender.Wilbur Schramm (1955) developed thecommonly known model of communicationprocess, which broke the process down intofive clearly defined consecutive stages or di-mensions. These are as follows:1. The sender has the need to communicate.2. The need is translated into amessage (en-coding).3. The message is transmitted.4. The receiver gets the message (decod-ing).5. The receiver interprets the message andprovides feedback to the sender.6. The critical part of communication is theinformation which is being transferred.Effective Communication Skills

Whether verbal or non-verbal, goodcommunication is the building block to all humaninteractions and relationships. Therefore, it isextremely important to develop this skill as muchas possible, since your happiness and successdepend on it


‘To communicate effectively, we must realizethat we are all different in the way we per-ceive the world and use this understandingas a guide to our communication with oth-ers.’ -Anthony Robbins.Whether it is interpersonal, intergroup, or-ganizational or external, effective communi-cation is an essential component of success.Communication can be simple as well ascomplex, easy to perform and easy to messup. In her book called ‘Communication Ba-sics’, Kathy Walker says, ‘We hear only halfof what is said to us, understand only half ofthat, believe only half of that and rememberonly half of that’.Effective Communication helps build trustand respect, encourages learning and helpsin accomplishing goals. To be effectivechange agents, communication involves theuse of following four skills:1. Leveling2. Listening3. Validating4. The ‘I…’ Statementsement1. LevelingIt is wrong to expect that the other personshould know what is in your mind. Misunder-standings or conflicts occur only when oneparty does not know the importance of in-formation. Effective communication occursonly when both parties know the relevant in-formation. Leveling means to give the otherperson some feeling instead of expectinghim to read your mind. We need to developa level or uniform playing field in all interper-sonal interactions.2. ‘Listening’: With Relaxed AttentionNot only should we hear what is said to us,but we should also process it actively. Weshould not think about what we are going tosay next, rather attention should be paid towhat others are saying. When we confrontdifficult issues, listening becomes more im-portant than speaking or any other form ofexpression. It is an art and everyone canlearn the art of active listening. The key toactive listening is ‘relaxed attention’ i.e. listenwith your whole body by using verbal and non-verbal skills. Avoid interrupting the speaker.3. ValidatingThis skill is about acknowledging thethoughts, ideas and feelings of the other per-son. It is about letting him know that you haveheard their opinion and you recognize theirthoughts and feelings.4. The ‘I…’ StatementsHalf of the effective communication is active

listening and the other half is expressingwhat you think, in a non-defensive and non-offensive way. And that way is expressingwith an ‘I’. It makes you responsible for yourwants and feelings, without sounding like youare blaming or attacking the other person.Effective Communication for Leaders‘The art of communication is the language ofleadership’. - James Humes.We think of a good communicator as a goodspeaker, since they can express themselvesclearly with confidence. But this is only halfof truth. The key and oft-forgotten compo-nent of effective communication for the lead-ers is listening. If you cannot make an impact

and communicate effectively to your people,then it doesn’t matter if you have informa-tion about something. In that case not onlyyou have failed but you have not been feltthere too. Communication takes place whenothers understand what you are trying toget across. And if they don’t understand it,then you are just wasting time.Communication underpins effective leader-ship and leaders need to be aware of whatand how they communicate to others. Themost important skill a leader can develop isthe listening skill. As F.J Roethlisberger hassaid, ‘The gateway to communication is to lis-ten for understanding’. Listening for mean-ing is one of the key components ofemotional intelligence. To understand some-one else means considering their perspec-tive and their needs, it is only then that theleaders and their followers can move for-ward and build a solution, a path and a com-mitted partnership. n

“To effectivelycommunicate, we mustrealize that we are alldifferent in the way weperceive the world anduse this understandingas a guide to ourcommunication withothers.”

Anthony Robbins

SANA ALAM

is the Assistant Manager HumanResources at Naseeb Networks,Inc.

