manger today 3rd issue

MAKING THE DIFFERENCE

EDITOR’SNOTE

mManaging the day to day responsibilities and re-quirements is the primary objective of all of us atpresent. To use one’s intellect, to harness the emo-tions and to streamline duties with the help of boththese directed capacities is a challenge.The third issue ofManager Today is here to help youall in developing that management skill to meet thischallenge and shine in your personal andprofessionallives.Comprising the cover story onhowyou can capitalizeon emotional intelligence and a look on emotional &spiritual mix in business would serve as a provoca-tive beginning of your reading.I hope the exclusive interviews including entrepre-neur Ramzan Sheikh, the CEO of Royal Palm Golf &Country Club, Uzma Bashir Ghous, the woman ofsubstance and the real success story of Arshad B.Anjum, the vice president of operations Pearl Conti-nental Hotels would inspire you a great deal.The recipe of a successful academic career is verywell brought in the interview academia from thedean of Suleman School of Business LUMS, DrShaukat Brah.Dealing with the hazards stress brings in our lives,we have a very practical strategy of stress manage-ment in the magazine.More for the betterment of this publication I wouldlike to inculcate the suggestions and participation ofmy readers. Till the upcoming Oct-Nov issue of themagazine I wish you all a very happy and peacefultime ahead.

Ijaz NisarEditor-in-Chief

& CEO Leading Edge

INSPIRED? MOTIVATED? DID YOU LIKE WHAT YOU READ?If you findManagerToday inspirational for the personal and professional development, do inform us. You can also contribute withyour articles, suggestions and recommendations at: Email:[email protected], [email protected]:www.themanagertoday.comPh:0425792066, 042 5817048, 03446700812Don’t forget to mention your full name, postal address and phone number.

I feel pleasure to congratulate the Man-ager Today’s team to roll out such a won-derful & much awaited magazinecatering to corporate sector’s needs.This is actually the first personal & pro-fessional magazine in Pakistan which issecond to none in its content collectionand layout. We, at Bank Alfalah wish themanagement of Manager Today a roar-ing success!

Hamid M MirzaHead of MarketingBank Alfalah Ltd.

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AS I read through the content of Man-ager Today’s second issue I could not re-sist appreciating the effort. The gradualascend in its’ quality is remarkable. I wishyou success at every step ahead.

Waqas LodhiManager HRMughal Steel.

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I want to congratulate you for publishingManager Today which is indeed very in-formative guide for our managers.

Jazib FaiziSpecial Assistant to CEOPackages Ltd, Lahore.

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My dear Ijaz,Please accept my congratulations on ajob very well done with Manager Today.May it grow in influence and content.Kind regards

Philip S. LallConsultant & CEOPro-cel Consulting

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I am very happy over receiving thesecond issue of Manager Today, the veryfirst magazine of its kind in Pakistan. Icongratulate the whole team on thisunique and a valued venture.

Prof. Dr. Khawaja Amjad SaeedPrincipal,

Hailey College of Banking & Finance,University of the Punjab

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It was really a greeting to get through themagazine addressing the core issues ofhuman resource and management incompanies operational in Pakistan. I mustappreciate the content being highly rele-vant to the present problems of our workenvironment.

Naseem ZafarDirector CMD

Lahore.-------------------------------------------------------------

I request for the annual subscription ofManager Today for my company, consid-ering it the best guide for all of workingpersonnel on their desks.

Rahat AnjumManager HR

Faisal Spinning, Sheikhupura.-------------------------------------------------------------

Manager Today is highly appreciated byus all at the PEL. The magazine seemsgetting comprehensive in its contentsand the presentation. Accept congratu-lations!

Major WaqarGeneral Manager HR, PEL, Lahore.-------------------------------------------------------------

‘The reading habit of our nation is on asharp decline’ it is a general comment weoften hear. But I am rather of a differentopinion, I do not think reading can looseits charm and influence on learned peo-ple no matter how busy they get in theirlives though the only condition for it isquality stuff. Manager Today is an in-stance having a great potential of reviv-ing reading habit of the nation. I count thepublication of this magazine a social serv-ice indeed. I wish this venture a very goodluck in future.

Fasihul Karim SiddiqiDirector & Board Advisor HR

Hinopak Motors Limited, Karachi.

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MANAGERTODAY

Editor-in-ChiefIjaz NisarManaging EditorShakil A. ChaudharyEditorial AdvisorShakeel AhmedEditorNabeela MalikSub EditorMariam LodhiAssociate EditorSaba KianiArt DirectorHeesan BilalMarketing ManagerMunir HussainSales ManagerHaseeb NisarPhotographerMansoor AhmedContributorsDr. SM NaqiMaqbool Ahmed Babri (Max)Masood Ali KhanDanish ShehryarBakhtiar KhawajaIdrees QamarIrfan Ahmed MirSonia UroojWali MuhammadGhazanfar AzzamShahid NafeesMuhammad ZaheerBilal IlahiLegal AdvisorMuhammad Zulfiqar Ali ButtarPublisherLeading EdgePrinterJaved PrintersHead Office ManagerTodayPL-20 Siddique Trade CentreMain Boulevard, Gulberg IIILahoreTel: 042-5792066, 5817048email: info@themanagertoday.comwww.themanagertoday.comwww.leadingedge.com.pk

PCPB # 303-M

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COVER STOERYCAPITALIZING OF EMOTIONAL IN-

TELLIGENCERemembering that we are alwaysin transition, it is critical not to get

lulled into the “this is forever”syndrome

EMOTIONAL & SPIRITUAL MIX INBUSINESS

Information, it is rightly said, is notknowledge; knowledge is notwisdom. And wisdom is not

attained if we do not nurture thecapacity to love and serve our

fellow beings.

INTERVIEW

IF THE GOVERNMENT SUCCEDDSIN ALLOCATING SOME INCENTIVESFOR THE HOSPITALITY INVESTORS,

THE INDUSTRY WOULD ENJOY AGREAT BOOM – RAMZAN SHEIKH

MANAGEMENTFIVE GREAT MYTHS OF LEADER-

SHIP IN PRACTICEUndoubtedly, leadership is much

talked and written about subject inthe management literature. In

behavioral training too, leadershiphas the top priority.

CommunicationHEAR TO LISTEN!

Listening more sophiticatedmental process than hearing and itcalls upon energey and disciplinethat one needs to train himself for

MARKETINGGOOD MARKETING DECISIONS BUTEXECUTION EXECUTION FOUL-UPS

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SALESHOW TO BE A GOODSALES PERSON“7% of the impact come from thewords you say, 38% relates to yourbody language and 55% of theimpact is related to the way yousay your words & your voice tone.

STRESS MANAGEMENTTHRIVING ON STRESSThere is a needs to initiate newinfrastructure projects and injectfresh industry to absorb the ever-grwoing pool of young men

ISLAMIC BANKINGHOW TO AVERT IMPENDING ECO-NOMIC DISASTERTMCL-based interest-free bankingmodel can replace conventionalbanking immediately without anydisruption in the financial system

HUMAN RESOURCEWHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?

SELF DEVELOPMENTTHE POWER OF PERSONAL DEVEL-OPMENTWhen I say Think and Grow Rich,what comes to your mind?

TRAININGCORPORATE PATANGBAZ

INTERVIEWSHAUKAT BRAH

HEALTH &WELLNESSOLD PROVENS WITH NEWMEALINGS...

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WISDOM CORNER

8 MANAGER TODAY | June - July 2009

quotablequotesCORRUPTIONTo fix even a single unlawfully acquired stone in a house is to guarantee to itsdestruction.n HAZRAT ALI (A.S)Livelihooh acquired by foul means is the worst form of livelihood.n HAZRAT ALI (A.S)

ATTITUDEThe greatest discovery of our generation is that human beings can alter theirlives by altering their attitudes of mind. As you think, so shall you be.n WILLIAM JAMES

COMMUNICATIONFeelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences areappreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible --the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family.n VIRGINIA SATIR

CONFIDENCEYou gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which youreally stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think youcannot do.n ELEANOR ROOSEVELT

COURAGEOne isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Withoutcourage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't bekind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.n MAYA ANGELOUCourage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.n WINSTON CHURCHILL

DISCIPLINEThe strongest man is whoever can make his reason conquer his passions.n HAZRAT ALI (A.S)Develop the winning edge; small differences in your performance can lead tolarge differences in your results.n BRIAN TRACY

FOCUSIf you chase two rabbits both will escape.n ANONYMOUS

www.themanagertoday.com

COVER STORY

10 MANAGER TODAY | August - September 2009 www.themanagertoday.com

TAQUEER SALEEM KHANThe writer is a practicing psychologist

August - September 2009 | MANAGER TODAY 11

very single day we are facedwith some challenge and oftenseveral. The life of today’sman has become quite hectic.From smaller troubles like

heavy workload, long working hours,family issues, increasing inflationratio, long power cut offs and badweather to greater issues of injus-tice, insurgency, insecurity and polit-ical instability – all have put peopleinto great depression, a state of help-lessness where they behave in a verynasty way to their fellow beings. Thisstate of restlessness not only dis-turbs interpersonal relationships butthe whole mechanism of a society inlarger perspective. We, Pakistanishave become a victim of this dis-tressing state which is affecting usindividually and socially thus appear-ing symptomatically through obses-sions, addictions, violence and loss ofmeaning. Apparently, no visible solu-tion seems to be fitting to thismaladyof the twentieth century, but only oneand that is introducing us to the emo-tional intelligence.By developing our Emotional Intelli-

gence we can become more produc-tive and successful at what we do,and help others to be more produc-tive and successful too. The processand outcomes of Emotional Intelli-gence development also containmanyelements known to reduce stress forindividuals and organizations, by de-creasing conflict, improving relation-ships and understanding, andincreasing stability, continuity andharmony.

The idea of Emotional IntelligenceEmotional Intelligence - EQ - is a relatively re-

cent behavioral model, rising to prominencewith Daniel Goleman's 1995 internationalbest-seller called 'Emotional Intelligence'. Thetheory of Emotional Intelligence proved an im-portant consideration in human resourceplanning, job profiling, recruitment interview-ing and selection, management development,customer relations and customer service,and more.Emotional Intelligence links strongly with

concepts of love and spirituality: bringing com-passion and humanity to work, and also to'Multiple Intelligence' theory which illustratesand measures the range of capabilities peo-ple possess, and the fact that everybody hasa value.The EQ concept argues that IQ, or conven-

tional intelligence, is too narrow; that thereare wider areas of Emotional Intelligence thatdictate and enable how successful we are.Success requires more than IQ (IntelligenceQuotient), which has tended to be the tradi-tional measure of intelligence, ignoring es-sential behavioral and character elements.We've all met people who are academicallybrilliant and yet are socially and inter-person-ally inept. And we know that despite possess-ing a high IQ rating, success does notautomatically follow.Goleman based his performance-related re-

search on hundreds of top executives fromsome of the world’s largest corporations andconcluded that close to 90% of leadershipsuccess is attributable to EQ.There are eight key fundamentals of emo-

tional intelligence.BUILD EMOTIONAL LITERACYFeelings are a complex aspect of every per-

son. While research has identified eight"core" feelings (fear, joy, acceptance, anger,sorrow, disgust, surprise, expectation), weeach experience dozens, even hundreds, ofvariations each single day. These emotionsblend and merge and frequently they conflict.This EQ fundamental helps us sort out all of

those feelings, name them and begin to un-derstand their causes and effects. It alsohelps us understand how emotions functionin our brains and bodies, and the interactionof thought, feeling, and action.RECOGNIZE PATTERNSHuman brain follows patterns, or neural

pathways. Stimulus leads to response, andover time, the response becomes nearly au-tomatic.On a behavioral level, the neural patterns

lead to behavior patterns. At a young age, welearn lessons of how to cope, how to get ourneeds met, how to protect ourselves. Thesestrategies reinforce one another, and we de-velop a complex structure of beliefs to sup-port the validity of the behaviors. As webecome more conscious of the patterns weexhibit, it becomes possible to analyze the be-liefs and replace them if appropriate, and in-terrupt the pattern and replace it withconscious behaviour that moves us closer toour real goals. This is an enormously difficulttask that requires commitment and vigilance--- but it is not difficult to begin.APPLY CONSEQUENTIALTHINKINGPeople are often told to control their emo-

tions to suppress feelings like anger, joy or fearand cut them off from the decision-makingprocess. This old paradigm suggests thatemotionsmake us less effective; nothing couldbe farther from reality. Feelings provide in-sight, energy, and are the real basis for almostevery decision. Instead of disconnecting ouremotions, we need to control our actions sothat we have time to make the most creative,insightful, and powerful decisions. Particularlywhen dealing with conflict or crisis, we need toslow down the process and apply carefullypracticed strategies that lead to decisions in-formed by the fused powers of heart andmind. This "habit of mind" stems from a clearunderstanding of the consequences of ourchoices and the ability to imagine the causeand effect relationships. This process allowsus to be as impulsive as we truly want to be,

‘It’s not your IQ. It’s not even a number. Butemotional intelligence may be the bestpredictor of success in life, redefiningwhat it means to be smart.’

E

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COVER STORY

12 MANAGER TODAY | August - September 2009

but also forces us to limit impulsivity whenconsequences are undesirable. One keymechanism to develop and monitor conse-quential thinking is "self-talk." Self-talk is amechanism to mentally explore multiple op-tions and viewpoints; it provides a system tobalance the various aspects of ourself. Justas in conversations outside ourselves, some-times the louder voice gets more attention;the issue in both cases is to develop aprocess where listening is valued and all thevoices -- loud or soft -- are heard.EVALUATE AND RE-CHOOSEIn our daily lives, we have countless oppor-

tunities to get feedback about our thoughts,feelings and actions, and to change them ifthe feedback so warrants. Unfortunately, wealso have a great capacity to ignore this feed-back and continue with a scarcity of useful in-formation. In this unconscious state it is easyto become selfish, to sever connections withour humanity and to subjugate ourselves toaddictions or other compensations.The alternative is to listen -- listen to our-

selves and listen to others.Whenwe become

skilled at sensing our own emotions, we areable to tap into the energy that they provideand take action. Emotions are energy and oneplace where that energy most frequentlyerupts is in conflict.To socialize effectively you must recognize

and gauge other peoples' thoughts, feelingsand actions just as you monitor your own.These skills are heavily dependent on inter-preting paralanguage (body-language, tone,utterances, facial expression, and otherforms of nonverbal communication). An ef-fective socializer is able to turn conflict into apositive force. She/he creates compromiseand makes sure needs are met. She/he canmobilize people, persuade and inspire others.The most critical step to teaching effective

socialization is to provide positive rolemodelsand opportunities for people to practice whatthey have observed. In today’s demandingcorporate culture, employees often do notfind time to interact much socially. Thus, it iseven more important that they are provided

these mechanisms and opportunities.MOTIVATE YOURSELFMotivation comes from Latin “tomove;” it

is a goal-oriented behavior. In essence, wetake action because it feels good to do so.It feels right to take a break when we are onoverload, then it feels right to go back to work.The challenge is to make it feel right to takeaction that does not have an immediate re-ward. To do so, we have got to tap into thepart of ourselves that has a longer-view --which also feels right. We each make count-less decisions each hour. For example:•What should I eat for lunch?•What clothes should I wear today?•Which book should I read? Ask?In part, we make those decisions uncon-

sciously based on our patterns and habits. Inpart, we make those decisions based on ourpersonal priorities. So, if we want to redirectour decision to take a longer-term view, weneed to both shape unconscious habits andexamine priorities to make sure they match.In addition to motivating ourselves, it is im-

portant to learn how to motivate others.

