EDITOR’S NOTE NEW YEAR HOPES anuary 2013 has just begun. On this eve, I would like to wish you a very happy and safe year ahead. Starting a new year with New Year resolutions has become a norm. I have also made my resolutions, which I’m determined to keep as I can foresee better conditions would prevail in Pakistan in 2013. Our nation has come a very long way only because of its resilience in the face of adversity. It’s become more aware of its issues and its desire to change conditions and improve the current depressing events looks stronger than ever. No doubt, our problems are enormous and grave. Yet the nation should figure them out as a problem understood is a problem half-solved. Political instability and poor law and order situation is the number one challenge that we have to improve by standing firmly against the menace of corruption and evil of terrorism and extremism. An improvement in these areas would definitely stabilize our sliding economy thus resulting in generation of newer and further employment opportunities, bringing economic strength to more homes. To resolve our energy crisis, we will have to think about alternatives of the present scarce energy resources so that we overcome the acute shortage and focus our energies towards meeting other challenges that life in a global village has unfolded in front of us through technological advances. The seemingly unending issues with our health and education sectors would also improve as the public has become more conscious about their rights. This enhanced level of consciousness manifests itself strongly when we see more women workers, professionals and entrepreneurs entering the country’s work force with each passing day. Their striking confidence to excel in almost every other field reflects the progressive face of Pakistan. I have been highlighting that Pakistanis are not poor in resources but in competent leaders. We are not underdeveloped but an under managed country. Remember, 2013 is also going to provide us the opportunity to exercise our right to franchise. Let us act like responsible citizens, choose carefully and elect our true representatives so to strengthen Pakistan, our homeland. Manager Today also has bigger goals to achieve this year. We have started preparations to hold 2013 CEO Summit Asia in April where we will be launching 2013 edition of the Book: 100 Success makers in Pakistan. This book would gain immediate prominence both at local and international level as you would find exclusive interviews of both the men of strength and women of substance in it. You will get to know successful business leaders, famous political leaders and eminent media personalities/intellectuals through this book. The latest issue of Manager Today is in your hands. This issue carries interesting articles on self-development and interviews of Mr. Atif Bajwa, CEO Bank Alfalah, Mr. Khaleeq-urRahman, Vice Chancellor, GCU and Romana Aziz, Franchise Manager, Beverages Business at PepsiCo Pakistan. Please read on and give us your valuable feedback. And yes in 2013, practice hope to thwart all obstacles and come up in life!
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If people criticize you, hurt you, or shout at you, don’t be bothered. Just remember,in every game audience makes the noise, not the players
IJAZ NISAR
Founder & President Manager Today managertoday@live.com + 92 300 452 1298
Mail Box have recently joined the corporate sector as a marketing executive of a brand. My manager asked me to start reading about professional development to perform in an effective manner. He also recommended Manager Today as a good read. Now I have become an avid reader of your magazine since its content is interesting and carefully selected. Wish you more success in the future. RAZA ALI KHAN, Karachi
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ear editor, 2013 is just round the corner. On this occasion, first, I would like to wish you a very happy and successful year ahead. Secondly, I congratulate you for publishing the magazine without a delay throughout the 2012. Hope your journey continues uninterrupted as this magazine always gives a message of hope and optimism, which our nation needs the most in these difficult times.
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SARAH HUMAYON, Islamabad ’m really fond of reading Manager Today. Its team deserves applause for bringing out a different kind of magazine, which focuses on both personal and professional development of people. I have not found any other magazine of this kind in the market yet. Keep up the great work! SAHIR SALEEM, Lahore ow! It was my first expression when I got your magazine in my hand. Interview of Yaseen Anwar, Governor, State Bank of Pakistan impressed me so much that I decided to write this letter of appreciation to
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you. You guys are really working hard. I know having an access to such big profile professionals is not an easy task. This also reflects that Manager Today has got the level of recognition that it always deserved. Wish you all the best! MAHA SHAHID, Lahore came to know about Manager Today through its page on Facebook. It surprised me a lot to see such a high quality professional development magazine being published from Pakistan. We definitely need such efforts because restoring a good image of Pakistan is not possible until we highlight the success stories of Pakistani people. Great work! FAISAL SAMI, London, UK
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salam-o-Alaikum I extend my appreciation to the Manager Today Magazine team for their excellent work. I am also a social worker and know that it is not easy to change human thinking and behaviors. You are working on changing thinking patterns of peoples to bring a soft change in society. Interviews and success stories in this magazine are very inspiring for me. At this time, due to our poor economic and political conditions, we badly need to develop our personal capabilities. And you are really helping us groom our personal and professional talents. My best wishes are always with you because if we think positive we act positive. Have a nice day.
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SAQIB SIDDIQUI Lahore
Only letters concerning articles in Manager Today will be considered for publication. Readers are requested to restrict their comments to 500 words. We reserve the right to edit letters fo reasons of clarity & space.
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PCPB # 303-M Jan-Feb, 2013
MANAGER TODAY Editor-in-Chief IJAZ NISAR Managing Editor Kahkashan Farooq Designer SHAH JAHAN (SHANI) Marketing & Sales Manager HASEEB NISAR Manager Corporate Communication M. SAQIB SHEHZAD 0300 883 8428 0300 844 5208 ASST. MANAGER LEARNING & OD KANWAL EJAZ Photographer KAMRAN Contributors RIZWAN ALI SHAH PHILIP S. LALL ATIF TUFAIL SALIM GHAURI KAMRAN RIZVI ANDLEEB ABBAS MASOOD ALI KHAN Legal Advisor MUHAMMAD ZULFIQAR ALI BUTAR Publisher MANAGER TODAY Printer QASIM NAEEM ART PRESS HEAD OFFICE MANAGER TODAY PL-27 SIDDIQUE TRADE CENTRE MAIN BOULEVARD, GULBERG III LAHORE Tel: 0423-579 2066 Cell: 0300 452 1298 0300 816 7229 0300 844 5208 e-mail: info@ceoclub.pk email: info@managertoday.pk managertoday@hotmail.com website:www.ceoclub.pk www.managertoday.pk www.leadingedge.com.pk
Contents
14 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW A Veteran Banker ATIF BAJWA President & CEO, Bank Alfalah Ltd
20 MANAGER’S TOOL KIT Motivational Quotes, Management Vocabulary, Humor corner, Perfect Health
22 A WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE Riffat Mushtaq (Aizaz-e-Fazeelat) Chairperson\Founder Roots School System
26 HUMAN RESOURCE Managing Myth and Reality
29 RECRUITMENT Career Direction A Focused Career Approach!
30 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Leading from the Front KHAWAJA SHAHZEB AKRAM CEO Pharma Health Pakistan Pvt. Ltd.
Contents
34 NEW YEAR
RESOLUTION New Year’s Resolution: how to make it!