BUSINESS 57


herever you work, whether it is private orsemi-public organization, small or a largeenterprise, regardless of your industry orcompany, there are people who consideryou to be their competitors and all thetime they are busy finding ways to riseabove you. Sadly, there are no safe havens.As amatter of fact, in business practicallynothing goes according to the plan. Strat-egy dissolves when the first bullet is fired.Expenses shoot up and profitmargin goesdown. The real aggregate profitmargin ofthe company then lies dangerously closeto zero. The phenomenon, such as globalcompetitions, over capacity and decline indemand, help explain these depressing re-sults. The unique edge of most of theirproducts is lost. Competition becomesfierce and the customer can switch easily.But the question is as to how the organi-zations keep their profit margin? Whatare the reasonable options available formanagers to undertake?Well! Managers undertake three initia-tives, usually in parallel.

n They cut cost.n Invest in innovations and new product

development.n Change their marketing strategy.Yes! Cost cutting is the most obviouschoice and one of the widely practiced op-tions because it provides the most imme-diate benefits. But what happens when, asa source of profit growth, cost reductionreaches its limit. How should a companyrespond when it reaches a level similar totheir competitors and even a roughly sim-ilar cost structure too? It means that youhave done all on the cost side. So, good jobdone.There is no doubt that innovation acceler-ates a company’s resource and profitgrowth and thus helps in escaping fromcost and price pressure of the real world.But you cannot always have the kind of in-novation you desire. Your in time deliveryor product/services innovation requiresyears to become stable and even thenguarantee no success. You do not need towork on it seriously and rigorously.

In fact, managers have realized that theirrevenue and profits will come by redirect-ing all marketing efforts with an objectiveto earn more money rather than sellinggreater volumes of the product.Let’s change our marketing strategy andbelief, according to which greater marketshare will always lead to success in busi-ness. We should stop seeking marketshare achievements at the cost of profitmargin. Keep charging premium pricewhile giving excellent quality at the sametime.Finally, create synergy among all the de-partments. Get hold of the statementslike, "We can't pull together, we're alwayspulling separately. There's too much in-ternal friction around here." Get rid ofthese speed breakers. Bring your com-pany close to peak performance by hiringthe peak performers. n

MANAGINGFORFINANCIAL LARGESSEW

GHULAM HUSSAINis presently associated withCOMSATS institute of informationtechnology, Lahore and looksafter Development & Placementoffice.

GHULAM HUSSAIN

WOMENEMPOWERMENT58


Pakistani society is predominantlymarked with sexual dichotomy.There are strict compartmental-ized gender roles assigned to both

men and women. The traditional patriarchalsocial structure is embedded in gender bias,which in turn results in gender disparity in lit-eracy too. This strong dichotomy may not bea hindrance to the social freedom ofmen, butit certainly restricts the access of women tothe equal opportunities of education and em-ployment. The social, cultural and traditionaltaboos on women limit their growth towardstheir economic development and independ-ence. Women are a vital segment of any so-ciety. In a developing country like Pakistan,where women make up 53% of the aggre-gate of population, one cannot undermine thepotentially vital role that they can play in theeconomic sphere.Pakistan is a country where women pos-

sess strong potential for entrepreneurship.This suggests that there exists a huge op-portunity to tap the potential of would-bewomen entrepreneurs, who otherwise face avolley of troubles and criticismwhen they dareto enter into a business. It has become apressing need of the hour to empowerwomen economically by creating such em-ployment opportunities which would help gen-erate income so as to enable them to surviveand prosper not only for themselves but alsofor their families and their country.Entrepreneurship is the process of explor-

ing the opportunities by arranging resources,which are needed to exploit these opportuni-ties for a long-term benefit. It is a lengthyprocess and requires a lot of patience alongwith the proper use of planning, organizing op-