There are many ways to do so; the most ob-vious are “extrinsic”motivations. For example,“If you carry my bag, I'll give you a candy bar,”is a simple example of extrinsicmotivation -- itis a bribe or a type of commercial interaction.Quite useful at times -- but it doesn't last. Build-ing lasting motivation requires a more com-plex strategy; one that employs both intrinsicand extrinsic motivation (ideally 60-80% ofthe focus is on intrinsic motivation). Buildingmotivation in others begins with three ele-ments:1. They need to feel the benefit of the pri-

ority you are suggesting. If you want a child touse a more polite vocabulary, she/he needsto experience how such a decision would feelgood. She/he will develop that experience bybeing spoken to with polite words -- at thesame time, it might feel good to avoid the con-sequences of using impolite words -- and thatwill feel good.2. Always treat them as you want them to

be. Sarah’s mother always treated her as if

she were honest -- even when she was not.She internalized that value and struggled toimprove her actions because it felt good tohave her real behavior meet that high stan-dard.3. Give time. Motivation is a complex

process and a vital one. Like so many intra-personal skills, it often takes years ordecades for the seeds to bloom.CHOOSE OPTIMISMLikewise, children are born optimistic and

tend to stay optimistic until they are six orseven. At that time, life's difficulties impingeenough that the door is opened for hopeless-ness. Research suggests that to avoid gettingtrapped in the negativity, people need at leastone refuge. The refuge can be a person or apractice (such as reading) that provides posi-tive input. It is remarkable to think that onesource of kindness, one source of comfort,one source of hope is enough to combat theterrible perils that some children experience.CREATE EMPATHYEmpathy is the ability to recognize and re-

spond to other people's emotions. It is con-

nected to optimism because it is through asense of our connection to others that wesee our own efficacy and importance. To-gether they govern a significant portion of ourbehavior; they are the gatekeepers of ouremotional selves. When we are empathic, ithurts us to hurt others or to see them hurt.We actually experience for ourselves theemotions of others.COMMIT TO NOBLE GOALSNoble goals activate all of the other ele-

ments of EQ. Through our missions and ouracts of human kindness, the commitment toemotional intelligence gains relevance andpower. Just as our personal priorities shapeour daily choices, our noble goals shape ourlong-term choices. They give us a sense of di-rection; they give us a spar to hold in thestorm, they are the compass for our soul. Allthe “inside” aspects of emotional intelligencechange your attitudes. They shape your ownlife; they help you become the person youwantto be. Your noble goals touch the future. n

Emotional intelligence is an important consideration in human resourcesplanning, job profiling, recruitment interviewing and selection, managementdevelopment, customer relations and customer service and more



AREY

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?TESTYOURE.Q

Rateyourselfonthefollowingitemsonascaleof1to5(1beingthelowand5high).Thisexerciseaimsatfact-findingandnotfault-finding,andisintendedtohelp

youfocusonareasforself-improvem

ent.

1.

Istayrelaxedandcomposedunderpressure.

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Icanidentifynegativefeelingswithoutbecomingdistressed.

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Istayfocused(notlostinunimportantdetails)ingettingajobdone.

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Ifreelyadmittomakingmistakes.

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Iamsensitivetootherpeople’sem

otionsandmoods.

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Icanconceivefeedbackorcriticism

withoutbecomingdefensive.

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7.IcalmmyselfquicklywhenIgetangryorupset.

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Icom

municatemyneedsandfeelingshonestly.

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Icanpullmyselftogetherquicklyafterasetback

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10.Iamawareofhowmybehaviorimpactsothers.

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11.Ipayattentionandlistenwithoutjumpingtoconclusions.

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12.Itakeregulartim

eout(onceamonthoraquarter)

toreflectonmycorepurposeandvisionforhowIwanttolivemylife.

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Ifyouhavesolvedthequizandfoundthegrandtotal,seeyourscoreatpage#58andgettoknow

thelevelofyourEQ.

www.themanagertoday.comwww.themanagertoday.com

<None>reat thinker and poet-philosopher, Dr. Allama Muham-mad Iqbal, once said thateducation is the manifestation ofthe perfection already inherent in

us. It is about cultivating a way of viewingthe world by developing the inner spacewith the help of which we are empoweredto engage the outer space. It is a lamp tobe lit, not a bucket to be filled.Management education, in Pakistan and

abroad, betrays a marked disposition to-wards the later instead of the former. Oureducation system is excessively geared tofilling youngminds withmegabytes ofmind-less information.It is heavily weighted in favor of analytical

intelligence and ignores the fostering ofemotional and spiritual intelligence. Infor-mation, it is rightly said, is not knowledge;knowledge is not wisdom. And wisdom isnot attained if we do not nurture the ca-pacity to love and serve our fellow beings.Management education imparts tools

and techniques designed to secure pro-fessional skills that help the learnermake aliving. Spiritual education embeds in thelearner both character and attitude. If pro-fessional education provides the scaffold-ing, spiritual education lays the foundation.Our higher educationmust, therefore, aimat combining instruction in tools and tech-niques with embedding character and atti-tude. The tragic events of September 11and the unceremonious collapse of corpo-rate entities Enron, World Tel, Arthur An-derson and recent global economicdownturn have led Americanmanagementschools to question their role as educa-tors. Globally, there is a pronounced shiftin emphasis and this is reflected in the in-creasing importance accorded to the de-

velopment of emotional and spiritual intelli-gence in management education.Five years ago, I introduced a course in

collaboration with a local business schoolon Anger Management and Emotional In-telligence for newmanagers. Suchwas theresponse from students that I not only con-tinued the offering, but floated a new elec-tive course on spirituality, Ethics and selfdevelopment for young managers.Last November, I received a letter from a

student who had taken both these course.He said: “I was your student in 2006 –2008 when you taught two electives—Anger Management and Emotional Intelli-gence, Spirituality and Self development formanagers. While reading a recent articlein Businessweek on the new courses beingtaught at foreign business school with thesame theme as your courses, I thought Ishould write to you and thank you for theimpact the courses have had onmy life andfor being ahead of these schools in offer-

ing such courses. I remember the state-ments that youmade in class: ‘I have neverworked for money,’ ‘I see all of you as disci-ples, trying to balance the various de-mands that you face in your life,’ and‘management is a creative pursuit;’ eachday at work gives me examples of the ve-racity of these statements.”“In the last two years I have found that to

do a role that challenges me is more im-portant than the money that a particularrole pays,” he wrote. “Inevitably, a challeng-ing role makes me perform and stretchand the rewards are not far away. Manag-ing the demands of team, the process, andthe emotions of the people affected takesasmuch time as the job itself. And to top itall, every day I have to think creatively, thinkdifferently to get my job done.”I receive emails, and letters along these

lines. They are an eloquent testimony of theneed to embed emotional and spiritual in-telligence in management curricula.n

COVER STORY


Emotional & spiritual mix in businessInformation, it is rightly said, is not knowledge; knowledge is not wisdom. And wisdom is not attained if we do not

nurture the capacity to love and serve our fellow beings.

G

IJAZ NISAR


ENTREPRENEUR


ould you like to give an in-troduction to your aca-demic background?My schooling was done at

Sacred Heart, a missionary school.Providing a very high quality education

the school educated me in real terms.Later, I joined Government College La-

hore; completing my graduation there Iopted for some courses locally andsome abroad.But personally I feel the process of get-

ting educated never stops throughoutthe life.It is also because one has to keep

abreast the modern day needs alongwith personal and professional en-hancement of one’s caliber. Thus, I likestudying the quality stuff from all aroundthe world.Tell us something about the familybusiness and the establishment ofRoyal Palm Golf & Country Club?Our family business was basically con-

struction related. My father started withconstruction projects in 1967. Weturned to hospitality industry after a longtime and established Royal Palm Golf &Country Club in 2001. Initially, it was asports oriented facility, which eventuallytransformed into a world class Golfcourse and country club as you can seeit for yourself.The well established constructionbusiness might have helped in it.Yes, the core knowledge of construc-

tion did obviously help a lot in setting upRoyal Palm in the short time span of twoyears which wouldn’t have been possible

W


NABEELA MALIK

August - September 2009 | MANAGER TODAY 17www.themanagertoday.com

INTERVIEW


otherwise.What are the main features of acountry club? What facilities are pro-vided at Royal Palm?The 18 hole golf course at our club

meets all the standards of Pakistan GolfAssociation (PGA). It has been visited bythe Asian Golf Federation and Star Net-work and they have rated it as the bestgolf course in the South Asia.Apart from golf, we have three squash

courses, three tennis courts, two swim-ming pools, fitness facilities, restaurantsand banquet facilities at Royal Palm. So,actually it is the combination of a sportsclub and a country club.Is there any plan to provide lodging

facilities in times to come that areyet unavailable here?Well, the project is in pipeline but due

to recent insurgent attacks I believe itwill be more appropriate if lodging andday to day activities aren’t mixed to-gether. For security reasons, I thinkthere should be a separate compoundfor all the routine club activities.Then there is a heavy traffic of visitors

and members in the banquet or sportsarea of a hotel or a country club and ide-ally speaking, the residential compoundshould be separated from these areas.And we are in a process of developinglodging area far from the day to dayheavy traffic activities areas.How far the insurgency has affectedhospitality industry and tourism inPakistan?Pakistan has much of internal or do-

mestic tourism, people travel from oneplace to another frequently, it has de-creased, apart from it the internationaltourism has also been highly affecteddue to the law & order and security is-sues.How to portray the soft image of Pak-istan to the outer world?Primarily, it is the soft face of Pakistan

we are representing and also few of theforeign companies operating in Pakistanare contributing toward making Lahorethe favorite spot for foreigners.What are the Royal Palm membershippre-requisites?



We look at an applicant’s profile, as-sessing his education, family back-ground and present standing etc. Wealso find out that the person should beclubbable. So, the applicant himself andexisting members should be feelingcomfortable with one another.Has the present day global economicmeltdown affected hospitality indus-try?Yes, it has definitely affected as four

years ago there were 10 hotels an-nounced to be established in Lahore butunfortunately not even one or two ofthem could come to completion. I findone or the two reasons of it includingthat certain roadmaps are needed to beprovided by the government.Our government has to realize that ho-

tels pay a very high ratio of taxes as 16%tax is levied on services and many othertaxes making 20 to 30% bulk of over alltax generation, it also produces a greatemployment opportunity. So it shouldencourage hospitality industry.I hope if the government succeeds in

allocating some incentives for the hospi-tality investors, the industry would enjoya great boom.Do you have any role models that

you might have cherished in your life?Yes, I certainly cherish the personality

of LEONG, the prime minister of Singa-pore. He brought Singapore to the highlydeveloped countries of the world thoughit is a small island.Besides him I really admire some of

the leadership stories by Jim Collins, amanagement and leadership guru.These people are a great inspiration forme.What makes one successful in one’s

life and profession?Keeping a sharp focus on things

around you is the basic component ofsuccess. And next to it is the vision, onemust be able to see life in a bigger con-text. Being a professional it is very muchessential to be competent, adaptableand strong enough to meet new chal-lenges.As a member of the society, think be-

yond personal interests, apart from the

day to day dog fight for short termneeds, one should try to bring some im-provement in the existing environment.What is your execution strategy

being a CEO?I focus on planning broadly for the up-

coming projects. I believe in an open di-

alogue with my employees to discuss allthe pros & cons of any new strategy.And more importantly, I always look

forward to a healthy and impartial feed-back from my clients and employees.Are there any HR issues at the clubthat needs to be solved?Luckily, we don’t have much of HR is-

sues; we could find devoted and talentedprofessionals performing their dutiesvery well. But hospitality industry needsa continuous improvement. It is essen-tial because the serviceability can not beput on the second preference. So, weare in a constant effort of regulatingtraining and development programs toensure a constant improvement in HRpractices at the club.How Royal Palm meets its Corpo-

rate Social Responsibilities (CSR)?Our main focus is primarily on envi-

ronment. We have a very sustainableand environment friendly model for thepreservation of trees and luckily we havebeen able to preserve 95% of trees im-planted here. Secondly the water re-cy-cling system is also very efficientbecause there is a lot of water con-sumption at the golf course. So, by there-cycling system we make sure thatminimum water is being wasted.We have a forthright assistance to

meet any catastrophe as having nearly2000 members whom we can call incase of any emergency in the countrylike earthquake or insurgency etc andour network quickly responds towardmeeting any such hazard on nationallevel.Serving as the CEO of a big club, how

do you manage work life balance?The most important for you in the

world is your own health and the self. Soif you are consuming time on maintain-ing your health and routine life activities,then it is a great ability indeed.In my case, at times it feels that per-

haps I am not maintaining an ideal bal-ance between work and the family. Andthis realization is very much importantbecause it motivates me to do more ef-forts in this regard. So, if there is a willto find this balance, one finds it.n

Our government has torealize that hotels paya very high ratio oftaxes as 16% tax islevied on services andmany other taxesmaking 20 to 30%bulk of over all taxgeneration, it alsoproduces a greatemployment

opportunity. So itshould encouragehospitality industry.


MANAGEMENT


SYED ALI RAZAThe writer is the head of HR in a multina-

tional company

www.themanagertoday.com August - September 2009 | MANAGER TODAY 21

ndoubtedly, leadership is muchtalked and written about subjectin the management literature. Inbehavioral training too, leader-

ship has the top priority. There are manymodels and theories that have come intoexistence highlighting the different facetsof leadership. But leadership remainedan enigma for many. This is due to cre-ation of leadership that is not in reality.There are many managers who still be-lieve that leadership is a born talent, lead-ership is only for top management andone should have an inbuilt charismaticpersonality to be a leader. This belief hasnegative ramification to leadership de-velopment efforts in organizations. Twoof the most insight leadership gurus,namely Warren Bennis and Burt Nanusin their book titled Leaders: The Strate-gies for Taking Charge identified fivegreat leadership myths:

MYTH-ILeadership is a rare skill.