36 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Educationist with a difference DR. MUHAMMAD KHALEEQ-URRAHMAN Vice Chancellor, GCU
40 CEO SUMMIT SPEECH Yaseen Anwar Governor, State Bank of Pakistan
44 ISLAMIC HRM Islamic human resource management and pakistan
46 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Romana Aziz Khan Franchise Manager Beverages Business at PepsiCo Pakistan
50 PERSONALITIES 10 Richest persons in the world 2012
60 CEO SUMMIT CEO Summit Karachi
14 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW IJAZ NISAR
AVETERAN BANKER ATIF BAJWA
PRESIDENT & CEO, BANK ALFALAH LTD. Manager Today: First of all, we would like to know about the major milestones of your extraordinarily brilliant professional career, leading up to your present post as Bank Alfalah’s CEO. Atif Bajwa: I have mostly been associated with the financial services industry. During my over 30 years career, I have had the opportunity of working in a diverse range of roles both within and outside Pakistan. I began my career with Citibank in 1982 and assumed various roles with the Bank for 11 years across Karachi, Lahore, New York and Bahrain – a truly enriching experience. Thereafter, I joined ABN AMRO Bank in Pakistan and served as its Country Manager for three years. In 1998 I was transferred to Singapore to run ABN AMRO’s Asia Pacific consumer banking business followed by a stint at the headquarters in Amsterdam. During my time in Europe, I had the opportunity to rejoin Citibank and look after the Bank’s Corporate and Consumer businesses for the Central and Eastern Europe region for the next 4-5 years. Post that, I assumed a two year position in Dubai after which I returned to Pakistan in 2007 as President for MCB, with an opportunity to be reintroduced to the dynamics of the local financial services industry. In 2011, after a fulfilling three years at MCB and a short stay at Soneri Bank, I joined the Abu Dhabi Group, one of the largest investors in Pakistan with a diverse range of businesses in the country. This led to my current role as President of Bank Alfalah. The Abu Dhabi Group has a robust platform in Pakistan and I look to the future
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with excitement and optimism. As for my academic background, I received my schooling at Aitchison College in Lahore after which I studied economics at Columbia University in New York. How has your experience been at Bank Alfalah so far and what is your vision for the Bank? The Alfalah journey has indeed been quite exciting – the Bank is growing at a rapid yet reasonable pace and there is great momentum and energy. Our aim is for Alfalah to become the most efficient transaction bank in the country, to take an important position in corporate, commercial and SME banking, to help develop a vibrant capital market, to retain our premier positions in Islamic and Consumer Banking and to reach out to a wider customer base using state-ofthe-art technology platforms. There is scope for further innovation and we are fortunate that our shareholders are extremely supportive of different, unique initiatives. To this end, we remain focused on introducing new products based on customer needs and providing exceptional services to our diverse client base. I am fortunate to be supported by a highly talented and experienced leadership team that believes in working collectively to deliver upon our common goals. Our staff across the country is dedicated and committed to being the best and to delivering high quality service to customers. However, the economic environment remains challenging and operational risk is considerably high. This coupled with the rapid pace of shifting customer demands means it is all
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Starting off with just a handful of branches in 1997, today Bank Alfalah operates steadfastly with a vast footprint in order to provide creative, customized financial solutions to over 1 million consumers, corporations, institutions and governments. With a broad range of products and services as well as an experienced team set to adapt to today’s rapidly changing global environment, the Bank aims to understand its clients’ unique needs, expand opportunities, meet tough challenges, fuel economic growth and hence create value for its stakeholders in everything it does. An institution that connects over 150 cities, 400 branches and thousands of people, Bank Alfalah strives to ‘enable progress’ by being one of the most admired financial services institution in Pakistan and beyond. Mr. Atif Bajwa, CEO Bank Alfalah, is a veteran banker with global professional experience of over three decades through his association with several international as well as local banks. In the following exclusive interview with “Manager Today”, in addition to sharing his vision and experiences with Bank Alfalah, he also discusses other relevant trends and issues currently prevalent in Pakistan’s Banking Sector as well as relevant to business leadership in the country 16 | MANAGER TODAY | www.managertoday.pk
the more important to adapt and manage change in order to stay ahead of competition. It has been a great experience so far and I am optimistic that Alfalah will remain at the forefront of the evolving financial services landscape in Pakistan in order to serve our clients even better. What are the main challenges confronting the banking sector and what strategies have you evolved for tackling those challenges? As is a well known fact, the global meltdown has adversely impacted most industries. The financial services sector has experienced a hard-hitting impact and there are several lessons to be learnt. This backdrop coupled with the dismal local economic outlook exacerbates the challenges for the banking industry in Pakistan – customers are not confident of the in-country landscape; foreign entities are apprehensive of the operating risk. Moreover, whilst banks (including Bank Alfalah) continue to report strong profits, there has been growing concern in the industry’s rising trend of Non Performing Loans (NPL), peaking at approximately 17%. I am happy to report that Bank Alfalah’s NPLs reflect a lower position vis a vis the industry, at less than 9%. However, greater focus and improvements in risk management are required to create discipline and tackle this issue. Second is the dependence of the sector on high spreads. Whilst the cause of significant spreads lies primarily in the country’s macroeconomic imbalances (manifested through a large fiscal deficit leading to high government
borrowing), the banking sector is both benefiting from it and, at the same time, being drugged into ‘easy profits’. This has created the industry into a profitable one but is really like a plane flying on one engine. It is critical that diversification of revenue sources is pursued. The good news is that there are several promising opportunities on the horizon. The foremost is the creation of an ecosystem that supports ‘innovation through technology’, allowing for the ‘banked’ and ‘yet-to-be-banked’ to meet more of their payment/financial needs through a convenient set of products and services. As mentioned earlier, in this ‘global village’ of rapid change it is becoming imperative for banks to have latest technology platforms that can deliver financial solutions through an array of distribution channels. Going forward this will become a competitive edge as electronic solutions will encompass customer convenience and ubiquity. Branchless, mobile, online and digital banking, both for corporate and retail banking customers are also likely to revolutionize the financial services industry and Bank Alfalah aims to be amongst the leaders of this transformation. SME banking and agri-finance are also meaningful opportunities and address sectors that are the backbone of our economy. Bank Alfalah aims to continue investing in these areas through tailored solutions for each segment, whilst remaining cognizant of and appropriately managing the risks involved. One other area of focus for us is the nas-
cent capital market in Pakistan. It is critical that a vibrant and broad based capital market be developed in order to support the financing needs of a growth economy. The existing short-term debt focused capital markets are woefully inadequate to meet the requirements of industry and infrastructure if our economy was to shift gear into higher growth rates. We believe we should be playing a leading role in helping to mobilize capital and to deploy it effectively. How does Bank Alfalah distinguish itself from its competitors? Bank Alfalah started out with a footprint of 3 branches in 1997. Over the last 15 years, our growth story in Pakistan has been significant - we hope to close this year with a network spanning at least 450 branches across 158 cities. The energy that has made this phenomenal growth possible, while gaining some of the highest customer satisfaction scores, is a key strength of Bank Alfalah. Our understanding of local and regulatory market dynamics coupled with an in-depth assessment of client requirements has enabled us to introduce innovative need-based financial products and provide exceptional customer service – this is what distinguishes us from our competitors. We are well aware that a ‘one-size fits all’ approach does not work effectively – to this end we have segmented our product offering so as to ensure a unique strategy for each requirement. Today, I am pleased to report that Bank Alfalah is viewed as Pakistan’s premier Consumer Bank with top rankings in Credit Cards,