portunities and assuming them. In a develop-ing country like Pakistan, where women lackthe opportunities to prove their business acu-men of transforming innovations into eco-nomically beneficial ventures, there are a veryfew organizations to support them financially.Most of the women’s support organizationsin the philanthropic sector only offer micro-credit and supporting subsistence activities. Afew of the NGOs, related to economic em-powerment of women, support commercialbusiness but with limited outreach. The fi-nancing for women is linked with the foundingof enterprises and the improvement of in-come. NGO programs offer micro-credit towomenmuchmore frequently than the RSPsbut their overall coverage is very small. How-ever it should be the policy goal of the gov-ernment to develop a culture ofentrepreneurial thinking for women. This canbe done in a number of ways: by integratingentrepreneurship into education systems, bylegislating to encourage risk-taking and byspreading the message across through na-tional campaigns. An example of the latter isthe United Kingdom's EnterpriseWeek, whichlaunched in 2004. The government shouldcome up with such projects which would en-hance the avenues for the elevation of their fi-nancial status.Moreover, the government should plan to

provide public banking facilities and smallscale financing programs for the womenwithlow income in rural areas. Projects to imple-ment training for the management of small-to-medium sized enterprises for illiteratewomen will support women to build their ca-pacity.The poor gender equity record of Pakistan,

at national, regional and international level, isan outcome of the disadvantaged status ofwomen in our society. The national genderplanning in Pakistan has remained hostageand devoid of any true commitment to thewelfare approach of women. As a result dif-ferent factors have restricted them fromgaining training in strategic business devel-opment, access to credit funds, and assis-tance with marketing skills.Interestingly, Article 25 of the Constitution

of Pakistan (1973) guarantees equality ofrights to all citizens irrespective of sex, raceand class, hence empowering them. Butthere is covert discrimination againstwomen’s economic activity as producers andproviders of services. Today, women in Pak-istan hold high ranking positions as the CEOsand executives. In the recent years there area number of such women who are settingtheir footprints to be followed by other fe-males. A few years ago, Dr Shamshad Akhtarhas been appointed as the first female gov-ernor of the State Bank of Pakistan. Two ladydoctors of the Pakistan Army have also risento the rank of major general. The FirstWomen Bank was founded in 1989 by thePakistani Government as the first financingorganization for women. Women entrepre-neurship can prove to be a pathway to pros-perity, as it would accelerate economicgrowth. And there is no doubt that this influxwould take Pakistan to a next level. n

EMBRACING THE POWERSADIA WAQAS

SADIA WAQAS

The writer is an academic and ajournalist.


Question:“Hi Ashraf ,I am a gynecologist by profession and

presently I am serving at a Government hos-pital as a Registrar. My family and I have in-vested substantial time andmoney in makingme a doctor. Although serving ‘dukhi insani-ant’ still remains the main objective yet thefact that I have to earn a living for my familycannot be overlooked. I remain at the hospitalfor 8 hours straight. I spare 6-7 hours in theevening formy private clinic but unfortunatelyI am unable to attract enough patients. Restassured, I am a fully competent doctor. I woulddeeply appreciate it if you could help me ingrowing my medical practice.RegardsDr. Uzma Butt.”The Answer:“Dear Dr. Uzma,Greetings fromManager Today!I am glad to hear that your passion to alle-

viate the pain of the people is still intact and Ialso agree when you say that you want to uti-lize your spare time and expertise to earnmore money for your family. Your problem isnot unusual because almost all young doctorsface the same challenge in the beginning.I would recommend a two-point formula to

multiply your medical practice.i. Get famousii. Think like an entrepreneurYou need to work on your promotional

strategy immediately. Themore people get to

know you, the more will be the number of pa-tients consulting you. Secondly, think and be-have like a businesswoman. It is imperativethat you undergo a paradigm shift so as tomorph into a businesswoman from a doctor.Medical skills are your product, so treat yourpatients like clients. Start focusing on the cus-tomer service. Attend to their calls nomatterhow busy you are. Try to convert a patient’splight into pleasure, so that they start en-dorsing you to their family and friends. Whenyou will think like a businesswoman, your staffwould give a follow-up call to the patientsthemselves, hence making sure if they havebeen alleviated or not.I will suggest the following actionable points

for your promotion as an expert gynecologist.Sign up for an account on Facebook, make

your own page and start building an onlinecommunity. Always respond to the queries ofthe members of your community. Share thelatest information about your field there.