There is a wide spread belief that lead-ership is rare because leadership skillsare rare with people in organization. Butthe fact remain is that many people pos-sess leadership competency within them,we realize this when opportunities are ex-tended to tem to demonstrate their lead-ership prowess. The formalorganizational structures discourage peo-ple to exhibit leadership behavior.

MYTH-IILeaders are born not made.

Biographies of great leaders and sto-ries surrounding them create a picturethat leadership is a born talent. But thefact is that many leadership skill and com-petencies can be learned. However, thereis no simple formula or model through

which leadership can be developed. Thisinvolves a rigorous process and manytimes a lifetime effort is required.

MYTH-IIILeaders are charismatic.

There is a tendency to think that oneneeds to be stylish, smart, and charmingin appearance to become a leader. This isonly half true. In reality, successful lead-ership practices and behaviors contributefor a leadership rather than charisma selfleading a person to effective leadershipbehavior.

MYTH-IVLeadership exists only at thetop of an organization.

Organizations have played into this mythby focusing leadership efforts only on topmanagement. In reality, leadership is re-quired at every level of operation in an or-ganization. On has to be a good leadereven in a single person operation to excelin that. Therefore, there must be multipli-cation of leadership roles.

MYTH-VThe leader controls, directsand manipulates.

Leadership is a role of empowering thefollowers as opposed to popular mis-nomer leadership as a power seekingrole. Leadership is epitome of equity, fairplay and sacrifice and not the act of ma-nipulation. Effective leaders ensure re-wards to others and the cost ofself-comfort. Further, facilitation is whatleaders engage in and to controlling anddirecting. n

U Managerialimplication

he practical utility of fivegreat myths will be enor-mous to all managers,particularly for top Man-agers. Organizations payheavily, when we believe insomething that is notreal. For example, ourleadership efforts maylack conviction if we be-lieve that leadership ismerely a born talent.Therefore, leadership de-velopment program inany organization mustcommence with dispellingthese myths. The othervaluable insight that man-agers must put into ac-tion is that leadershipmust be business ofevery body in the organi-zation and not be con-fined to top echelons ofhandful of managers.n

T


COMMUNICATION


any a times you are in a nicecafé with a friend, may be CTC,Masoom’s, or Malee` (Don’tthink that we are running aFOC publicity campaign!) grab-

bing a bite; she’s saying something but allyou can think of is your next meeting andyour head is cramped with the upcomingaudit report. You hear a distant voice thathas been magically dragged; you try but youfail to identify with it and you find yourselfsaying, “Hone, you were saying something?”There comes a flying menu and she leavesyou wondering where you went wrong. Maybe that was a little exaggerated version butin our daily lives we often don’t hear to lis-ten. In today’s frenetic world empathetic lis-tening is pivotal to effective communication.It promotes communication, reduces ten-sion and facilitates cooperation in personaland professional lives. In a world wherecommunication means getting the job done,listening certainly means more than justhearing. It means an edge.A manager who was curious about how

much time he spent listening asked his sec-retary to keep track of the time he spent onthe telephone, listening. To his utter sur-prise, he discovered his company was pay-ing him 35-40 percent of his salary for this

function alone. Now if we extrapolate this in-dividual calculation, amazingly seventy per-cent of our working hours is spent in verbalcommunication which equates reading andwriting both put together as most of infor-mation that we receive till COB is verbalmaking it the most frequently used channelof learning. However, it’s quite ironic that itis the least understood function of all. Lis-tening is assumed to be basically the sameas hearing; this is a dodgy misconceptionbecause it leads to the belief that effectivelistening is instinctive. Whereas, listening in-volves a more sophisticated mentalprocess than hearing and it calls upon en-ergy and discipline that one needs to trainhimself for.Having settled so that listening is a

learned skill, one can train himself for beingan effective listener. To be an effective lis-tener, it is best to listen with all the empathy,starting with listening level one and ulti-mately taking it to the third level. The firstlevel involves putting yourself in someoneelse’s boots even if they pinch for a whileand the last thing that you would want to dois being judgemental or tagging others. Atthe second level, you hear words but do notreally listen and level three is listening inspurts. Many have found the empathetic ap-

MHear

toListen!

SONIA UROOJThe writer is a

commuication traniner


August - September | MANAGER TODAY 23

proach to be a powerful tool for improvingtheir people skills. Some payoffs have beenincreased sales, improved ability to sellideas to management, improved ability tohandle emotional people, more effective in-terview and improved working relationshipsand who won’t want all that.The research indicates that there are

twelve easy steps that can help us to im-prove our listening skills so that we listen atlevel one more often.The step 1 involves looking for something

you can anchor on. If you adopt a positive at-titude toward a subject, you will usually findsomething to broaden your knowledge. Drythough a talk may be, oozing out with dullnumbers and figures; it will generally con-tain an idea that is worthwhile to you, nowor in times to come. Ask yourself: What isbeing said that I can use? What’s in it forme? How does this relate to what I alreadyknow? What action could I take? At step 2,you take the initiative. Find out what thetalker knows. Look at the talker and con-centrate on what has been said. Go all theway in making the communication two-way.Ignore the person’s delivery and personal-ity if you find them distracting. Reach for theidea that is being conveyed. Stimulate thetalker with your attentiveness and expres-

sions of interest. Show interest by the useof noncommittal acknowledgements. Step3 is working at listening. Efficient listeningtakes energy and practice makes it easier. Ifthe subject is announced in advance, pre-pare for it by reading, by discussing it, or bythinking it over briefly, establishing your ownpoint of view. Then listen actively and ener-getically. Step 4 is all about focusing your at-tention on ideas. Listen for the speaker’scentral ideas. Pick out the ideas as they arepresented; sort the facts from principles,the ideas from examples and the evidencefrom opinion. At Step 5 you are suggestedto make meaningful notes. You can improveyour ability to learn and remember by mak-ing a brief record of the speaker’s mainpoints, review your notes later on to deter-mine what you can put to use, and whetheryou agree or disagree with the speaker’snotion. Efficient note-taking requires prac-tice in selecting the right method of notesthat are easy to interpret and review. De-pending on the nature of the talk, practicemaking an outline, mental or written, or pick-ing out the key words, phrases or ideas.Step 6 involves resisting external distrac-tions. Sit where you can see and hear with-out being distracted. When you do so, youmake it possible to be aware of noises with-out being distracted by them. Step 7 isabout holding your rebuttal. Don’t let emo-tion-laden words throw you. Learn to sievethem. Identify the certain words that affectyou to the point where you stop listeningand start performing a rebuttal. One way todeal with this is to quickly analyze the rea-sons those words stir you, then resume lis-tening, withholding any judgement until youfully comprehend what point the speaker ismaking. Another method is to jot downmajor rebuttal points as questions; do thisbriefly, not at length. Both methods can helpclear your mind so that you can return tolistening with an open mind. Step 8 is keep-ing your mind open. Quick and heated dis-agreement with the speaker’s main pointsor arguments can cause a psychologicaldeaf spot. Give the talker more rather thanless attention. Search for the full nub of thetheme. Stay out of the judgemental frame-work by not judging what the person saysas “wrong.” At Step 9 capitalize on thought

speed. The core of effective listening is todevelop the utmost concentration on theimmediate listening situation. Concentrateon what the talker says and then summa-rize it in your head. Step 10 is about prac-ticing regularly. Get experience and practicein listening and note-taking by listening todifficult or unfamiliar material that chal-lenges your mental capacities. Every clubmeeting could present many opportunitiesfor practice. Regular practice will work won-ders for you. Step 11 involves analyzingwhat is being said, nonverbally. Be patientand sensitive to the talker’s feelings. Askyourself why the talker said what he or shedid. Listen between the lines for hiddenmeanings what is the person saying non-verbally? And finally Step 12 is to evaluateand be critical of content, not the speaker’sdelivery. It’s important to discriminate if thetalker is stating facts or assumptions. Get-ting the talker’s message is more importantthan his or her appearance. Don’t let thetalker’s poor voice, mannerisms, personalityor appearance get in the way of the mes-sage. Recognize that most people are notvery skilled at getting their message across.No mater how much your memory re-

sembles to a sieve, better listening pro-motes better memory. By systematicallyslotting in these twelve tools into our listen-ing behaviour, one can overcome poor lis-tening habits, thus spending more time atlevel 1 that results in much improved abilityto concentrate and retain information as itis easier to remember the information lis-tened to at level 1.In a gist, efficient listening takes effort, but

it is one of the easiest ways known to ac-quire ideas and information you can use andalways remember the empathetic listeningapproach eases understanding of what theother person really means. To listen effec-tively, check your understanding regularly byrephrasing what the other has said. Give ver-bal feedback of what was said or done asthis communicates approval. Since this ap-proval bears no criticism and judgement, thetalker feels heard and understood which ul-timately leads to trust. So listening doesn’tmean hearing alone and perhaps next timewhen you are out with a friend, they won’tcomplain about losing you! n



MARKETING


oreign books and magazinesso often trumpet the allegedquality of marketing decision-making in US, European & In-dian companies. It seems tome Pakistani companies, too,can lay claim to the ‘quality’ oftheir marketing decision-mak-ing. If there’s Heinz, we haveNational Foods doing it here. Ifthere are McDonald’s archesabroad, we have Gourmetand Salt’n’Pepper icons. Ifthere’s MetLife marketing, wehave EFU.Maybe its because we don’t

yet have a global Pakistanibrand we find it difficult to ap-preciate the ‘quality’ of mar-keting decision-making inPakistan. Or is it becausemany Pakistani marketingprofessionals are so stuck

into admiring the Sonys,Gillettes, P&Gs, Black & Deck-ers they can’t see the ‘quality’of their own marketing deci-sions?Agreed, some Pakistani

companies make awful mar-keting decisions. Might wealso agree that many Pak-istani companies produce re-markable marketing ideas?And many take sound market-ing decisions?Then where’s the problem?

Very often: execution foul-ups.My experience with nearly twodozen companies suggestsavoidable foul-ups come fromfour main sources.

Foul-Ups withInappropriate Delegation

The CEO of a large PakistaniFMCG company decided tochange the pack designs of allhis product lines and bring itunder a common ‘umbrella’design (reflecting his corpo-rate vision). Fully aware it wasa strategic decision, he as-sessed his marketing staff’sabilities for high-quality execu-tion of this decision. He sawthe risk, and took personal re-sponsibility for executing ithimself. It was possibly one ofthe best-executed marketingdecisions in this company.In another very large Pak-

istani FMCG company, thefamily’s board chairman dele-gated almost complete au-thority and responsibility tothe so-called ‘professional’

GOOD MARKETING DECISIONS BUT

EXECUTIONFOUL-UPS

PHILIP S. LALLWriter is the management consultant &chief executive of Pro-cel consulting.

[email protected]

CEOs and directors in many Pakistani companies face a two-fold delegation dilemma

F


CEO for all marketing decisions, includingthe company’s very successful brands.Though a few of his brand marketing de-cisions were sound, this CEO, in turn, del-egated responsibility for execution tosome rather mediocre managers. It justtook a few years for this large companyto be brought to its knees.CEOs and directors in many Pakistani

companies face a two-fold delegationdilemma. Firstly, how much authorityshould be delegated to subordinates forexecuting a good marketing decision?Secondly, should authority for executionbe delegated on the basis of loyalty – orcompetence?

Foul-Ups by Fragmented ThinkingA medium-size Pakistani pharma com-

pany had several new products in itsR&D armoury, based on ‘me-too’ mole-cules. While product managers testedproduct literature and area sales man-agers made sales estimates, the mar-keting director analysed industry data.He waited for the right time and decidedto launch two low-priced new productshe had planned as part of his ‘strategicturnaround’.Strangely, thinking among product

managers and regional managers wasquite different. Product managers sawthis as a good short-term tactic to in-crease volume, while regional managerssaw this strategic turnaround in termsof getting additional incentives. Even thesupply chain director saw no advantagein the new products. Here was frag-mented thinking about the execution of asound marketing decision.Top managers visualize growth oppor-

tunities, map out strategy and convert itinto sound marketing decisions, butlower-level managers see things differ-ently. Some will invariably think of growthstrategy decisions as ‘rocking the boat’unnecessarily. Some will set their own im-plementation agenda. Some financemanagers reduced strategy thinking toquarterly budget priorities. By the time,regional managers execute growth deci-sions, strategy thinking is transformed

completely into daily sales target pres-sures.Fortunately, the above company’s‘strategic turnaround’ was not a com-plete failure; one product actually suc-ceeded – only because the marketingdirector himself ‘sold’ the product’sstrategic importance to the sales force.

Foul-ups in Internal CoordinationWhen a family-managed firm was look-

ing around for diversification ideas, oneof the younger directors saw a growthopportunity in an agricultural crop imple-ment. His father agreed with the idea,and the young director started planningto market the implement before the‘rabi’ crop season. Other family boardmembers said they would start work onengineering aspects, sourcing local andoff-shore materials and arranging fi-nances. A few weeks later, assuming thattrial production would begin as promisedby other directors’ subordinate man-agers, this director toured the field, ap-

pointed dealers & hired a sales executive.On his return, he was stunned to learn ofalmost zero progress on trial production.The product was eventually introducedlate into the ‘rabi’ crop season; its saleswere not even one-fifth of what he had ex-pected. The young director had made acritical mistake – he assumed other di-rectors and their subordinate managerswould automatically coordinate with him.He forgot this principle: directors andmanagers will coordinate following theirpriorities – not your priorities. A brilliantmarketing decision might be a director’sor manager’s priority, its good executionrequires it to become an equally impor-tant priority for other directors and theirmanagers.Foul-Ups in Interpreting Time

You will see two kinds of foul-ups here:a common one is misinterpreting timedeadlines. It seems to happen in almostall companies.For instance, after a major pricing

change, the marketing director and hisgroup product manager wrote a memoto their regional managers requiringthem to ensure “prompt and regularfeedback” on how the pricing decisionwas being executed. Regional managersinterpreted this to mean they shouldsend their weekly reports promptlyevery Monday. The marketing directoractually meant verbal feedback everyday.Another kind of foul-up is misinterpret-

ing time as a product feature (e.g, gen-erator start-up time or courier next-daydelivery). A medium-sized Pakistanichemicals company was faced withnear-saturation demand and stiff pricecompetition from Chinese products. Itused R&D to formulate chemical agents

for a different market sector. An impor-tant parameter of cost effectivenesswas process absorption time. Applica-tions trials showed highly competitivecost effectiveness: 15.6 mins for com-peting Chinese products and 13.8 minsfor the company’s product with lesserinput.The sales force, however, felt the dif-

ference of 1.8 mins could be communi-cated as 2 mins – it was easier toexplain to customers. Two months afterintroduction, the Chinese products’ localdistributor said to an ISO-certified majorcustomer that a lie had been told. Thecustomer made a big issue out of thistime misinterpretation, saying nowthere was a trust deficit. n

If there’s Heinz, we have National Foods doing ithere. If there are McDonald’s arches abroad, wehave Gourmet and Salt’n’Pepper icons. If there’sMetLife marketing, we have EFU.


WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE

26 MANAGER TODAY | J August - September 2009

After 20 years of varied experience, ranging from private to public sec-tor, she has developed her skills in Leadership and Change Manage-ment. While at PIA and National Bank of Pakistan, she was heading the

Human Resources management & development of 15000-18000 people. Shewas also involved in the Financial Sector Reforms in Pakistan driven by theWorld Bank & GOP. Uzma has also been a trainer and has developed & imple-mented many projects effectively. She has now launched Management Con-sultancy firm as a partnership concern broadly focusing on ManagementConsultancy, Technical Advising, Talent Management, Resourcing and Training.

PROFILE



e would be pleased to have an intro-duction to your early life and experi-ences.I have been very fortunate in getting

multiple opportunities to see life in awider scenario.I have met so many challenges and ex-

perienced the wins and failures in my lifethat actually made me a very normalhuman being.I graduated from the IBA Karachi. The

time I completed my education at IBA, Iwas a very light hearted girl, highly moti-vated and compassionate about life andgoals. I think i am a very simple person.

What are the key lessons youlearnt from your professional

life?

Learning to live with people, learning tounderstand and respond to their aspira-tions, coping with the expectations of thestakeholders around you is the greatestlesson one needs to learn.Dealing with different situations re-

quires much of efforts.And it is much more sensitive in one's

professional life where there are manychoices and choices come with conse-quences. So you have to be very careful.Thus, I am of the opinion, learning is a lifelong process.

How do you see the status ofwomen working in our organ-

izations?As a lady I find myself lucky enough to

serve in Pakistani society.No matter, how people portray a dismal

picture of our society, I say it is lucky tobe among the men of this society whoknow to respect women and there are alot of privileges.Though, males here need to realize the

importance of women at senior positions.Especially senior officers should recog-nize and acknowledge the services oftheir female colleagues.I have been working in two large or-

ganizations. I have seen the treatment ofmen with the women being very muchmanipulating, and it really hurts me.


W

Q

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IJAZ NISAR


WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE


How did you end up in themanagement as your career?

Having an MBA degree I had a passionto work on the management side. I wasasked by my father to join the familybusiness but that was heavy civil con-tracting construction works, buildingbridges and construction.I joined the family business, worked

and learnt a lot from the constructionindustry, enjoying that experience. Butnaturally I was more interested into cor-porate organizations. A mentor also fa-cilitated me to come into this field andexplore my talents and abilities in thearea of management. In mid 90s I wasoffered by the National bank to jointhem considering me a right matchowing to my academic and work experi-ence.They were of the opinion that due to

my understanding of developing proj-ects I could be able to ad value to thebank in bringing a change in manage-ment that they were seeking. So I joinedNational bank.

What are the managementconsultancy opportunities in

Pakistan?There are a lot of family businesses in

our country that preserve a culturewhere owners do not open doors for theconsultants to get advised. And that isthe place where there is a strong need ofconsultancy and advising.Back in 90s only corporate sector was

hiring management consultants and busi-ness owners, the ‘saiths’ were dependingon their own wisdom focusing on prof-itability alone.But now the situation is improved, many

family businessmen have started realiz-ing the need of consolidation, so now theylook at management consultancy very re-spectfully and its scope is rising.

What are the challenges ofmanagement consultancy?

Well, I would say, the quality of researchand the experience these briefcase con-sultants bring with them is too shallow,thus the results they are producing areliterally superficial. Our corporate sectoris very rich in experience and a consult-ant has to acknowledge the complexity ofthe mechanism of an established organi-zation. Here consultants adopt it as a pro-fession having studied in theory but theydo not understand the complexity of anorganization.The present day fresh MBA and con-

sultancy graduates lack practical experi-ence thus they are deficient in accurateanalysis and solutions.I also observe that fault lies with or-

ganization management who do not pre-pare their teams to bring in change.Thus, it becomes a difficult task for hiredconsultants to access organizations,build an environment and softening thegrounds; reason being that readiness tochange is not present at many of our or-ganizations’ culture. The primary clientof a consultant maybe ready for thechange but other stakeholders insidethe organization press him a lot forwhich strategic solutions of a consultantfail.

You have served as the headof organization development

and training at National Bank of Pak-istan. Would you like to share with usthe experience at NBP?

I think national bank is a great bank.We have seen it growing from 50 crore

to a billion within six months and from onebillion it jumped onto four billion, reachingeight to 12 and 18 billions. And we saw itall happening in front of us.Why such a rapid growth? It is because

NBP got very strong muscles and verydeep pockets. It has a lot of influence,being the mover and shaker in the mar-ket in terms of financial strength and pol-icy formulation as well.My experience with national bank has

been very pleasant. I enjoyed workingthere especially the project drafting ofmore than 12 billion was so thrilling thatmade us excited at our work.Trans nationalization opened many new

horizons for us.National bank has many unique fea-

tures owing to its position in the market,policies and a strong structure. There isalso a huge lot of talent employees asso-ciated with the NBP but I do wish thatthere could have done more for a culturalchange in the bank. Though Mr Ali Razahas brought a big difference yet his teamshould also focus on cultural change be-cause still the image of the bank in peo-ple's minds is that of a governmentowned bank, so there is a need of peopledevelopment in the bank.

As you shifted from NBP toPIA, how was that experi-

ence?PIA is a mixture of industries and it is so

huge that amazes to work with. There wehad engineers, a glamorous crew, an es-tablished customer service culture, pas-senger handling and at the same time thekitchen and food catering services. PIA of-fers so much diversity in work that it usedto give a pleasure of moving into differentcultures within a single entity.It is an extremely expensive organiza-

tion ranging from all very active air sta-

Q

Q Q

Q

Q

www.themanagertoday.com June - July 2009 | MANAGER TODAY 29

tions from the USA to Japan and all overother places.So its largeness fascinated me a great

deal. The systems at PIA are much moreintact and there is no other company whois making more money than PIA. EvenPTCL with its 60,000 workforce does notmake revenue equivalent to the PIA’s rev-enues. It means the company has thatmuch potential of generating revenueand cash.The unfortunate thing with PIA is that it

is badly managed.It is an overstaffed company and its

management is poor.But on the other hand it is very much

privileged and respected airline in theworld. Even if you call any US or Europeancompany and tell that you are calling fromPIA, you would be given a great deal of re-spect belonging to this legacy airline.The fact is that today there are very few

legacy airlines present in the world andPIA is one of them. And I used to be veryproud on working with PIA.

Being a HR professional, howdo you assess this area for

our women as a career?HR is misunderstood in our part of the

world. HR is not only about making payroles, its not limited to hiring people. Ifthere is any single job that has to manageso many pushs and pulls after the CEO'sjob, then it is HR manager's job. It is onlya chief HR's position that faces so manyundercurrents and over currents.As far as women are concerned they

are very successful HR managers inmost of our corporate and multinationalsparticularly in the strategic businessunits we find women performing excellentat HR. Women need to develop their abil-ities in formulating executive policies also.

What is the meaning and roleof the Organization Develop-

ment?In Pakistan every organization has the

department of Organization Development(OD) but nobody actually understands therole of OD.It directly relates with the organizational

performance. OD is any change that youneed to bring in to enhance performance.And people concerned do not understandit in real terms.

Having two abilities at a time,what do you think yourself a

good HR manager or a corporatetrainer?Well, I think at present I might have be-

come amore proficient trainer as I was inthe beginning of my career. Owing to mypractical experience and relevant casestudies and exposure I might have turnedmore able to guide and train people intheir objectives. But when it comes tocompare myself as a better training per-son or a human resource manager, I wishto be a great HR manager.

Could you please mention thecore competencies that a

CEO look for in a HR manager?I think the biggest of all is the ability to

connect and engage with people alongwith the leadership qualities and ability todeal with the senior personnel as well.

Q

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The quality ofresearch andthe experiencetheseconsultantsbring with themis too shallow,thus the resultsthey areproducing areliterally shallow.


EVENTS


Sharing ideas

Receiving the certificate

Training participants at the closing session Group photo of Leading Edge Training participants

Listening to the trainer A merry moment in group discussion Ijaz Nisar imparting training

GLIMPSESOF LEADING EDGE TRAININGSLeading Edge is a higly

proactive and clientfocued Training & Develop-ment Consultancy. As an en-ergetic company, it is infusedwith a desire to provide valueadded services. The corephillosophy of Leading Edgeis “Learning with fun”. Todemonstrate this philosophy,below are the glimpses inwhich participants, from dif-ferent organisations like,Federal Board of Revenue,Allied Bank Ltd., PEL,Ufone, A.F. Ferguson, BankAl-Habib, Royal Palm Golf &Country Club, are learningand having fun together.


June - July 2009 | MANAGER TODAY 31August - September 2009 | MANAGER TODAY 31

A trainee solving a quiz Fun in training! Participants with Basharat-ullah Malik

Participants keenly indulged in training and learning

Trainees on a physical activityThe group of trainees

Participants


SALES


“7% of the impact come from thewords you say, 38% relates toyour body language and 55% ofthe impact is related to the wayyou say your words & your voicetone. People will always rememberhow youmade them feel”

ahore, May 21, 2009: Selling is amatter of persuading, convincingand obtaining business from po-tential buyer. Selling is a very sim-ple word but having vast concept

to it. Consciously or unconsciously we allsell everyday. When a child needs pocketmoney, she/he tries to sell NEEDS to par-ents. On Saturday night a wife hoping thather husband will take her to Saturday nightdinner, tries to convince him and sell the

4

MINU

TESISALLY

OUHAVE

TOMA

KEAN

IMPRESSION

ONANOTHERPERSON

Lwww.themanagertoday.com


GOOD TIME.When we adopt Selling as a profession,

we need to master the skills as well. Nu-merous books have been written on thetopic of “how to be a good sales person”but very few with practical knowledge andexamples. So lets have a look that how wecan polish these selling skills to becomemaster.

Don’t just start talking awayThe first six seconds of the call will de-

cide whether two people take a liking toeach other or not. Greet your customerwith name if known to you, look in the eyesof customer and smile. Listen attentivelyand explain step by step that why yourproduct is exactly the one that match cus-tomer’s expectation.

Sell the benefitsRemember, all of your selling efforts are

answering the potential customers mostpressing question “what is in it for me”?And that means Benefits and benefits

alone. Start by hitting them with the mostimportant benefit you offer to them. Rightin your “headline”. This is your unique sell-ing proposition (USP). Your headline has toscream benefits.

Bridge the productA good salesperson should always

bridge the product while convincing thecustomer. Selling is about direction, qual-ity and quantity. The direction is “who youtalk to”, the quality is “how you do it”, andquantity is “how often to achieve your tar-gets”. In this managing time is incrediblyimportant. The need to develop the knowl-edge and present it in different ways to dif-ferent customers is utterly important.

Good salesperson recommendsOf course its customers prerogative to

choose. Good sales person is not ateacher so s/he says “you see……this iswhy I recommend for you to…”. Cus-tomer’s wishes and sales person’s argu-mentsmust interlock like a rack and pinionin the customer’s mind.

Be motivatedBusiness guru, Zig Ziglar, once said.

“people often say that motivation doesn’tlast.Well neither does bathing - that’s whywe recommend it everyday.” This is greatanalogy. Think about it and think about howsalesperson can keep themselves moti-vated everyday.

Always make positive statementsA good salesperson always has a posi-

tive attitude by presenting it. Good sales-person doesn’t say “this item has a longdeadline” but “there is such a great de-mand for this product that the manufac-turer needs 4weeks to supply the productat the usual quality standard. How manywould u like to book today?”

Know the buying signalsSometimes we fail to watch potential

customer’s body language and miss boththe buying and non-buying signals. Onceyour potential buyer sense what your ver-bal avalanche are trying to accomplish,they will leave you talking to yourself. Neverunderestimate the power of nonverbal sell-ing power.

Know when to stay silentUsually salespeople love to talk. There is

a false assumption of beliving that “tellingis selling”. This quality allows them to opendoors and close sales but same friendly lo-quacious skill cause turnoff prospects andloose sales. In fact, after the first contact,its more important for a salesperson tolisten then to talkRemembers the 3 C’s

These Cs are the keys to be happy, suc-cessful selling. n

CLOSE THE SALE

CLOSE YOUR MOUTH

CLOSE THE DOOR


tress is a commonly used term to de-scribe a cluster of negative feelingscombined with edgy physical sensa-tions. Contemporary life is marred withsituations where an individual is likely toexperience such reactions many timesover the twenty four hours of a day.Long term exposure to stress retardsperformance seriously and causes fatalconsequences to one’s health.Stress- as people commonly experi-

ence and report is:… worrying about money. “Supervisor

in the public office”…afraid of growing old and getting

sick. “Retired army officer”… too little time and too much to do.

“Undergrad engineering student”Intensely stirred up feelings on one

side, the other side of stress continuumis dullness, feelings of depression, futil-ity and virtually no enthusiasm at all.“It’s all a mindless repetition of days…

kids, husband, in laws, cooking, clean-ing… I wonder, if I am alive anymore. “Ahousewife”Our short term encounters to stress

are as demoralizing as we all know ofthem.