Autos, Merchant Acquiring and Home Finance. Further, our Islamic banking also sets us apart – the Bank’s Islamic arm is a vibrant identity offering an innovative range of Shariah compliant products and services to cater to the individual needs of our customers. We are the no.2 Islamic Bank in Pakistan with new branches being added to our network of over 90 Islamic banking branches as we speak. As we focus on better understanding the specific needs of our clients in order to diversify and segment our product offering, we hope to continue to introduce value-added solutions for our clients. The Bank aims to invest in its core strengths to provide ‘best in class’ products and services on the Consumer and Corporate side, whilst also further exploring opportunities in SME and agri-finance. Are you satisfied with the role of the State Bank of Pakistan as an independent regulator with all its stringent controls and tough prudential regulations? We are fortunate to operate in a considerably liberal, enabling regulatory environment – an advantage that not every country enjoys. The State Bank has played a positive, constructive role in regulating the banking system of our country. In fact a recent FT article even quoted the SBP as a great example of progressive regulation. Compared to the mid90s, today our banks are more robust and efficient in terms of capitalization, governance, performance, management, growth and profitability - and the credit largely goes to the State Bank. As a result of the SBP’s forward-looking approach, greater in-roads are also being made into the masses and the unbanked population –developments in microfinance and branchless banking are key cases in point.
However, despite these positive developments over the last decade and a half, as aforementioned, stresses are emerging in the sector emanating primarily from rising NPLs. Also, large public sector borrowing from banks is a significant problem for the economy. The SBP’s initiatives to arrest these trends would be tremendously helpful, although its ability to do so under the current fiscal and economic environment is likely to be limited. What are the main ingredients of your leadership style? To me, leadership cannot only lie in an individual, but in fact it has to be embedded in an institution. It is a much more team-based concept of collective leadership and of sharing a common vision. Secondly, a leader’s vision, whilst key to successful leadership, does not necessarily suffice in itself – effective leaders should have the ability to create and leave behind a legacy. A leader is likely to leave a far greater legacy if his vision is coupled with the ability to address the question of ‘how do we achieve great ideas/ vision?’ This usually happens by creating an infrastructure that is selfsustaining and operates independent of individuals, in order to successfully execute that collective vision and eventually embed it into the fabric of the institution. Another interesting fact often observed is that egos tend to play a major role in leadership, mirroring our national psyche which also revolves around large egos. This prevents us from achieving our united vision as one country – similar is the case with organizations. I www.managertoday.pk | MANAGER TODAY | 17
feel there cannot, or at least should not be any egos in leadership. During the different roles in my career I have endeavored to adopt and execute a collaborative management and leadership approach, which allows others to feel involved and empowered in their roles – this creates accountability and a sense of ownership. Mistakes are of course part of the learning and evolving process – hence tolerance for allowing others to learn from their mistakes is also key to effective leadership, with compromises on integrity being an exception. Finally, to me, the willingness to listen is also a vital part of being a leader – a mutual dialogue often works better than a top-down, didactic approach. Concurrence based on respect rather than fear is much more meaningful and lasting. These ingredients put together are likely to create successful leaders and sustainable institutions. After visiting several financial institutions and banks, I have observed that all of them claim to be promoting almost a similar set of values through their vision and mission statements. If this is the case, what is the difference among them? To a large extent, that is correct - the values, code of ethics and vision statements seem very similar across many companies and geographies. This essentially implies that there is mutual agreement in the common values we aspire to adhere to. However, the differentiating factor lies in the excecution of these values on a day-to-day basis – as a result the way in which these values are reflected by each company will vary in the products, services and human resource that form the fabric of that organization. After all, a value system can only add real ‘value’ if the leaders of the organization believe in its tenets and have defined a process to implement these across the company. That is the real marker of difference which sets organizations apart from each other. What should be the salient features of a good performance management and evaluation system? What should be the criterion for giving promotions and increments to the employees? Reward and recognition should always be directly correlated to performance and effective leaders will deliver upon this beyond mere lip-service. If good performers are not duly recognized and compensated, it is likely 18 | MANAGER TODAY | www.managertoday.pk
to create discouragement, de-motivation and negatively impact future performance. If, on the other hand, the reward system is performance agnostic and all employees are uniformly rewarded, there will be no incentive for average/ poor performers to improve. Therefore, performance management and evaluation processes should incorporate a discerning mechanism which enables leaders and managers to differentiate between varying degrees of competence and delivery by staff. In addition, this must be coupled with a strategic human resources unit which creates an enabling environment to encourage employee development, training and mentoring in order to continually add value to their skill set and positively impact their career growth. This is likely to enhance overall productivity and performance of employees in the longer term and also foster a culture of meritocracy at the workplace. Why is it that we are producing more managers and fewer leaders? Do we really need more managers? Whilst leadership is critical, developing effective managers is also a vital component of any organization. If you look around, our institutions generally lack professional leadership which lends strategic vision. However, additionally what is also often neglected is the strong execution of ideas and initiatives as a result of weak management skills. A successful company should ideally balance these two components by introducing both leadership development programs in order to nurture future talent as well as management development programs that impart a range of skills which managers would find useful in their various roles. As mentioned earlier, a vision does not translate into a meaningful plan without effective execution, which happens to be the role of good managers. What gives you maximum satisfaction and how do you define success? When an idea is converted to an opportunity i.e. it translates into a successful initiative or when achievement exceeds expectation as a result of dedication and hard work – that, to me, defines real professional satisfaction and success. Coupled with that is the recognition by others of one’s professional capabilities, the respect that is earned with that, and an inner contentment knowing that you wouldn’t fail for lack of effort and that you always try to do the ‘right thing’. n
20 MANAGER’S TOOL KIT
AYESHA IKRAM
BRAIN DAMAGING HABBITS 1. No Breakfast People who do not take breakfast are going to have a lower blood sugar level. This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain causing brain degeneration. 2. Overeating It causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in mental power. 3. Smoking It causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer disease. 4. High Sugar consumption Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of proteins and nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development. 5. Air Pollution The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decrease in brain efficiency. 6. Sleep Deprivation Sleep allows our brain to rest. Long term deprivation from sleep will accelerate the death of brain cells.