Start blogging immediately. It will give youan edge to be established as an authority ongynecology.

Visit girls’ colleges as a guest speaker soas to talk about the career, personal hygieneand their particular problems. Every girl isyour future client.

Write to the producers of TV chan-nels/FM radios to invite you as guest on theirshow. Put the video/audio clips of your pro-gram on the internet so that it goes viral.Recordings can be played in your clinic’s wait-

ing area too.Write a short weekly column in some

paper on the issues of gynecology.Avail every opportunity to stand on the

rostrum and share your knowledge with theaudience and junior colleagues.

Write a two-page newsletter to educateand inform your patients on monthly basis.

Build a directory of emails or postal ad-dresses of the patients to stay in touch withthem.

Conduct a ‘Personal Health Day’ at yourclinic twice a year for the women of nearbycommunity. Have an informal talk as well asfree check-ups with the participants.For customer service I would recommend

the following points:Make an excel sheet of your patients’ mo-

bile numbers and dates of birth. Text themwishes for special occasions. Make them feelthat you care about them.

Make a follow-up call after a week of thepatient’s visit, so as to know if your prescrip-tion has worked or not. You can chargemoney for the services rendered. If the pa-tient was not alleviated then make the nextvisit free of charge or reimburse them.

Send a bouquet along with a best-wishescard to every couple who is blessed with anewborn child. It will cost you money but thereturn will last for life.Medical profession is one of the fastest

evolving fields. You need to upgrade yourknowledge continuously and that can beachieved by reading journals, online newslet-ters and attending conferences. If your knowl-edge is not updated and your patients are notgetting the value for money, no matter howfamous or caring you are, things will not work.The sustainability of your business dependson how satisfied your patients are. Raise anarmy of one hundred satisfied clients in justone year, its chain reaction will be ginormous.My best wishes for you and your clients.” n

1.

2.

3.

4.

How adoctorhis/her

canmultiplyPractice

BRANDING 59

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

1.

2.

3.

There are several ideas that doctors can carry out to increase the traffic ofpatients passing through their door. All this starts by focusing on customer

service and projecting one’s profile appropriately.

ASHRAF CHAUDHRY

ASHRAF CHAUDHRYis Pakistan’s renowned SalesTrainer. He has worked for morethan 15 years for multinationalsand local blue-chip companies insales & marketing department.

'JUNIOR WORLD ENTREPRENEURSHIP FORUM'

CORPORATEEVENTS60


Lahore School of Economics hosted 'JuniorWorld Entrepreneurship Forum', held on November 5, 2011. The Forum focused its reflections onour world issues, identifying best practices and innovative solutions implemented by entrepreneurs. It mobilized entrepreneurs of all kinds, will-ing to address our world’s challenges with an entrepreneurial approach.

CORPORATEEVENTS 61

TIME & STRESS MANAGEMENT

WATEEN RELAUNCH ACAAP EVENT

Mr. Ijaz Nisar moderating the session Participants keenly listening to the presentation

Group activity Group photo of the participants with Mr. Ijaz Nisar

Ms. Fazeelat, Irfan Aslam, Zahid Zaffar, Allah Nawaz , Azeem Qureshi, Faheem Adnan Faiz, Khalid Usman, Tahir Ali Khan

Syed Jibran Ali (Chief Commercial Officer), Naeem Zamindar (Chief Executive Officer)

Sohaib Shaikh (Head of Marketing)

Tahir Malik Chairman Trafco elected as a Chairman of ACAAP

Mr. Ijaz Nisar, a renowned Corporate Trainer, successfully conducted his 50th Session on “Time & Stress Management” on October 22, 2011at Royal palm Golf & Country Club. It was a Customized Training Program for Azgard9, a vertically Integrated Textile Company specialized inmanufacturing yarn, denim fabric and garments, which are marketed at global level.