STRESS MANAGEMENT


S


WALI MUHAMMAD


I want to shine in people but stress in so-cial situations leaves me a dumb tonguetie. “A medical student”No wonder people come to fear stress

and would do anything to avoid it, only tosee that avoidance strategy amplifies it allthe more. Commonly used strategies in-clude drugs, addiction, mental or physicalremovals from stress arousing situations.I always thought that my job with a tele-

com operator company was too stressfuland teaching in the university will be muchmore meaningful and easy until I switchedon, only to find out that I have swapped thestressors of one lifestyle with stressors ofanother. “An Electrical Engineer”Closer analysis of stressful experiences

reveals – it all starts from individual’s per-ception of a situation. Similar situationscould be interpreted as depressing or ex-citing by two different people. Stress in agiven situation for an individual dependsentirely on how he/she assessed it.Stress is an individual’s perception and as-sessment of environment. This impliesthat everything we see, hear, and feel,taste and smell is a source of stress. In-tentionally controlled assessment of situ-ation may make the experience focusedalertness or else confusing excitement,fear, or depression. Just like fire, whencontrolled, is a source of energy other-wise destruction. Properly controlledstress may just be the best thing happen-ing with an individual.Negative assessment of perceptions

lead to strain – triggering of a complexchain of neuro-chemical reactions result-ing in changes in the physical and mentalstate of an individual, experienced throughsymptoms such as sweating, tension inmuscles, rapid heartbeat, nausea, dizzi-ness, fainting, indigestion, high blood pres-sure confusion and lack of concentration.The perpetual vicious cycle is: stress tostrain to changes in performance to fur-ther stress and so on.Performance depends uponmaintaining

oneself on medium level between two ex-tremes, harnessing the creative forces ofstress to experience feelings of alertness,enthusiasm and well being while ap-

proaching the tasks of life. This comes inhandy as one begins to learn and recog-nize oneself experiencing the feelingstates, “stirred up”, or “dull” and makesconscious efforts to keep between thetwo extremes. As one decides to see theglass half full conscious control of stressmeter comes into play. The main problem,however, is mastering one’s physiologicalreactions that are only partially underone’s conscious control. Good news is,there are ways one can gain gradual con-trol here.Deepmuscle relaxation: To experience it

now, clench your fist as tightly as you canfor five seconds, then open your hand andconsciously relax for five seconds, seehow you feel. For a proper session, sitdown on a chair and repeat the sameprocess starting from your toes, feet,calves, upper legs, buttocks, arms, hands,shoulders, and finally the facial muscles.Repeat the entire exercise three times aday, before bed, after the alarm goes off inthe morning and one in the afternoon.Your body will assimilate the relaxation re-sponse in a week that you can emulate atwill.Relaxed breathing: For five minutes slow

your breathing rate to five deep breaths aminute. In other words inhale for about sixseconds and exhale for about six, combineit with deep muscle relaxation.Do Nothing: Take one or two, ten min-

utes breaks during the day for thinkingand doing nothing. It may be very boring inthe start but gradually one learns to ap-preciate the stillness.Burst in laughter: To accomplish this

task keep something handy, a joke, ansms, a memory of your favorite comedymovie, etc.. Do it every so often during theday.Face it easy: when it’s a fearsome task,

listen to soothing music, recite versesfrom your holy book, or think somethingnice for a while and please don’t smoke.Positive Payoff: To deal with lack of en-

thusiasm and lethargy observe your be-havior for four days and note down anyactivity that you enjoy doing and feelpleased about such as coffee, reading

newspaper, TV, going for a walk, calling afriend etc… Combine it with the accom-plishment of a piece of behavior as speci-fied by you, such as checking the boringofficial e-mails and then drinking a cup ofcoffee, deep muscle relaxation and thencalling a friend. Practice it for a while; it willsurely spruce up your routine.

Thriving on stress is all about makingsmart choices. While we can’t have com-plete control over a situation, importantthing to remember is, we decide how wereact to it.


ISLAMIC BANKING


TMCL-based interest-free bankingmodel is commercially viable; it iscapable of providing all modern

banking services and also interest-free loans on wide scale. It canreplace conventional banking

immediately without anydisruption in the financial system.








oday’s most vital problem facedby the world economies alike de-manding most urgent attentionof all concerned persons is thefast approaching strife and civil

commotion due to persistent rise in priceof goods.Keynes, the most eminent economist of

the last century held that direct relation-ship between interest and price is one ofthemost completely established empiricalfacts in the whole field of quantitative eco-nomics. Margrit Kennedy, an eminent Ger-man economist holds that at present,element of interest constitutes more than1/3rd of the prices of all things. AllamaIqbal, greatest Muslim thinker of the lastcentury held interest to be the source of fi-nancial miseries and cause ofmoral degra-dation. He urged abolition of interest sostrongly that he considered even talk of in-tellect, culture and religion to be futile with-out demolishing interest-based system.Interest is so strictly prohibited in Quran

that offenders are warned of war formAllah and his ProphetMohammad (PBUH).Allah warns in Quran “Whosoever violatesmy commands verily for him livelihood willbecome distressful” and also assures“whosoever followsmy guidance will not goastray nor fall into misery” and promises“if you aid in fulfilling Allah’s will he will aidyou”. Mohammad (PBUH) said that thepeople indulging in interest are bound tobe struck with famine. These facts lead tothe conclusion that what is most urgently

needed to be done to avert the impendingdisaster is to revert to Allah and earn hisblessings by abolishing interest.Loan is an indispensable need ofmankind

and conventional banks offer it at differentinterest rate that is why interest-basedbanking prevails throughout the world. Atadvent of Islam interest-bearing loans werein vogue. Islam prohibited interest andhighly commended interest-free loans.Profit-sharing was also in vogue in Pre-Is-lamic days. Islam did not prohibit it and per-mitted it to continue but did not commendit. Being originated from Islamic principlesinterest-free loan for sure is the basis of Is-lamic financial system just as Tauheed isthe basis of Islamic ideology. It is an evil sug-gestion that interest cannot be abolishedat once and that interest-free banking can-not work without raising the moral stan-dards of people. Allah’s commands are allgood for mankind and enforceable at alltimes and in all circumstances. Practicallyanalyzing there is absolutely no reason forinterest-free banking not being operable inthe circumstances in which interest-basedbanking is prospering.Believing that Allah’s laws are enforce-

able at all times and realizing that interest-free loan is the basis of Islamic financialsystem late Professor Shaikh MahmudAhmad undertook intensive research stud-ies and by dint of dedicated effort and withAllah’s grace invented an interest-freelending device which he named ‘Time Mul-tiple Counter Loan’ (TMCL). For this re-

markable achievement and his most au-thentic and unique book on the subject‘Man and Money’ he was applauded in thePakistan Supreme Court Shariat AppellateBench unanimous judgment of 23rd De-cember 1999 in the famous Riba case as“Our country’s most outstanding econo-mist, researcher and leading thinker whohad devoted considerable part of his life tothe study of the theory of interest.” TMCLwas the only interest-free banking modelpresented in the court by the writer. Duringthe hearing it was very well received by allthe five honorable judges. In their unani-mous judgment this model is narratedwithout any adverse comment.TMCL-based interest-free bankingmodel

is commercially viable; it is capable of pro-viding all modern banking services and alsointerest-free loans on wide scale. It can re-place conventional banking immediatelywithout any disruption in the financial sys-tem. The writer offers his services free ofcharge to work for any institution or indi-vidual willing to implement this model witha view to get Muslim countries rid of inter-est and finish the miserable on-going warwith Allah and his Prophet (PBUH) that iskeepingMuslimUmmah deprived of Allah’sblessings. All well wishers of humanity ingeneral and Muslim Ummah in particularare requested to do whatever they can forabolishing interest as our Prophet Mo-hammad (PBUH) said, “those who do notcare about the affairs of Muslims are notfrom amongst us”. n

TMCL-based interest-free banking model can replace conventional bankingimmediately without any disruption in the financial system

How to avert impending

economicdisaster

ABDUL WADOOD KHANThe writer is a Saudi Arab based Islamic scholar

T


INTERVIEW


KAHKASHAN FAROOQ

August - September 2009 | MANAGER TODAY 39www.themanagertoday.com

INTERVIEW


Howmuch potential do you see forhospitality industry in Pakistanand what are the challenges it’sfacing here?

There’s immense potential for hospital-ity industry in Pakistan. Pakistan isblessed with diverse culture, festivals,unique ethnicity and scenic beauty that at-tract tourists from all over the world andalso the people of Pakistan to enjoy theseblessings. At present, the hospitality in-dustry is very small if compared to the lu-crative potential it offers. However, sinceJuly 2007, the political instability, militancyand severe security issues have curtailedthe growth of this industry very badly. ButI foresee a very bright future for this in-dustry in the years to come as I’m prettyhopeful that the things will come back tonormal state very soon.Kindly share with us the policies youemploy to compete with other players?I do not see much of the competition

out there in market but we take it as ahealthy sign. Whatever competition weare facing, boost more motivation into usto serve our clients even better than oth-ers and stay on top. A few big interna-tional players are also making sounds ofcoming to Pakistan. This is again a veryhealthy sign for the overall hospitality in-dustry of Pakistan.Please tell us about your role and re-sponsibilities as the GMand Vice Pres-ident Operations? And what initiativeshave you taken since joining Pearl Con-tinental?My first role is of serving my guests with

the best facilities & services and ensuring

their satisfaction while my second obliga-tion is to ensure good revenue generationto the Hashoo Group. Being the first Pak-istani on this high-level position in PearlContinental Hotels, I try all my best toprove my expertise and abilities to keepmy staff motivated and trained. Since myjoining, two more banquet halls have beenincluded in the premises, 80more roomshave been built while further 50 roomsare going t o be included in the building bythe next year. That’s how it’s going to be-come a 610 rooms’ hotel. Besides, I’ve gota few restaurants opened here whichhave become a real treat for our guests.How do you ensure that all customersare provided best service?My commitment to serve my guests

with best service keeps me literally on mytoes all time. Most of the time, you’ll findme on the floor with my other co-workers.I’m accessible to everyone. To ensure thebest services, regular training workshopare held in the premises, we always keeplooking forward to our guests’ feedbackwhich is of great value to us. We take ourguest as a king who deserves state of theart treatment.How do you ensure maximum possi-

ble occupancy in these difficult timesof security issues and global economicdownturn?The matter of maximum occupancy de-

pends upon best services. As our focus isalways on creating a long-term associa-tion between us and our guests, almost allof them return to us by the grace ofAlmighty. Nowadays, due to severe secu-rity issues and global financial crunch, we

are also facing a downfall in our occu-pancy ratio. Its 58 percent right nowwhich used to be 100 percent in normaltimes especially during Basant and otherfestivals in Lahore. However, we are serv-ing food to around 10,000 guests per day.Has the hotel resorted to any kind ofdownsizing in an effort to cope withthe recession?No! We have not resorted to lay off in

order to cope with the recession. Our an-nual turnover is only 2 percent which isquite low. Mr. Murtaza Hashwani and thewhole Hashoo Group value its workers alot. But yes, we have closed down hiring ofnew staff so far.Do you run any promotions as well toincrease the occupancy?As such we don’t run any such promo-

tions or schemes to attract customersbut yes in lean periods, bargains are donewith customers. In fact, we look up to con-ferences, seminars and workshop kind ofevents for revenue generation. We’ve got13 salespersons who visit our top clientsto introduce our promotional scheme butthis is a small level activity.What’s different from other hotels

that your hotel offers to customers?First off, our ambience is very unique.

The grandeur and the service our guestsreceive are incomparable. Besides that,we have eight restaurants in operation,serving the best food and recipes. Wehave Thai food restaurant which is one ofour distinctive feature. You’ll get the beststeak right here in Pearl ContinentalHotel. We are also going to launch an Ital-ian food restaurant very soon. Our busi-



ness centre, gym, salon etc all these fa-cilities are marked with state of the art fa-cilities and services.Kindly share with us the policies youemploy to compete with other play-ers?I do not see much of the competition

out there in market but we take it as ahealthy sign. Whatever competition weare facing, boost more motivation into usto serve our clients even better than oth-ers and stay on top. A few big interna-tional players are also making sounds ofcoming to Pakistan. This is again a veryhealthy sign for the overall hospitality in-dustry of Pakistan.How have you been coping with secu-rity concerns in view of attack onMar-riott hotel and increasing insurgencyin Pak?That attack onMarriot Hotel was one of

the worst incidents in the history of thecountry. Providing fool proof security toour guests is our top priority. We haveposted guards on each and every floor.Presently we have 200 security person-nel in the premises. We’ve also given

training to our staff in this regard.Please inform us about the upcomingprojects of Hashoo Group.Presently, there are seven hotels being

run by Hashoo Group in the country: twoby the name of Marriot while five areworking as Pearl Continental. Mr. MurtazaHashwani, an extremely talented hotelieris the president of the group. Under his dy-namic leadership, another PC is beingbuilt in Faisalabad, while the group is alsogoing to expand its network of budgetedhotels, Hotel One. Currently, three bud-geted hotels are running in Lahore.Which are the traits, a manager musthave to excel in her/his field?A manager must be competent in

her/his relevant field and must be a firmbeliever in hard work.How do you keep work-life balance?Hospitality industry is so demanding

that I hardly find time to spend with myfamily and participate in family events. Tobe in this field means a lot of sacrificesfrom the family side. I’m grateful toAlmighty that He’s blessed me with an un-derstanding family who regard my work

commitments and my workaholic nature.How do you find the fresh graduatescoming to this field?First off, we don’t really find up to the

mark staff from the local market. We hireand train people according to our highstandards. Despite the great potential,the talented and trained staff is not avail-able here. Ms. Sarah Hashwani is consid-ering a plan to start a hotel trainingschool here very soon. Besides, we offerinternship to MBAs as executive man-agement trainee but most of them showlack of interest in hard work and leavesoon. No doubt, this is one of the most de-manding fields and one has to prove itsmettle to excel here.What is your recipe of success?The key to success is having firm belief

in team spirit and retaining it. Alwaysmake yourself accessible to your staff andthe people. Trust your subordinates. Di-rect them clearly then let them performthe job. Motivate them and appreciatethem for their good work. Work hard as italways pays and keep strong belief in yourcompetencies. n

The key to success is having firm belief in team spirit andretaining it. Always make yourself accessible to yourstaff and the people. Trust your subordinates. Directthem clearly then let them perform the job. Instead offiring them, motivate them and appreciate them for theirgood work. Work hard as it always pays and keep strongbelief in your competencies


HR FOCUS


his world is full of HR managerswho may be termed as ‘conniv-ing agents of the management’,to borrow the term used by MaxBabri in the first issue of this

publication. If you are one of them, don’tdespair, because you are in good com-pany. A large number of HR heads whomay fall in this category would justifytheir being there by theorizing that ifthey did not do the calling of their man-agement, they would miss the opportu-nity of doing whatever good they COULDHAVE DONE for the employee, becausethey would not have survived for long.To be fair, HR managers have to con-

duct a complex (and at times danger-ous) balancing act, by simultaneouslyattending to needs and interests of em-ployees on the one hand, and manage-ment and owners on the other. On theface of it, these needs and interestsmay seem to be at odds with each other.A deeper look however reveals a largenumber of common threads, leading toa convergence of needs and interestsof the two groups.In the heart of their hearts, manage-

ment and owners know that the key tothe only competitive advantage theirbusiness can muster; lies in the handsof their employees.In order to achieve sustainable suc-

cess, the enterprise must look after itsemployees and attend to their needsand interests.HR departments can play a vital role

in managing the perceptions of bothgroups, and making them realize thattheir destinies are indeed intertwined

with each other – their needs and in-terests are mutually inclusive, not ex-clusive.Once that is achieved and HR related

decisions are taken collectively andtransparently, organizational synergywill be assured, leading to long term,sustainable growth and prosperity forall concerned. n

Whose side are you on?BAKHTIAR KHAWAJA

Writer is the head of HR in multinational company

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The writer is Group Head of Bank Al-falah’s Learning Group. He has over 30years of experience and exposure in

HR management and development and hasworked in four continents of the world. Hewas the founder president of the LUMS HRForumand is a syndicatemember of the Uni-versity of Gujrat. He speaks fluent Spanish, isa practicing musician and an active sports-man.