7. Head covered while sleeping Sleeping with the head covered increases the concentration of carbon dioxide and decrease concentration of oxygen that may lead to brain damaging effects. 8. Working your brain during illness Working hard or studying with sickness may lead to a decrease in effectiveness of the brain as well as damage the brain. 9. Lacking in stimulating thoughts Thinking is the best way to train our brain, lacking in brain stimulation thoughts may cause brain shrinkage. 10. Talking Rarely Intellectual conversations will promote the efficiency of the brain.
PERFECT HEALTH 1. Drink eight glasses of water a day. 2. Include two vegetables and one fruit in every meal. 3. Begin each meal with a raw vegetable salad. 4. Make a light snack of assorted sprouts. 5. Start the day with a glass of warm water and a dash of lime. 6. Use only fresh vegetables. 7. Once a week have only fresh fruits until noon, make lunch the first meal of the day. 8. Eat only freshly cooked meals not refrigerated leftovers. 9. Include one green vegetable and one yellow vegetable in every meal. 10. Go on a juice fast for a day. Start with vegetable juice. 20 | MANAGER TODAY | www.managertoday.pk
HUMOUR CORNER
MANAGEMENT VOCABULARY Arbitration: a method of dispute resolution in which the parties agree to present evidence and arguments to a neutral umpire (or team of umpires) and abide by the umpire’s decision. Breach of contract: failure to perform as required under a valid agreement with another party. Covered entity: an employer, employment agency, labor organization, or joint labor-management committee. Downsizing: a euphemism used for cutting back on the number of employees; a layoff of workers. Employment-at-will: an employment arrangement that grants employers the right to fire employees for any reason or for no reason at all, and likewise, allows employees to quit their jobs at any time for any reason. Equal pay theory: the theory that men and women should be paid equally for performing equal work. Honesty test: any of a number of psychological surveys that attempt to expose an individual’s tendency to be dishonest. Nepotism: the employment of relatives and friends of the employer and of other employees. Restraining order: a court order to refrain from particular conduct; an injunction.
Once there was a young man who discovered a treasure trove. Amongst the old and valuable things he noticed a worn out lamp. He rubbed the lamp and out came the genie. "Yes master, express your wish", the genie howled. The man said, "Genie get me a grand villa where I can live happily ever after with my girlfriend". The genie looked at the man and said, "Well, if I could make a villa like that, then why the hell do you suppose I live in this stuffy worn out lamp?" A duck went into a bar and asked for some crackers. The waiter said no. The next day he came into the bar and asked for crackers again. The waiter said no, again. The next day he came in again and asked for crackers. The waiter said no. The next day the waiter said if you ask for crakers one more time I will nail your beak to the counter. The next day the duck asked if the waiter had any nails, "No," said the waiter. The duck then asked "Do you have any crackers?"
MOTIVATIONAL QUOTES
PERSONALITY GROOMING
Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results. George S. Patton Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success. Author Unknown No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent. John Donne The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will. Vincent T. Lombardi Winners compare their achievements with their goals, while losers compare their achievements with those of other people. Author Unknown If you train hard, you’ll not only be hard, you’ll be hard to beat. Author Unknown Good thoughts are like flower seeds. These seeds may not be attractive but their outcome has no parallel. Kumar Sharma The world is a great mirror. It reflects back to you what you are. If you are loving, if you are friendly, if you are helpful, the world will prove loving and friendly and helpful to you. The world is what you are. Lauren Covington
1. Don't compare your life with others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 2. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment 3. Don't over do; keep your limits. 4. Don't take yourself so seriously ; no one else does. 5.. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip. 6. Dream more while you are awake. 7. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. 8. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness. 9. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others. 10. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present 11. No one is in charge of your happiness except you. 12.. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that would fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime. 13. Smile and laugh more. 14. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
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22 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW IJAZ NISAR
AWOMANOFSUBSTANCE
PROFILE: RIFFAT MUSHTAQ IS THE CHAIRPERSON AND FOUNDER OF ROOTS SCHOOL SYSTEM, ISLAMABAD, WHICH SHE STARTED IN 1988. SHE BEGAN HER CAREER AS AN EDUCATIONIST IN 1972 AND WORKED IN MANY PRIVATE, PUBLIC AND INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS. IN RECOGNITION OF HER OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION IN THE FIELD, THE GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN CONFERRED AIZAZE-FAZEELAT ON HER. SHE HAS ALSO RECEIVED MANY OTHER AWARDS FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF AJ & K, UNESCO PAKISTAN, WWF PAKISTAN, PAKISTAN RED CRESCENT SOCIETY, WORLD FUTURES STUDIES FEDERATION, BEST OF THE BEST AND INTERNATIONAL BIOGRAPHICAL CENTRE, CAMBRIDGE ENGLAND FOR SOWING SEEDS OF JOY IN THE HEARTS OF OUR YOUNG PEOPLE AND PROMOTING CULTURE OF TOLERANCE AND PEACE IN THESE TESTING TIMES. RIFFAT MUSHTAQ GAVE AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW TO MANAGER TODAY. READ ON. 22 | MANAGER TODAY | www.managertoday.pk
RIFFAT MUSHTAQ
Aizaz-e-Fazeelat
Chairperson/Founder Roots School System
Manager Today: Tell us a little about your professional background. Riffat Mushtaq: I started my early education from St. Anne’s Presentation Convent High School Rawalpindi. After completing my high school I graduated with a BSC degree from Punjab University, Lahore. After that I got married. I did my Montessori diploma in education from the UK and post graduate diploma in Future Studies. I started my teaching career in 1972 in Saudia Arabia from an international school as an English teacher for preparatory level. Having taught young boisterous boys representing multicultural ethnicity marked a new beginning in my life. It dawned on me the value and reward of being a teacher. I realized
that a teacher gives out one heart to her students but in return she gets hundreds of hearts so filled with innocence, love and respect. This beautiful feeling convinced me that there could be no better way of leading a satisfying life other than teaching. As a teacher, one nurtures a human soul just like a sculptor. The values that we inculcate in our students reflect in their personalities as they enter the real world. For me teaching became a passion and children my obsession. There was no looking back once I embarked on this amazing journey, so full of challenges and yet so gratifying and rewarding. I taught children from all segments of society at all levels in Pakistan and abroad. As I go back in time, I think I learnt everything from
my experience and have enjoyed every moment of life interacting with children and sowing seeds of peace and joy in their hearts. What challenges do you face while running the School System and what was your very first concern? We are living in a highly competitive world in which only the best of the best can survive. Thus my foremost challenge is to ensure that the education that we are providing at Roots School System is relevant, realistic and benchmarked with the ideals of 21st century education i.e. learning to know; learning to do; learning to be and learning to live together. I have to ensure that we are educating our children by empowering them with the required knowledge, abilities, skills, tools and technology thus enabling them to contribute in a fast paced technological environment and at the same time holding on to our traditional values which identify us as Muslims and proud Pakistanis Since I had been a teacher for 18 years before I established and founded my own school in 1988, my foremost concern was to ensure that my school which I named as “rootsthe home of love, joy and creativity” would set a new model of schooling which would diminish the traditional approaches of teaching and fear of the teacher from the hearts of the young children. Thus I founded the first “Montessori School” in twin cities Rawalpindi and Islamabad and introduced a variety of student-centered, innovative hands on teaching and learning approaches. I envisioned a school where all children would be respected with love, care and encouragement irrespective of their varying ability levels as I believe every child should feel the thrill of success and it is the responsibility of the teachers to determine the potential of each child and set goals accordingly to make learning an enjoyable experience. What is your policy to meet the educational challenges and what would be your future strategy? The foremost educational challenge in the 21st century is to empower students and teachers for a technology driven world to compete at the global arena thus to achieve our goal, we have integrated technology across curriculum. This technological experi-