Manager Today collaborated with Blinck (a Youth ResourceGroup) and had an Exclusive ‘Public Speaking and Confi-dence Building Workshop’ with internationally acclaimedspeaker and trainer Sidra Iqbal at Avari Hotel, Lahore. Thisparticular workshop was designed to encourage the partici-pants to banish their fear of audience or public speaking andface them with poise and style so that it could help open doorsto wondrous career opportunities and a brighter future forthem.The workshop proved to be really valuable and meaningfulunder the perfect moderating skills and creative fire power ofSidra. It had some activities and thinking exercises for the par-ticipants, which served to engage them mentally while facingthe public at the same time. Participants were given individ-ual as well as group activities that were very different fromthose of other run-of-the-mill workshops.Manager Today aims at the development of youth in corporatearea whereas Blinck aims to initiate programs and activitiesof substance for youth training and development, and this col-laboration provided a point that was worthy to start with. n

Public Speaking&ConfidenceBuildingWorkshopwithSIDRA IQBAL

CORPORATEEVENTS62

64

Navitus, a leading managementconsulting firm in Pakistan, joinedhands with HSM last year to rep-resent the World BusinessForum (WBF) in the PakistaniMarket.WBF is the largest gathering ofSenior Executives in the world.Every year 5,000 executives from60+ countries access the bright-est minds in Leadership, Man-agement, Politics andEconomics. The event takesplace annually in New York Cityduring the month of October.The World Business Forum hasbeen ranked Number Oneamong the world's top five mostinfluential venues for CEO's andC-Suite executives. It has alsobeen acknowledged as the #1best new forum by BursonMarsteller, a leading global pub-lic relations and communicationsfirm.Kamran Rizvi, founding directorof Navitus, attended WBF lastOctober and also this year, withhis colleague, Shireen Naqvi. In-spiring ideas and leadership les-sons from global thought leaderslike A. G. Lafley, Howard Shultz,Al Gore, Martin Lindstrom, DanielLamarre and others made the ex-perience enriching and highly re-warding.

“Mah-e-tamam”, an internationalUrdu poetry recital, was organ-ized in Bahrain recently. MrKhalid Sharif, who is an interna-tionally renownedUrdu poet fromPakistan and the founder ofMavra Publishers and MavraBooks, was also present at thatgathering of poetry and discus-sions. Besides interacting withmany intellectuals he also metMr.Saeed Qais during his visitthere, where Mr. Saeed is a cele-brated and senior poet fromBharain.

2011WORLDBUSINESS FORUM

MAH-E-TAMAMPOETRY RECITAL


CORPORATEEVENTS

CORPORATEEVENT 65

Leading Edge, a renowned corporate trainingfirm, is a project of Manager Today Magazine andis actively engaged to bring a “TransformationalChange” in Pakistan. “Developing Manager &Leader in YOU” is an Intensive Training Program,which is regularly being organized by LeadingEdge Consultancy for the last 4 years. This two-day training program was last conducted on Sep-tember 29-30, 2011 at Royal PalmGolf & CountryClub. Mr. Ijaz, the facilitator of the training session,successfully covered the whole contents and fo-cused on SMART Goal Setting, 10 ways to SetEffective Goals, Conflict Resolution Skills, Emo-tionally Intelligent Teams, Grooming the Replace-ment, What should you Delegate?, Manager vsLeader, Discovering your Managerial LeadershipStyle, Laws of Motivation, Techniques to ControlStress & Anger, How to Motivate Your Staff? andRemoving the De-Motivators. The training hadgroup activities, role-play exercises and surprisegifts. More than 15 industry professionals, in-cluding Askari Bank, Bank Al-Habib, MCB, Foren-sic Medical, Allied Marketing, Guard Rice, APSTAInternational and Azgar9, attended the ses-sion.Certificate distribution ceremony was held atthe end of the session and a book of “SuccessfulManagers of Pakistan” was presented to the bestperformer all through the two-day training. n

Developing Manager& Leader in you


Ijaz Nisar, The Facilitator

16th edition

Documents

better pakistan

exercisingthis power

peoplecentric leadership

power of decision makingin

tribute tothe great

steve byincorporating

fromthe loss

textile industry