T

lmost everyone in sales and thoseinterested in personal develop-ment have read this classic byNapoleonHill at least once. And al-

most everyone who's read it has a positivecomment. Many (like me) will say, "Turningpoint in my life."Everyone has a turning point in their

quest for lifelong learning. Everyone hastheir Aha! In your personal development,it's what you choose to listen to, watch orread that enhances your understanding ofyour life and teaches you what you need todo to succeed. Napoleon Hill's 1937 quotesets the standard. "Whatever the mind ofman can conceive and believe, it canachieve."And once you have the information, it's all

about what you are willing to do to take ad-vantage of it. Most people know NapoleonHill was the author of Think and Grow Rich.The person Hill emulated and studied wasOrison SwettMarden. Notmany know that.Marden was the leading positive-attitude

genius of the 20th century.Well-known be-fore 1930-almost unknown today. He wasa founding father of personal developmentand positive thought. Aha! Author of morethan 40 books, Marden also was thefounder of SUCCESS magazine. Here area few of his words of wisdom from the bookhe wrote in 1908, HeWho Thinks He Can.

l "Every child should be taught to expectsuccess."

l "The man who has learned the art ofseeing things looks with his brain."

l "The best educated people are thosewho are always learning, always ab-sorbing knowledge from every possiblesource and at every opportunity."

l "People do not realize the immensevalue of utilizing spare minutes."

l "No substitute has ever yet been dis-covered for honesty."

l "Poverty is of no value except as a van-tage ground for a starting point."

These are quotes worth learning andpassing on to others. One hundred yearsold!"Learn More about Orison Swett Mar-

den."Based on my personal experience and

personal Ahas!, I'd like to challenge you withthe rules of personal development and giveyou some examples of what I have learnedso you might make your own plan to suc-ceed or enhance the one you have.

Expose yourself to knowledge.At the end of a seminar I gave on pos-itive attitude, I received an evaluation

from a woman named Mary with a com-ment that read, "I wish I would have heardthis 30 years ago." I got goose bumps ofsadness and thought of a Jim Rohn quote:"All the information you need to succeed al-ready exists; the only problem is you're notexposing yourself to it." This information ex-

SELF DEVELOPMENT


The PowerThe Powerof Personal Developmentof Personal Development

When I say Think and Grow Rich, what comes to your mind?

A

SHAKEEL AHMEDThe writer is a Motivation Speaker


isted 30 years ago. Mary just hadn't ex-posed herself to it.Jim Rohn is known as America's leading

business philosopher. His CD, The Art of Ex-ceptional Living, is among themodern clas-sics of personal development. Jim Rohn isthe current master of inspiration and Aha!He imparts wisdom in every sentence.Between Marden and Rohn, there is a

long list of valuable books. I owe my careersuccess to these books and to personaldevelopment information to which I haveexposed myself. Most of the books aremore than 50 years old. Many with reli-gious connotations-but still preaching theright words and thoughts. One of themostnotable is The Power of Positive Thinkingby NormanVincent Peale. Biblical and bril-liant.

Simple is powerful.If you read it and it seems too easyor too hokey, reread it. It's proba-

bly part of your personal development foun-dation.One of my early Aha! moments of per-

sonal development was the simplicity of themessage. Sometimes it's so simple, you goright past it without understanding the im-pact it can make.A classic example is the eternal How to

Win Friends and InfluencePeople by DaleCarnegie. In 1936 he wrote, "You canmake more friends in two months by be-coming interested in other people than youcan in two years by trying to get other peo-ple interested in you." How many sales-people could benefi t from that single Aha!?I think all of them.Interesting to note that Dale Carnegie's

lessons still are being taught in the class-room 70 years later!

Think and apply to improve.In As aMan Thinketh, published

in 1902, James Allen says, "Aman is literally what he thinks, his charac-ter being the complete sum of all histhoughts." Thinking what can be done is atthe core of your personal development.About 54 years later, in the million-seller,The Strangest Secret, Earl Nightingalewrites, "We become what we think about

all day long." Get it?In 1969, I listened to GlennW. Turner on

a cassette tape: "Act as though you havealready begun to achieve. Not fake it-live it."

Take a daily dose.Think about the time-worn ex-

pression, "An apple a day keepsthe doctor away." Apply that to per-

sonal development, and it means learn andapply one new thing every day. At the end of ayear you will have 365 new pieces of infor-mation.

The older the better.If you want a new idea, read a

book that's 100 years old. "The besteducated people are those who are alwayslearning, always absorbing knowledge fromevery possible source and at every opportu-nity." -Marden, 1908. Or, "History has demon-

strated that themost notable winners usuallyencountered heartbreaking obstacles beforethey triumphed. They won because they re-fused to become discouraged by their de-feats." -B.C. Forbes, 1919.

Personal development andpositive attitude are joinedat the hip-and at the brain.

And there is another component-being of service."There is little difference in people, but that

little difference makes a big difference. Thelittle difference is attitude. The big differenceis whether it is positive or negative." -ClementStone, 1946. Add that to the 5000-year-oldChinese proverb, "To Serve is to Rule."

7. Do it even as your buttfalls off.

In 1898, Elbert Hubbard wrote anessay titled, Message to Garcia. Deliver

the message, get the job done, complete thetask-no matter what. Many have read thatessay. Few have emulated it.Personal development challenges you to

think forward. "Greater than the tread ofmighty armies is an idea whose time hascome." -Victor Hugo, 1874.Personal development challenges you to be

your best. "You cannot mandate productivity;you must provide the tools to let people be-come their best." -Steve Jobs, 1988."I am the greatest of all time." -Muhammad

Ali, 1963.Personal development challenges you to

make decisions based on the person youseek to become. "The highest reward for aperson's toil is not what they get for it, but

what they become by it." -John Ruskin, 1869.Wondering where you can "findmore time"

to devote to your own success? "It has beenmy observation that most people get aheadduring the time that others waste." -HenryFord, 1901. Just a thought. The key word isnot development; the key word is personal.Do it for yourself, in your own way, and makeyour own time for it-or not. The biggest Aha!of personal development is fromRussell Con-well's Acres of Diamonds. Considered to beone of the finest speeches ever written,Acres of Diamonds offers a multitude of les-sons about the rewards of work, educationand finding the riches of life in your own backyard-or your own library. Aha! n


"You cannot mandate productivity; you mustprovide the tools to let people become their best."



COACHING


oaching is the next ‘in-thing’ and isfast becoming a fad in manage-ment practices. It’s no longer re-stricted to merely explaining andteaching things but is becoming a

more formal way of developing teams andsuccessors. Succession planning requirescoaching and the success of coaching de-

pends on how effective amanager is in thisfield.Many organizations are trying to create

a ‘coaching culture’. In this attempt, man-agers are being called coaches. It is seenas their new role. Interestingly, the idea isthat changing titles is expected to changebehaviors – at least, this is how it seems.

Our newly designated ‘coaches’ are senton training programs, which are moreoften than not, too theoretical. The con-tents and process taught are often notadapted to our local needs and culturalnorms.Once these individuals have taken part in

such well-publicized and often ill-conceivedtraining initiatives on coaching, their sub-ordinates start expecting their ‘managers’to start behaving as ‘coaches’! Their list ofexpectations, while laudable, becomesrather unrealistic. They immediately startlooking for attributes such as:• Good listener• People oriented• Forgiving• Encourages mistake• Empathetic• Emotionally intelligent• Understanding• Supportive• Facilitative

CorporateCPatangbaaz

FAHAD KARAMALLYTHE WRITER IS THE CEO OF NAVITUS


• And of course a coaching guru!Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see ourman-

agers and coaches exhibit such qualitiesovernight? But, the truth is, it all takes time.Behaviors change to the extent of businesscontext and environment supports it.The ground reality is that such learning

cannot be fully practiced all of the time. Thiscreates a heightened expectation gap;which becomes more pronounced overtime, if no real change becomes visible. Asa result, subordinates often feel disso-nance. They hear one thing and see an-other. This contrast can sometimes leadthem to describe their line managers ashaving a “Bossy” attitude.

WHO IS A BOSS?The word ‘boss’ has become an unhelp-

ful stereotype. It often carries a negativeconnotation and understandably so. His-tory is replete with examples of seniorswho have behaved in an authoritarian wayoften acting aggressively. Such managershardly ever listened to their subordinates,and thrived on giving orders. They used torule by fear, and held knowledge and infor-mation close to their chests. All thisstemmed mainly from a sense of insecu-rity.What mattered to such ‘bosses’ was

getting the job done at any cost, only to getahead or secure their turf. Feelings andemotions had no place in rational world,where you do what you are paid for.Thankfully, such behaviors are no longer

as widespread as they once were. Here isan analogy that captures how the word‘boss’ became so ugly. A negative stereo-type of a ‘boss’, as described above, is likethat of a swimmer on a diving board. Heclimbs a ladder and gets on to the divingboard. He stands there for all to see. Hisentire support is the diving board. In orderfor this swimmer to perform, he needs tojump on the diving board a few times, push-ing it down each time, in order to be pro-pelled higher, in order tomake the dive. Theheight attained this way, is of course, short-lived. This is generally what such ‘bosses’have done. They have climbed the prover-bial corporate ladder and stood on top oftheir subordinates, jumped on them, only

to shine their own glory, while taking all thecredit. But all in vain, as they end up divinghead first! Can this unhelpful image of a‘boss’ ever change? It can. Over time, andthrough consistent behaviors by man-agers that demonstrate both compassionand courage – a conduct that values andnurtures human dignity and fairness.

WHO IS A COACH?There are a number of movies based on

true stories, namely: Coach Carter; Re-member the Titans; Men of Honor; Mira-cle, Antwone Fisher and K-19 to list a few.Such films depict coaching and people de-velopment beautifully, albeit in a differentcontext and setting from ours. Interest-ingly none of them entirely fit the theory ofcoaching as we see it in Western text-books and what is usually taught in theclass room. These films depict strong indi-viduals who inspire people forcefully, butnever lose sight of purpose and caring be-hind the effort.To me, Kite flying provides a useful

metaphor for coaching. A good coach is abit like a Patangbaaz (a kite flyer). Whenyou have a kite in your hands and the windconditions are right, it fliesmajestically. Youlet the kite soar to great heights; it rulesthe skies and competes with many otherkites. Spectators can only see the kite, itsbeauty and flight. However, behind everykite is a person. This individual holds on tothe string, gently guiding the kite’s trajec-tory. This person with the string allows thekite full flight and intervenes only whenneeded to redirect the kite to its originalobjective.Similarly, a coach is someone that gives

people space in which to soar to great

heights, and encourages widespreadrecognition of the coachees for their goodperformance. A coach does all this withoutever leaving the ‘string’ i.e., without ever los-ing the all-important connection with thecoachees. Each one of us needs to main-tain this connection with our coachees. Itkeeps us disciplined and focused. Our sub-ordinates will perform better knowing thattheir manager is connected to them insome way. Connection shows caring andattention. Therefore, find a coach for your-self, and be one to your subordinates. Inother words, be a corporate ‘patangbaaz’and celebrate Basant all year round. This isone form of kite flying everyone will wel-come and your people will grow to delivermagical results. n

Similarly, a coach is someone that gives peoplespace in which to soar to great heights, andencourages widespread recognition of the

coachees for their good performance. A coachdoes all this without ever leaving the ‘string’ i.e.,without ever losing the all-important connection

with the coachees.

INTERVIEWACADEMIA

Along

withtheestablishmentoftheseschools,isthereanyexpansion

planinpipelinetosetupLUMScampusinanyothercityaswell?

IhavebeenrequestedbySailkotChamberofCom

merceandotherinstitu-

tionsinFaisalabad,Rawalpindiand

KarachitoestablishcampusesofLUMS;

theyassuredmetheprovisionofcampusbuildingandallresearchfacilities.

Myanswertoallsuchoffersisalwaysverysimple,currentlywehavearound

30permanentfacultymem

bersandfivevisitingfacultymem

bersatLUMS,

andforavibrantbusinessschoolweneednearly60qualifiedfacultymem

bers.

So,unlessIcouldsecureacriticalmassoffacultymem

bersIcannoteven

thinkofestablishinganothercampusanywhereforthenexttenyears.

Qualityfacultymembersbeingcrucialtothesuccessofyourobjec-

tives,doyouhaveanyparticularfacultydevelopmentprograminprac-

ticetosecuremorefacultymembers?

Ibelievefacultyisthesinglemostimportantassetindetermininganyedu-

cationalinstitution’spositiontostayatthetop.

Universitiesareonlyasgoodastheirfaculty.

PROFILE

DrShaukatBrahisaDeanoftheSulemanDawoodSchoolofBusiness,La-

horeUniversityofManagem

entSciencessinceJuly2007.Heisadedi-

catededucator,com

mittedtoresearch,teachingandgeneralwellbeing

ofhisstudents,colleaguesandhumanity.

HehasaPhD

from

theUniversityofHouston,whereduringhisgraduatestudies;

heworkedonaresearchprojectonNASA’sSpaceShuttleProgram

.Thereafter,

hetaughtattheLahoreUniversityofManagem

entSciences,acasebasedpre-

mierinstitution,fortwoyears.Recently,hetaughtattheNUSBusinessSchoolfor

oversixteenyearsbeforereturningtoservehiscurrentposition.