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ence should be utilized in the right perspective of learning because students are vulnerable; they need guidance and support of teachers and parents. Another supreme challenge is we are living in a conflict driven world today and being an educator it is my moral responsibility to inculcate values of peace, tolerance, fairness, justice, respect for human rights, religions, cultures and diversity so that we can sow the seeds of peace and harmony at the grassroots level. Only then can we contribute towards peace in the world thus promotion of intercultural understanding is a challenging goal. I foresee that in future students will not be examined in traditional way in fact they will have handheld gadgets with unlimited access to unmonitored cyber space highway thus we have to inculcate skills and abilities in our students enabling them access accurate information from the relevant and authentic site and present it with logic and reasoning by avoiding plagiarism. This requires complete support of the parents and supervision of the teachers thus collectively we can protect our children and guide them to pursue their journey on to the path of knowledge and discovery. Since you have taken over as the Chairperson, what important steps have you taken regarding the faculty development? As the Chairperson, I laid emphasis on child
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psychology and developmental stages training as all children have varying needs thus it is very important for a teacher to have an understanding of child psychology so that she can reach out her students by adopting creative teaching and learning approaches. Thus my foremost objective was to make the teacher’s methodology student centered by transforming from the traditional style of teaching into the modern day teaching methodology involving 3Es: Exposure, Expansion and Exploration. Secondly, school environment has to be fun filled, enjoyable and creative rather than dull, boring, fearful and regimented. I strongly believe in bringing out the best in a child by understanding him and uncovering his/her hidden potential with love, care and encouragement. As a teacher, I had been practicing these approaches and remained highly effective and successful in developing wholesome personalities. Teachers are trained for engaging students in a dynamic exploration of what it means to live, learn and lead in the 21st century. We also
develop our faculty for technology integrated teaching and learning practices providing practical ways to implement pedagogies that reinforce the development of 21st century skills in teachers and students. Please comment on brain drain.
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The new generation of Pakistan is creating ripples in academia and different fields of life. They are highly patriotic and imbued with tremendous nationhood spirit to contribute their share in the progress and development of their motherland Pakistan. The students who are proceeding abroad for higher studies are committed to return to their country and serve but the impediment which is obstructing their enthusiasm and desire to work in the country is the non availability of jobs relevant to their area of specialization. What is your management & leadership style and the most important management strategy that you have implemented so far? I strongly believe in humanistic approach of
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management by cultivating teamwork, team spirit where every individual matters and inculcating pronouns as “we”, “us”, “together” rather than “I” “me” or “you”. I personally feel that recognition of your staff and giving them respect and congenial work environment results in nurturing a very conducive work environment in which everyone feels important. I believe I am a transformational leader. Transformational Leadership starts with the development of a vision, a view of the future that will excite and convert potential followers. My way to get things done is by injecting enthusiasm and energy. What are the elements that make a school stand the test of time and retain its prestige as a top-level institute? The discipline and adherence to its values of integrity, honesty and perseverance How do you manage stress?
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By spending time with children as they are the hope for tomorrow, challenge and inspiration of today and their innocence captivates me. Define success?
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To me, success means fulfillment of my passion in bringing out the best in children, seeing them pursuing their dreams and contributing to their society as I strongly believe “sharing is the essence of human relationship”.
What is the most difficult decision you ever took in your career? The most difficult decision so far has been of opening the school back in 1988. A school which would be different from the existing schools. Everyone with whom I shared the idea discouraged me and said this model cannot thrive in our society and most importantly it was difficult to find compassionate teachers but if one is determined, sincere, forthright, steadfast and hardworking. Almighty Allah rewards the efforts. What is your idea of perfect happiness? The satisfaction you derive from the work you do. What are the three core competencies that you want to see in young teachers? Commitment, passion and desire for continuous learning. Any message of hope that you would like us to convey to the youth, women and teachers? Youth constitute 63% of total population in Pakistan and it is quite obvious from history that the quest for change has been by and large led by the youth. I would like to pay respect to all the youth for staying vigilant, steadfast and capable of driving the process that we all aspire to have in order to see a better country for our future generations and for ourselves. My message to youth is
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WE ARE LIVING IN A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE WORLD IN WHICH ONLY THE BEST OF THE BEST CAN SURVIVE that you must believe in yourself, set goals and remain steadfast in pursuit of your goals as determination and hard work will lead you onto the path of success and prosperity, you must uphold the values of morality, honesty, integrity, fairness and empower yourself with the tools which would enable you to lead a successful life and once you have achieved your goals do not forget to share all that you have with others as sharing is the essence of human relationship. As for women they are the alma maters of society and constitute almost 52% of world population and no nation can progress if its women are not provided opportunities to empower themselves. My message to women in Pakistan is each one of them has tremendous potential, all that is required is opportunity and environment in which this potential talent can be nurtured. Have belief in yourself and empower with education as it will raise your self-esteem, dignity and respect in the family as well as in society and of course you will be shaping the future generations most effectively.n
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RESOURCE 26 HUMAN
ATIF TUFAIL
Managing
Myth and Reality ave a look at the popular images of managing –the orchestra conductor on the podium, CEOs in their awesome offices, managers, fully in control, waving their baton like an admiral and accounting comes in on cue. Then the manager waves his or her baton again and marketing sounds in, and so on, all working together to create splendid organizational music. From these images, we get the impression that the job of a manager is well ordered and fully in charge of every situation at hand. Observe some managers at their workplace and you will likely find something far different: a jittery lifestyle, plenty of interruptions and reacting to the unending stimuli from different nook and corners of their work environment. So let’s have a deep look at some of the realities of manager’s job, compared with the myths that we study in MBA and see in the popular images of managing. Myth: The manager is a reflective, systematic planner. We have this common image of the manager, particularly in a senior position, sitting in his magnificent office thinking strategic thoughts, making
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grand decisions, and above all systematically planning out the future. There is a good deal of evidence about this, but not a shred of it supports this image. Reality: Many research studies have shown that (a) managers work at a hectic pace, (b) their activities are typically characterized by brevity, variety, fragmentation and constant interruptions, and c) they are strongly actionoriented. (a) The Pace Reports on the hectic pace of managerial work have been consistent, from foreman to chief executives. As one CEO put it, the work of managing is ‘one damn thing after another’. Managing is an open-ended job
with a perpetual preoccupation: amanager can never be free to forget the work, never having the pleasure of knowing, even temporarily, that there is nothing left to do. (b) The Brevity, Variety, Fragmentation, and Interruption. Most work in society involves specialization and concentration. Engineers and programmers can spend months designing a machine or developing software. Managers can expect no such concentration of efforts. Their work is fragmented and loaded with interruptions. Why? Because they don’t wish to discourage the flow of current information, also because they develop a sensitive ap-
preciation for the opportunity cost of their own time: no matter what they are doing, managers are plagued by what they might do and they must do. (c) The Action Mangers like action — activities that move, change, flow are tangible, current, and non-routine. Don’t expect to find much general planning or open-ended touring in this job; look instead for tangible delving into specific concerns. Does this mean that managers don’t plan? Sure they plan; we all plan. But the real planning of the organization, at least in strategic sense, takes place significantly in the heads of its managers and implicitly in the context of their
daily actions, not in some abstract process reserved for a mountain retreat or a bunch of forms to fill out. Myth: The manager depends on aggregated information, best supplied by a formal system. In keeping with classical image of the manager resting on some kind of hierarchical pedestal, managers are supposed to receive their important information from some sort of comprehensive, formalized ‘Management Information System’. However, this has never proved true, not before computers, not after they appeared, not even in these days of the internet. Reality: Managers tend to favor the
informal media of communication, especially, the oral ones of telephone calls and meetings, also the electronic one of email. Studies have found managing to be between 60 to 90% oral. The manager does not leave the telephone, the meeting, or the email to get back to work. These contacts are the work. Jeanne Liedtka of Darden School has rightly put it: ‘Talk is the technology of leadership.’ Moreover gossip, hearsay, and speculation form a good part of the manager’s information diet. Why? Because today’s gossip can become tomorrow’s reality. But then it may be too late: managers have to know sooner, not later. Formal information is firm, definitive — at the limit it comprises hard numbers and clear reports. But informal information can be much richer, even if less reliable. On the telephone, there is tone of voice and the chance to interact; in meetings, there are also facial expressions, gestures and other body language. As a consequence of all this, the strategic data banks of organizations remain at least as much in the heads of their managers as in the files of their computers. Myth: Managing is mostly about hierarchical relationships between a ‘superior’ and ‘subordinate’. Our use of these awful labels should be telling us something. Reality: Managing is as much about lateral relationships among colleagues and associates. Study after study has shown that managers, at all levels, spend www.managertoday.pk | MANAGER TODAY | 27
a great deal of their contact time – often close to half or more – with a wide variety of people external to their own units: customers, suppliers, partners, government and trade officials, other stakeholders, as well as all kinds of colleagues in their own organization. We might thus characterize the manager’s position as the neck of an hourglass, sitting between a network of outside contacts and the internal unit being managed Myth: Managers maintain strict control — of their time, their activities, and their units. The orchestra conductor standing on the platform waving the baton has been a popular metaphor for managing. Much of it is pure myth. Reality: The manager is neither conductor nor puppet: control in this job tends to be hidden more than exposed. If managerial work is like orchestra conducting, then it is not the grand image of performance, where everything has been well rehearsed and everyone is on his or her best behavior, the audience included. It is rehearsal, where all sorts of things can go wrong and must be corrected quickly. Managers exercise control despite the constraints, by using two degrees of freedom in particular. They make a set of initial decisions that define many of their subsequent commitments (for example, to start a project that, once underway, demands their time). And they adapt to their
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Most work in society involves specialization and concentration. Engineers and programmers can spend months designing a machine or developing software. Managers can expect no such concentration of efforts. Their work is fragmented and loaded with interruptions.
own endactivities in which they must engage (for example, by using a ceremonial occasion to lobby on behalf of their organization). Thus the effective managers seem to be, not those with the greatest of freedom, but the ones who use to advantage whatever degrees of freedom they can find. The impact of the internet (email) on the practice of ‘Managing’: how has the internet, especially email, influenced all this? Has it changed managing fundamentally? No and maybe yes. This powerful new medium has vastly increased the speed, range, and volume of communication. Yet like conventional mail, it is restricted by the poverty of words alone: there is no tone of voice to hear, no gestures to see, no presence to feel, usually no images to see. It can give the impression of being in touch while the only thing actually being touched is the keyboard. Perhaps most significantly, email increases the pace and pressure of managing, and often the interruptions as well. Beyond the enticement of ‘You’ve got mail!’ add a BlackBerry in the pocket — the tether to the global village — and you’ve got interruptions galore. Does the internet enhance or diminish the control managers have over their own work? Obviously, it depends on the manager. As with most technologies, the internet can be used for better or for worse. You can be mesmerized by it, and so let it manages you. Or you can under-
stand its power as well as its dangers, and so manage it. Think of the power of email to connect, the power of internet to access and transmit information. Think too of the pressures and pace of managerial work, the needs to respond, the nagging feeling of being out of control. Might the internet, by giving the illusion of control, in fact be robbing managers of control? One conclusion seems evident: the internet is not changing the practice of management fundamentally. But, it definitely contributed immensely in making the practice of management so frenetic that it becomes dysfunctional: too superficial, too disconnected, too conformist. Perhaps the ultimately connected manager has become disconnected from what matters, while the franticness is destroying the practice of managing itself.n
ATIF TUFAIL Head-HR at INTECH Process Automation, a global ‘System Integrator’ company working in Oil & Gas Industry. atif.tufail@intechww.com
RECRUITMENT
29
JUNAID AHSAN
Career Direction A Focused Career Approach!