DrShaukatBrah’sresearchinterestsareinthebroaderareaofoperationsman-

agem

ent.Tohiscredit,Dr.ShaukatBrahhasovertwentyinternationalrefereed

papers,hundredsofcitationsofhisresearchworksintheWebofScience,refer-

eedpapersininternationalbookseries,conferencepapers,casestudiesandmany

otheracadem

iccontributions.DrShaukatBrah’steaching

philosophyisdeeply

groundedinprovidingaveryactivelearningenvironm

ent.

48M

ANAG

ERTO

DAY

|Au

gust

-Sep

tem

ber2

009

NA

BE

EL

AM

AL

IK

49M

ANAG

ERTO

DAY

|Au

gust

-Sep

tem

ber2

009

So,weareverymuchconcernedaboutselectingtherightfacultymem

bers

forLUMS.Wefollowaveryrigorousprogramforrecruitingqualifiedfacultyfor

theuniversity.

Inthiseraofbraindrain,whatisyourpolicytoretainkeyfacultymem-

bers?

WehaveaveryhighrateoffacultyretentionatLUMS,partlybecauseofthe

empoweringculturewhereeverybodyisanintegralpartofthedecisionmak-

ingatalllevels.Ourretentionrateismuchbetterthanthatofuniversitiesin

NorthAmericaandEurope.However,wedoneedtoworkharderforretention

ofstaff.AtLUMS,wehaveveryhighexpectationsfrom

allofourfacultymem

-bers.W

elookattheteachingperformanceofourfaculty,scrutinizetheirre-

search

andserviceperformance

andthethresholds

forallthese

areasof

evaluationareveryhigh.

Weprovidementorshipandsupporttohelpanewfacultymem

beradjustto

thenewenvironm

ent.Onceadjusted,generallypeopledo

notquit.Som

eof

them

haveaverydifferentmindsetandtheymaynotfullyvaluetheworthof

ourgreatinstitution,howeversuchcasesareveryrareandfarbetween.All

ofthishappensinspite

oflucrativeoffersavailabletomycolleagues.Forin-

stance,lastyeararoundsixofmyfacultymem

bersinthebusinessschoolhad

offersfrom

abroad,fivefrom

theuniversitiesintheMiddleEastandonefrom

aEuropean

university.But,asadean,Ihadno

worries

thatmycolleagues

wouldbe

leavingtoacceptoffersfrom

abroad

primarilybecauseoftheir

strongbondwiththeinstitution.

Businessschoolsaremushroominginourtownsandstreets,which

arenotveryhighmeritoriented.How

canwemeetthechallengeofpre-

servingqualitybusinesseducation?

Thegovernmenthastoplayakeyroleinprovidingsupportforestablishing

aprivatesectorrunaccreditationbodythatwilldeterminethequalityofedu-

cationofbusinessdegreegrantinginstitutions.

Freemarketiswonderful;however,institutionsmustpresentthem

selvesfor

accreditationandevaluationtoensuremaintaining

minimum

thresholds

ofquality.

InsouthAsiawehaveSouthAsian

QualityAssuranceSystemforManage-

mentSchools(SAQS),which

controlsthequalityofeducationintheregion.

LUMSistheonlyinstitutioninPakistancertifiedbytheSAQS.Thus,Irecom

-mendestablishm

entofaccreditationbodyandastrictcontrolon

quality

throughthem

.

INTERVIEW ACADEMIA


LUMS serves a limited part of societybeing verymuch expensive, how can itsscope be increased?The university is a non profit entity work-

ing on need blind admissions policy. Thisyear we have an intake of 700 studentsfor our undergraduate programs and weexpect 100 of them to come from our Na-tional Outreach Program (NOP). Under theNOP program, we select top studentsfrom all over the country, train them forentrance test (LBAT) and communicationskills so they can come up to LUMS stan-dards. Once selected on merit, LUMS fullypays for the academic expenses includingtuitions, residential expenses etc of all NOPstudents. This is only possible because ofthe generosity of our donors. Clearly, ourrecent NOP graduates are not letting usdown and they have proven themselves intheir professional fields.

Today’s career oriented business de-grees are making our students materi-alistic. How can we produce balancedhuman professionals in the presenttime?This is probably the point where our ed-

ucation system is failing and it needs to becorrected from the core fundamentals. Iam a business school professor and I keeptelling everybody that there is nothingwrong in making honest money. Oneshould work hard to increase wealth andstandard of living, but it should not becomea license to be arrogant to others.We get students in the university for two

to four years and practically all of their per-

sonal development is complete by the timethey reach us. So, I believe, if one is raisednicely and possesses strong values, mate-rialism would not catch upon his personal-ity.

Would you like tomake suggestions forimprovement?There is a popular story that South

Korea took Dr. Mehboob-ul-Huq’s five yearplan and implemented it without changingeven a comma. The per capita of Korea in1962 was less than per capita of Pakistanwhile today it is many folds that of Pakistan.The development, innovations and

progress South Korea made in a shorterperiod is highly remarkable. The importantfactor is that in 1962 the literacy rate andother social indicators of South Koreawere very high, and as the capital came tothe country the nation was able to use itproductively. That served as the secret oftheir success and development. We alsoneed to improve education policies with biginvestments in this sector.

Is there any role model in your life?The personality of Quaid-e-Azam is my

ideal.

I love hard work and putting my best toperform my duties.The acts of kindness of my parents have

also been a great inspiration for me.

How do you manage work life balance?I always do my work at my workplace

even if that means coming back to worklate at night. I do not take anything relatedto work home. My family usually do not callme while I am at work either. While beingwith the family I give them full attention andI take keen interest in the activities of mychildren.We go out together, eat togetherand we do visit here and there wheneverwe get an opportunity.So, this way I try to maintain a quality of

balance between my personal and profes-sional life.

What are the keys to success in life?Be honest to yourself, always work hard

and stay committed to your goals. Thesefactors would enable you to stand againstall kinds of odds. Make ways not excuses.There is no short cut to success, so workhard with full devotion and commitment.With a purpose and conviction, you woulddefinitely be able to achieve your goals.n

we are proud that ourstudents prove better

professionals inpractical field. We alsohope to increase thenumber of sponsoredstudents at LUMS in

near future.


ho would have thought that allthose old proverbs and advicesthat ourmothers / elders gaveus could keep high scientificsense? But today’s work life

routine is making us realize that those ad-vices were of a high scientific importance.Here I would like to discuss some of theproverbs that my mother used to teachme frequently but I ever little cared be-cause of my ignorance. Today I understandthe new meanings of these advices owingto my knowledge of the medical field.An Apple a day, keeps the doctorawayWell, we know that an apple is a good

source of some of the most essential min-erals includingMagnesium, Calcium, Phos-phorus, Selenium, Vitamin A, C & E andFolate. It also contains small amounts ofiron, copper and zinc. The recent scientificdata clearly sports that magnesium is oneof the most essential minerals needed byevery cell in human body. It is realized thatmore than 300 biochemical reactions inthe body including proper muscle, nerveand heart function, protein synthesis andenergy metabolism, depend on magne-sium. Not surprisingly, we are not gettingenough of it in our daily diet. Magnesiumnot only helps in regularizing our body sys-tems but also help in boosting up metabo-lism. This change inmetabolismmay resultin weight reduction and prevention of dis-eases like Diabetes Mellitus. Other goodsources of magnesium include nuts suchas almonds, cashews and peanuts, whole-grain cereals, oatmeal, and legumes whileminerals in ample like calcium, selenium,phosphorus and Vitamin regulate multiplepathways which could help you limit yourdoctor visits.Breakfast like a King, Lunch like aPrince and Dine like a PauperTake control of metabolism from the be-

HEALTH & WELLNESS


Oldproverbswithnewmeanings...

W


DR. S. ABBAS RAZA, M.DThe writer is a Consultant

Endocrinologist at the ShaukatKhanum Cancer Hospital& Research Center


ginning of the day. If you want tomaintain ahealthy metabolism throughout the day,take a nutritious breakfast. Many studiesindicate that breakfast increases metabo-lism by 10 percent and reduces the risk ofobesity and diabetes. A breakfast contain-ing whole-grain cereal, fruit, whole-wheattoast and fat-free yogurt could just be theright way to start your day.Remember it’s not only yourmetabolism

which gets affected due to skipping break-fast but also your performance at work re-sulting in poor concentration, irritability,and a higher craving for food during restof the day.So next time you leave home in a hurry

without having your breakfast, rememberthat you are asking for trouble!Seven days without exercise makesone weakExercise not only burn calories but also

programs the body in such a way that bodycould handle calories in a more efficientway. One of the better ways to exercise isa technique known as Fartlek (also knownas interval training). It is a Swedish wordfor ‘speed play’. It involves training sessionswith alternate short bursts of intense ac-tivity with lower intensity activity. This couldbe achieved while performing alternatingsprints with a slow jog, or powering up a hillfollowed by an easy downhill. This form ofexercise actually is a great way to pump upyour metabolism, burn more calories /fatand not loose interest in your exercise rou-tine. This form of exercise actually teachesyour heart and muscles to use oxygenmore efficiently, by programming energyproducing cells (mitochondria) in the body.A tri-color meal is a good dealWhen deciding about how to prepare

your platter at a Buffet or a dining table,just step back and decide how your plateshould look like when it is full? The selectionand variety of food could make a whole dif-ference in how you would digest and me-tabolize that meal. If you make your plate amulti color, by adding vegetables, meat andsalad, you might be doing a favor to your-self. A diverse colored platter could meana food rich in most of the nutritional needsof the body. For example a food rich in B vi-

tamins (spinach, asparagus, beans, melon,broccoli, fish, poultry and eggs) will be help-ful in DNA synthesis, the central nervoussystem,metabolism of carbohydrates, fatsand protein and energy production. Fooddeficient in essential amounts of VitaminB6, B12, folate, thiamin and niacin, willleave you feeling depressed and fatigued. Itmay also slow the body’s metabolism andincrease your risk for chronic diseases. Sothe best advice would be tomix andmatchthe dietary selection to avail the completesynergy of these vitamins and minerals.Eat to live, not live to eatOne of the waysmost of us end up trying

to loose weight in our busy life style is bydepriving our body from the food and per-forming ‘crash diet’. This in reality pro-grams our metabolism to slow down andconserve more food in form of fat.Our body is programmedwith ‘dietary in-

duced thermo genesis’, which is initiatedwith food intake. So if slash your calories,the calories burned by eating are greatlydiminished and so is your metabolic rate.It takes about 20minutes from the time

you actually start eating till your brain real-izes that you have started the process of

eating. What it means for you is that brainsatiety center (telling that you have eatenenough) does not send signal for atleastfirst 20minutes and by that time you couldhave utilized too many calories. So, bestway is to start with a salad and eat slowly.Other great way to increase your me-

tabolism is by having small healthy snacksbetween meals. Snacking helps in ignitingyour energy by giving your body a fuelboost, which in turn results in increasingyour metabolism and avoid the ‘over hun-gry-overeating syndrome’. These snacksshould include healthy carbohydrates andprotein (peanut, butter) Fruit (banana,Ample) and vegetables (pieces of car-rots). These small amounts of pro-tein/carbohydrate combination helpregulate blood sugar, energy level andfeeling of satiety.In the end, I would recommend a good

balance of food intake, food selection andways to burn these calories, could make awhole lot difference in keeping your me-tabolism at where it should be,making yourlife more enjoyable for you. n

Our body is programmed with ‘dietary inducedthermo genesis’, which is initiated with foodintake. So if slash your calories, the calories

burned by eating are greatly diminished and so isyour metabolic rate.


BEST SELLER BOOK REVIEW


Who Moved My Cheese?


any a times, one wandersbetween the existing andthe upcoming; and such isthe premise of Who Moved

My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, M.D.,that change is constant and inevitable.In today’s cut-throat competition thepower to anticipate, recognize, and un-derstand change is of utmost impor-tance to stay abreast in the corporateworld. Rather than manage change it-self, one must modify behavior towardschange.The fable revolves around two mice

and two little men looking for cheese ina maze. The cast of characters includestwo mice, Sniff and Scurry, who aregiven human character traits and ac-tions, and two little people, Hem andHaw, complete with complex emotionsand belief systems. Sniff is quick to iden-tify change and Scurry is quick to act.

Hem is in eternal denial, experiencingfear of the unknown and strongly re-sisting all changes while Haw learns toadapt to change in the hope of better-ment. The writer uses "Cheese" as a"metaphor for what you want in life,whether it is a relationship, money, free-dom, health, recognition, spiritual peace,or even any activity like sports, whereasthe maze pictures where we spend ourtime looking for what we want. It can bethe organization you work for, the com-munity you live in, or the relationshipsyou have in your life. The tale beginswith Sniff, Scurry, Hem, and Haw in theirdaily jog to the maze in search ofcheese.While searching for cheese, the reac-

tion of the characters lends itself tocomparisons with our reactionary vs.participatory approaches when encoun-tering change. Some people live content

with what they possess and resistchange, while others constantly keeplooking for new opportunities.The book is divided into a foreword

and three sections. In Section 1, "AGathering," several in a reunion of for-mer classmates discuss dealing withchange in their lives. Section 2, "TheStory," is the core of the book. Section3 returns to the classmates who arefinding real-life applications for the newinsights gleaned from the story. Amongthe tools, Johnson also traces out themajor fears that often paralyze peopleand suggests visualizing one's self at theend of a goal, looking at the journey as achallenge and seeing your reaction be-yond the fear line.The book offers both an entertaining

and thought-provoking way for people toreview their own behavior towardchange. n

M

MUHAMMAD YASIR


MOVIE REVIEW

ANGERMANAGEMENTDIRECTOR: PETER SEGALSTARRING: JACK NICHOLSON,ADAM SANDLER, MARISA TOMEI,JOHN TURTURRORUNTIME1 HR 46 MINS

hough not in his signature role, AdamSandler once again has captured the au-dience with his performance in Anger

Management. Together Adam Sandlar andJack Nicholson is a recipe for the proverbialodd couple. Catering to the different audi-ences, the two performers bring as dissimilaracting styles to the table as possible and onewould rarely find a perfect match of two ap-parently mismatched actors working together- a match only made in Hollywood; and their jux-taposed comedic styles are quite complemen-tary, mixing lowbrow humor with a few slightlymore sophisticated laughs.Anger Management, like most films of its

genre, depends more on the personas of thecomedians than it does on the script. Fortu-nately both Sandler and Nicholson are up tothe challenge.The latter steals much of the spotlight as the

eccentric, possibly half-insane doctor, a roletailored to Nicholson's simmering aggressionand trademark sardonic grin.Sandler continues to successfully explore

roles beyond the hot-headed buffoon type,demonstrating admirable development asboth an actor and a comedian. His characteris likable and funny.Although a bit uneven at times—some of the

laughs are a bit strained, and the surprise end-ing isn't really so unexpected—Anger Manage-ment is successful on the whole. Nicholsonand Sandler, working from a deliciously absurdscript in roles they were born to play, arenever boring to watch. It even has a messageabout standing up for yourself, but the bestthing to do is just kick back on the chaiselounge and enjoy. n