aving spent over a decade in recruitment and selection, I feel the high time need to guide and set a career direction for not only the youth/fresh graduates but also for our mid level professionals. I meet people from all walks of life who find uncertainty and turbulence when it comes to their career. It seems most of them are unaware of their career paths and wherever they have reached, have reached by muddling through. Fresh graduates are running after jobs instead of the career. They don’t know why they have chosen the Majors or Electives during their studies. Mid career professionals are dealing with their early career wrong choices, which in most cases are against their aptitude and strengths. I truly understand the recession scenario, however, here my point is to be patient and find out our true strengths and the choices available for us. Trust me finding career direction is not an impossible or difficult process. The more effort you put into the planning stages the better your results. You may have to go through this process a few times in the beginning and during your working life. The effort however, is certainly worth it when you end up with a clear sense of career direction. It’s a process of self -evaluation and focus. It starts with discovering the essential “YOU": the person who truly resides behind the facades, defenses, and stresses of everyday life. Once unmasked,
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the first milestone is covered. This isn’t a process you necessarily go through only once after graduating. There are times when one feels the need to switch careers. Reasons could be any and many but process is the same. Career change is not bad or something to panic about. It’s a misconception seen among many and the result is unfulfilling career and unhappiness in personal and professional life. Most of us are aware of only few career fields such as HR, IT, Finance, Marketing, Sales, Supply Chain etc. Let me share that these are not the only career fields to choose, there are many more
even under each of these broad careers, where you can become an specialist. However, it entirely depends upon “YOU”, and you have to take the first step in order to choose the focused career approach. Remember! Your Focus Determines Your Destiny! n JUNAID AHSAN the CEO and founder of Talent Experts International has over 15 years of HR consulting experience.
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30 EXCLUVIVE INTERVIEW
IJAZ NISAR
LEADING FROM THE FRONT Khawaja Shahzeb Akram CEO Pharma Health Pakistan Pvt. Ltd.
KHAWAJA SHAHZEB AKRAM IS THE CEO OF PHARMA HEALTH PAKISTAN PVT. LTD. UNDER HIS DYNAMIC LEADERSHIP, HIS COMPANY, A SICK UNIT AT THE TIME WHEN HE TOOK IT OVER, HAS TRANSFORMED INTO THE BIGGEST PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANYOF THE COUNTRY MANUFACTURING HIGH QUALITY DERMA PRODUCTS. HIS MISSION IS TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PATIENTS AROUND THE WORLD THROUGH THE MANUFACTURING AND DISTRIBUTION OF TRUSTED AND BRANDED PHARMACEUTICALS IN ALL THE THERAPEUTIC SEGMENTS. MR SHAHZEB GAVE AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW TO MANAGER TODAY MAGAZINE. READ ON. 30 | MANAGER TODAY | www.managertoday.pk
Manager Today: Please share with us your success story as the CEO of Pharma Health Pakistan Pvt. Ltd.
Shahzeb Akram: Pharma Health Pharmaceutical Pvt. Ltd. had earlier been operating in Pakistan by the UK authorities as BIO GLAN, which had a merger with BIO DERMA. Later on, they unanimously adopted to be Pharma Health Pakistan Pvt. Ltd. As Mass Pharma was the manufacturer for Pharma Health Pharmaceutical Pvt. Ltd. so we naturally wanted to have the rights of this company with us owing to the heavy investments, we had made in it. The then Pharma Health management also decided to go for an open bid in the auction, in which 42 companies
had participated. Despite being a sick unit, somehow there was some awareness about this company’s products among the dermatologists in the market. Therefore, the price was kept higher. We, being the manufacturer, were given the preference. In December 2004, we purchased Pharma Health Pharmaceutical Pvt. Ltd.
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Managing a sick unit is a very big challenge. How did you manage the new responsibility?
At that time, I was not well experienced to manage all the affairs of the company yet I took over as the youngest CEO. We started in January 2005 with seven products and a few international brands
like Synalar, Airol etc. There were some commitments as well to fulfill like sponsoring 30 doctors going to an international conference in India. We started to build our relations with doctors. Meanwhile, the French parent company decided to stop Airol promotion in Pakistan, the major product on which the higher bidding had been offered. It was such a great setback and we were unable to manage the deficit. But we did not get discouraged and kept on moving with more realistic and challenging programmes.
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What obstacles and challenges did you face at that point in time?
There were many. First, how to get recognition in the medical community.
Second, the dissemination of information among the medical community as quality awareness about the derma specialty was a big challenge. In our field, only a very few tactics and techniques are available with the newer companies to start with and so was the case with us. At many occasions, the registration process had been delayed for unknown reasons thus making it difficult for the national industry to play its pivotal role. The products were registered after a long time. I proposed the DRAP during my tenure as the Vice Chairman Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Association. Now DRAP exists as an effective organization however, a huge potential for improvement is still
there. DRAP is expected to do good things; this is what we all expect. After passing of the 18th amendment, the first two years were very difficult as the government did not offer any raise in the prices or other amenities to uplift the cause of the industry and to make us compatible at least with India. For the first time, we requested not to treat Health Ministry as a provincial subject but as a federal subject. There were so many problems related to such conditions.
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There is indeed a tough competition between local and multinational pharmaceutical companies. Where do you see Pharma Health Pakistan Pvt. Ltd now? www.managertoday.pk | MANAGER TODAY | 31
Now Pharma Health Pharmaceutical Pvt. Ltd. is the number one derma company in Pakistan with more than 100 products under its banner. Earlier, the number was only 18. More than 208 people now work in the Cosmetology, Dermatology, Psychiatry, and Cardiology departments of the company. Till 2010, the conferences of derma were mainly sponsored by some multinationals. However, this challenge came to us and we accepted it gloriously. There were times when we were even asked by the Ministry of Health to manufacture a few important molecules which we did very comfortably. We catered to the patients’ needs successfully. Our contribution stopped the multinational company whose product was being sold worldwide from creating its monopoly in Pakistani market.Pharma Health Pakistan Pvt. Ltd. also provides general awareness about dermatology to all and sundry, including doctors. Now our company is the main sponsor of all the National Dermatology Conferences. We have flourished in the derma market as the fastest growing company in Pakistan. We bring new products in the local market even earlier than the competitors with the sole motive of bringing quality to our people at affordable prices.
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How was your experience being the head of many business bodies?
I joined business politics. From 2008 to 2010, I remained in the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industries (LCCI) as member of its Central Executive Commit32 | MANAGER TODAY | www.managertoday.pk
tee. I was also selected as Sr. Vice Chairman PIAF. On the Pakistan Industrial and Traders Association front, I singlehandedlymanagedall the affairs of the association. As Sr. Vice Chairman PIAF, I got many chances to meet a variety of people and thus I learnt the art of handling difficult situations. Luckily during that period, I also got selected as the Vice Chairman of Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA). It was a great honour for me. Here I would like to mention that pharmaceutical industry is the second highest paying and employment generating industry in Pakistan after the textile industry. Being Vice Chairman of Business Forum Punjab,I brought together many people who deserved to be inducted into it. All the international marketing and business efforts were improved. “No aid but trade” concept was highlighted. Now all foreign delegations meet us regularly. The LCCI, despite being the largest organization was unable to meet all the requirements. Business Forum Punjab did it in a better way. So was my role to make things better.