DIRECTORRAMON MENENDEZSTARRINGEDWARD JAMES OLMOS, ANDY GARCIA,LOU DIAMOND PHILLIPS, ROSANA DE SOTORUNNING TIME1 HR 45 MINS

tand and Deliver, directedby Ramón Menéndez andstarring Edward James

Olmos, is an entertaining dra-matic retelling of a true storyabout what one man can accom-plish when he dedicates his lifeto serving others.The film contrasts the results

of an educational system whereno one cares enough to do any-thing more than to emptily,heartlessly "go through the mo-tions," with what can be achievedthrough the labors of a singleteacher who cares enough to de-mand more. The film argues forthis more caring kind of educa-tor. Each contrast suggests theinherent superiority of educatorsputting more than just their timeinto teaching their students; theymust put in their hearts andsouls as well.The story is told from a several

perspectives. The primary per-spective is that of Jaime Es-calante, a man who leaves theprivate sector to teach publicHigh School in Eastern Los An-geles. There are a couple of sec-ondary perspectives toldconcurrently with that of Es-calante.One is that of Angel, a troubled

youth who is Escalante's most

challenging student. Another isthe ongoing romance betweentwo of Escalante's students:Lupe and Pedro. These differingperspectives serve as a narra-tive device in the film. The shift-ing back and forth betweenthese story lines helps to breakup the film into comprehensiblesegments within the linearwhole. These alternate perspec-tives help build the viewer's af-fection for and interest in thestudents portrayed; while at thesame time building the dramatictension of the plot.All in all, Stand and Deliver is

successful in its aims (namely ad-vancing the argument that thereare no "uneducatable" students)while remaining compellingly en-tertaining.In the late twentieth century

movies supplanted literature ascatalysts for social change. I be-lieve that Stand and Deliver, aswell as several other movies likeit, have successfully moved edu-cation to the forefront as a na-tional issue. The film is in thatrespect (which may well be themost important respect) a mon-umental success. n

TS

STANDANDDELIVER


MUNIR HUSSAIN

VOCABULARY


City slicker: a person with the sophisticated man-ner and dress traditionally associated by ruralpeople with city dwellersComic relief: humorous scene or incident that al-leviates tension in an otherwise serious situationl The Shakespearean dramas often contain cos-mic relieves.Correcto-maniac: someone who has a habit ofcorrecting others, say in matters of languagel The correcto-maniac nature of the boss turnedhis employees fed up with the work environment.Fait accompli: something that has already hap-pened or has been done and cannot be changedl We got married secretly and then presentedour parents with a fait accompli. —OxfordCosmopolitan: containing people of differenttypes, religions and nationalities and influenced bytheir culturel London is a cosmopolitan city.Couch potato: a lazy person who prefers watch-ing TV to being activeIn today’s competitive professional world it is notpossible for any couch potato to survive.Critique: a detailed critical review or commen-tary, especially one dealing with works of art or lit-eraturel You need to learn how to critique an argumentin a scientific way.Deadwood: useless personnel or materiall In order to run this organization efficiently, wewill have to get rid of the deadwood.Demeanour: the way someone looks or behavesl He maintained a professional demeanourthroughout.Disingenuous: insincere; deceitful; not straight-forwardl That’s a very disingenuous argument.Doctrinaire: a person inflexibility attached to atheory without regard to its practicalityl He came across as a doctrinaire ideologue tome.Doublespeak: language that is intended to de-ceive people, or that can be understood in two dif-ferent waysl I am totally fed up with your double-speak.Enigma: someone or something hard to under-stand or explainl Russia is a riddle wrapped in amystery inside an enigma.—Winston Churchill

Manage:

This word originated from the Italianwordmannegiare (to handle). The word“manager” was first being used to referto someone who ran a business or in-stitution.Management Buy-Out

The raising of large sums ofmoney bya team of managers to buy the com-pany they run.A variation on the management buy-

Out (MBO) is the less common man-agement buy-in (MBI). In this case, ateam of managers form outside thecompany buys it in order to run it.Management By Exception:

A management philosophy: the policyof only looking closely at events that de-viate significantly from an expectednorm.Management by Objectives:

Its main principle is that employer andemployee sit down together to agree onthe objectives to be achieved by the em-ployee.Management Consultant:

An adviser whose aim is to help com-panies to identify management prob-lems, to analyze them, to recommendsolutions, and (when requested) to helpin implementing those solutions. Theterm management consultant coversfour main areas of business consul-tancy:1. IT, the fastest growing area;2. Manufacturing;3. Organizational Effectiveness (In-

cluding finance and marketing);4. Corporate Strategy.

Management Development:

A catch-all phrase referring to theteaching and nurturing of managementskills. There are eight functions that aregenerally agreed to be central to the jobof managing:Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Super-

vising, Directing, Controlling, Co-ordinat-ing, and Innovating.Market Leader:

The product or service that sells the

most compared with the other prod-ucts or services in its industrial seg-ment.Market Share:

A company’s sales in a particularmar-ket expressed as a percentage of totalsales in that market.Market valued Added:

TheMarket value of a companyminusthe total cash that has been invested inthe company. This is themarket’smeas-ure of how much value has been addedby the company and its operations.Matrix Management:

A method that was largely devised bya Dutch company, Philips, after the sec-ond world war as ameans of managinga broad range of products across abroad range of markets. Managementcontrols ran in two directions: horizon-tally across geographical regions andvertically across different productgroups.Mentoring:

A method of management training inwhich junior managers are assigned aspecific individual senior manager towhom they have privileged access foradvice and guidance.Mergers and Acquisitions:

The two ways in which companiescome together, often abbreviated toM&A. Mergers are friendly combina-tions of two or more companies into anew entity; acquisitions are the (some-times unwelcome) TAKEOVER of onecompany by another.Mission Statement:

A statement by accompany of itsoverriding business goals, of how it isgoing to achieve them, and of the valuesit will uphold in doing so.Multi-Skilling:

It aims at equipping workers with anumber of skills. Traditionally each Em-ployee has a specific skill for a specifictask, which only he or she performed.However, employees are expected tocarry out a number of different tasks,each requiring different skills.

Vocabulary Bank Management vocabulary for executives


SHAKIL A. CHAUDHRY

HUMOUR

The crab and his mother(lead by example not by words)

Amother crab criticized her son for

walking sideways, whereupon the son

asked his mother to show him how to walk

straight. Of course the mother crab was

unable to walk any straighter than her son,

and soon apologized for criticizing what she

herself was guilty of too.

The lioness and the vixen(quality not quantity)

Alioness and a vixen were comparing

their young. The vixen said how beau-

tiful her litter of cubs was, and remarked

sneeringly that the lioness only ever had

one cub. "Ah yes," said the lioness, "but that

one is a lion..."

The apes and the travelers(think before you

speak/discretion is the better part ofvalor)

Two travellers, one who always lied and

one who always spoke the truth, came

upon the land of apes and were captured.

Brought before the king of the apes, and

asked for their opinion of the king ape and

his subjects, the untruthful traveler praised

the king to be a powerful and impressive

monarch, and all his subjects to be com-

pletely worthy of theirmaster. The king ape

was delighted and gave the traveler a fine

gift. The second traveler thought to himself

that if his friend had benefited by lying, so

he would be benefit still more by telling the

truth, and when asked his opinion replied

that he thought the king to be a great ape,

and all his subjects great apes too. The ape

king was so enraged he ordered the poor

traveler to be taken away and killed.

The ass and the mule(share a load or you'll end upcarrying it all)

Aman loaded his ass and his mule for a

journey, but after travelling for a while

the ass began to weaken, so he asked the

stronger mule to carry some of his load.

The mule refused, and in due course the

ass collapsed and died. Themule was then

forced to carry the ass's load, and also the

skin of the poor ass. The mule could only

just manage the painful load, and realised

his failure to help a little at first had caused

a much greater suffering to himself.

The soldier and the horse(look after what is of value)

Asoldier tended his horse well during

the wars and the horse served him

well. At the end of the wars the soldier

treated the horse badly, with little food, no

shelter and heavy drudging work. War

broke out again and the soldier went to use

the horse as before, but the wretched

beast collapsed, saying that the poor treat-

ment had turned him into an ass, and he

would not be restored to a trusty steed in

just a moment.

The oxen and the butchers(accept what is inevitable)

Agroup of oxen were set on avenging

their treatment by the butchers and

plotted to kill themwith their horns, until an

old wise ox spoke out: "We may hate and

fear the butchers, but they do what they

must do expertly, and if we kill them, man

will still eat beef, so then other less skilled

men will cause us far greater suffering."


Once upon a time there was a bunch of tiny frogs who arranged arunning competition.The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower.A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer onthe contestants. The race began.Honestly, No one in crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach thetop of the tower.You heard statements such as:"Oh, way too difficult!!""They will never make it to the top."Or: "Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!"The tiny frogs began collapsing one by one.Except for those, who in a fresh tempo were climbing higher andhigher. The crowd continued to yell, "It is too difficult!!! No one will makeit!"More tiny frogs got tired and gave up.But one continued higher and higher and higher....This one wouldn't give up!At the end everyone else had given up climbing the tower. Except for

the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one whoreached the top!Then all of the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this onefrog managed to do it?A contestant asked the tiny frog how he had found the strength tosucceed and reach the goal.It turned out that the winner was DEAF!!!!The wisdom in this story is:Never listen to other people's tendencies to be negative orpessimistic, because they take your most wonderful dreams andwash away from you, the ones you have in your heart!Always think in the power, words have.Because everything you hear and read will affect your actions!Therefore, ALWAYS stay POSITIVE!And above all: Be DEAF when people tell you that you cannot fulfill your dreams!Always think: God and I can do this!Pass this message on to the "tiny frogs" you care about.Give them some motivation! Most people walk in and out of your life butFRIENDS leave footprints in your heart.

DEAF FROG ….. NEVER GIVE UP


Aesop’s fables - Lessons for managerThe lessons from Aesop’s fables are something to be really cherished. These unforgettable lines introduce us toa whole new vision of wisdom every time we read them. Here we have compiled a few of them for your delight.

COVER STORY


YOUR SCORE12 – 24Your frankness is commendable. Al-

though you may be a technical wizard orhave very high IQ, your EQ is on the lowside. It appears you may have some workto do. If you scored in this range, you mayfind yourself blowing up at people, de-pressed, or losing sight of where you arein life.Don't despair! Emotional intelligence is

not set at birth - it can be learned and im-proved. If life is 10% what happens to usand 90% how we respond, then we holdthe power to create the lives we want!

25 – 34People in this range often find them-

selves blowing up at their co-workers,even their loved ones. They seem to haveless 'buffer' for dealing with change,stress and difficulty. Some people also re-port depression or feeling 'lost' in life.EQ can be learned and improved - with

big payoffs! Studies of entrepreneurs andemployees at some of the world's top or-ganizations show that EQ counts for twiceas much as IQ and technical skills com-bined in defining who will be a star.Improving EQ results in better relation-

ships, greater health and a happier out-look on life! Areas to work on: Given thatself-awareness is the foundation of EQ,you might want to start here on the roadto higher EQ. Ask yourself:If we have trouble expressing our emo-

tional needs - if we regularly put othersneeds before our own - there's a goodchance that we will one day wake up feel-ing empty, hostile, or depressed. Don’t letthis happen to you! Take care of yourself!Express your key needs. It may be difficultat first - but research shows it will be awin-win. So move into the 'zone of dis-

comfort' to express those needs and youwill be rewarded for your hard work sev-eral times over! This is one of the keysteps to building emotional intelligence.You will be happier - and those around youwill understand you better, and be grate-ful for the feedback. Remember, if life is10% what happens to us and 90% howwe respond, then we hold the power tocreate the lives we want!

35 – 44You have slightly above average EQ- with room to grow!You are likely sensitive to the emotional

climate of the people around you - yourpeers, friends, family and key clients. Youare well aware of the effect your behav-ior has on others. Still, while you may beadept at tuning into others and theirneeds - you must remember your own!Don't be afraid to honestly communicatethese difficult needs and feelings. Theworld is well stocked with martyrs - itdoesn't need any more!Think also about your passion for work,

we spend countless hours in our givenroles - sometimes without much joy or sat-isfaction. In the process we become tran-quilized by the trivial. Sure, the laundryneeds doing, the groceries need getting,the kids need chauffeuring, the deadlinesmust bemet, but we also need to stop andremember what gives us great joy andmeaning. If we fail to remind ourselves (ona regular basis), we risk becoming hostileand cynical. We lose our purpose. And thistranslates to a diminished ability to be ef-fective, at ease and fulfilled.If you work on gaining clarity in these

areas, you will move toward maximizingyour full potential and finding greater ef-fectiveness, happiness, and fulfillment inyour life.

45 – 54Congratulations !You have very high emotional intelli-

gence. This is good news!Your level of EQ likely has been and will

be a driver of your high performance foryears to come. Areas to work on: whileyou are doing well - don't forget to taketime out of your busy day-to-day activitiesto stop and reflect on what brings you thegreatest meaning in your life. If we fail todo this on a regular basis, we risk be-coming tranquilized by the trivial. But if weare working toward goals that are not inalignment with our key values and greaterpurpose, we face becoming hostile andcynical - losing the reason we are doing'all of this' in this first place! This trans-lates into less joy and enthusiasm for ourwork - resulting in a diminished ability tobe effective, at ease and on purpose.

55 – 60Congratulations on your exceptionalEQ!

If you scored in this range, there is aslight warning however. You are either ex-tremely high in emotional intelligence orextremely low. How is this possible?These results may reflect your high

level of self-knowledge or your completelack of it since you must be self-aware toassess yourself accurately. For this rea-son, self-awareness is the foundationalcompetency of emotional intelligence!You may want to seek clarification from apeer, co-worker or family member to vali-date your score. You have either made itto the top or have a long way to go.“Where there is no passion, your soul

is either asleep or absent.” John O. Dono-hue. n

Add up all the numbers you have encircled to determine your overall score, and here is what your total score means:


ARE YOU EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT MANAGER?RESULT OF EQ QUIZ

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