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Pakistani society is going through a very tough time. What in your opinion is our biggest issue?
Lack of justice. Our judicial system needs to be improved on awar footing as it is vital for the progress of the country.If it improves at this difficult point in time, common man can get real relief. Otherwise, we are at a very dangerous point. We need to make changes by bringing middle class representation in the main-
stream politics otherwise there is going to be a chaos.
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Massive unemployment in the country is one of the reasons behind worsening law and order situation in the country. What measure do you suggest to generate employment opportunities?
The policies of Musharraf regime were better for the industry so they resulted in creation of many job opportunities. Price of dollar was stable. Direct foreign investment was there. However, the present poor planning and policies of the decision makers have increased unemployment manifold. Our government’s contribution in providing job opportunities is only 2.1% while this ratio in our neighbouring countries India and Bangladesh is 7.5% and 8.3% respectively. The government has to take real measures focused on creating job opportunities in the country. Printing more and more money is not a solution.
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The gigantic energy crisis has been causing an immense damage to the country’s economy. How can it be coped?
The energy crisis is a “made issue”. No province can resolve it. On ports, the stocks are being trashed, demurrage is being charged but no positive step is being taken to support the business community. Non-payment of electricity bills is a common practice carried on by a large number of people in all the provinces. Now after the 18th amendment, business community can resolve it on provincial
life of our fellow beings. I may not be able to mention many of those considering the respect fector of the stake holders.
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How do you define success?
Success has different meanings for all the people in the world. However for me, it could be defined as incessant hard work, devotion without ego and implementation of ideas and thoughts with honesty.
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Who is your inspiration in life?
basis but the government does not want to allow the business community. If Nato supplies can be allowed passage through Pakistan free of taxes then why it cannot be done with the energy sector. It is the matter of great respect for the business community to build the energy sector if allowed by the federal government.
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Lack of good governance keeps slowing down the country’s progress. What is the fundamental principle of good governance in your opinion?
Unless the professional and competent people are given preference, nothing is going to change. The only principal that can work is to bring the right people for the right jobs, and certainly the accountability should also be put in place. We need to promote only the competent people.
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How do you see the rapid commercialization of education?
Access to education is everyone’s right so it should be provided at all levels. But in the current scenario, I see education more as an industry rather than the service to the nation. It is a profitable industry. While money is the driver of corruption, recommendations are made for incompetents. Degrees are issued to the wrong people. Our education system needs an overhaul. Parents are spending money for education but children are not getting it, rather they are being destroyed in the name of modern education. Media is also not showing them the right path.
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What are the three basic qualities which new entrepreneurs should adopt to progress in their businesses?
I am inspired by the circumstances I live in. The biggest of all the inspiration is the success of my team and I am the most fortunate enough to be the part of that success. This really inspires me and that’s it. Every successful person is my role model.
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Share with us the most difficult decision that you have ever made in your life?
New entrants dream about everything. They want to make progress overnight. As per my experience, they should now focus and work on the international markets as after the WTO, the whole world has become a global village. As we do not have the world-known brands from Pakistan, we need to develop a few at the earliest. Now the good principle of progress is “think global, act local”.The new entrepreneurs should believe in their abilities and strive to become successful.
I usually make difficult decisions every day. Running a business with all the ethical approaches in mind is a rather different decision but we are still persistent to move on. To carry on with quality people is a big task. In the pharmaceutical industry, being the most advanced and very hightech industry, it is a big challenge to run it successfully. Business itself is big stress but I do not let it bother me.
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Pharma Health Pakistan Pvt Ltd is a leader in dermatology so do we want in psychiatry, cardiology and gyne as well. We shall be exporting our products to 30 countries of the world soon. Another milestone will be achieved by having Srilanka to be our venue for next pharmaceutical manufacturing plant. Russian states will be targeted for the swift registration of our portfolio. Our team is the key to our success. 2013 will be the year to boost our FMCG products. Our future will witness the success of this year as a milestone.
It is always needed. It is a priority for the stress free working. Though I have less time for family affairs but still it is imperative for success. My wife shares a few tasks of mine so that I can concentrate on my corporate responsibilities. But honestly speaking I could not have been a success if my family would not have been so supportive to me.
Where do you see your company a few years down the road?
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Please share with us your contribution towards CSR?
Pharma Health and Khawaja Group of Companies are collaborating to do many projects as a responsible corporate entity. There are many philanthropic efforts going on at different levels to improve the
How do you maintain work-life balance?
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Your comments about role of working women in the country.
In our production department, a huge number of women are working and there are lesser chances for men to excel but in the field work the path is solely male dominant. Personally speaking, I believe it is inevitable for women to work in line with the male community for the progress of the country and surely they can choose the profession of their own choice. n
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YEAR’S 34 NEW RESOLUTION
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NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION:
HOW TO MAKE IT! 34 | MANAGER TODAY | www.managertoday.pk
ave you made New Year’s Resolutions? if not, then read this how to make NEW YEAR RESOLUTION. Make New Year's goals. Dig within, and discover what you would like to have happen in your life this year. This helps you do your part. It is an affirmation that you're interested in fully living life in the year to come. Goals give us direction. They put a powerful force into play on a universal, conscious, and subconscious level. Goals give our life direction. What would you like to have happen in your life this year? What would you like to do, to accomplish? What good would you like to attract into your life? What particular areas of growth would you like to have happen to you? What blocks, or character defects, would you like to have removed? What would you like to attain? Little things and big things? Where would you like to go? What would you like to have happen in friendship and love? What would you like to have happen in your family life? What problems would you like to see solved? What decisions would you like to make? What would you like to happen in your career? Write it down. Take a piece of paper, a few hours of your time, and write it all down - as an affirmation of you, your life, and your ability to choose. Then let it go. The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals.” Melody Beattie
36 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
IJAZ NISAR
EDUCATIONIST with a
DIFFERENCE DR. MUHAMMAD KHALEEQ-UR-RAHMAN VICE CHANCELLOR, GCU Manager Today: What are some of the significant changes that have taken place at the GCU during your tenure? Dr. Khaleeq-ur-Rahman: I took over the charge as the Vice Chancellor (VC) on 25th July. Since then I am trying to act according to my own vision as I have spent all my life serving different universities. I have been involved in development of university system, authority, planning and development activities. So my first aim is to transform this university into a real world trans-university. This is my vision and I have no doubt there is a great potential both in the faculty and students to be one of the best universities in the world. As everybody knows this university was established only in 2002, there are still certain requirements that it needs to meet. We are trying to introduce independence in the policies and functioning by various authorities of the university. I have empowered the departments regarding the purchase, development of the curriculum and academic policies. Each and every department has got its own structure, 36 | MANAGER TODAY | www.managertoday.pk
PROFILE: Prof. (Meritorious) Dr. M. Khaleeq-urRahman, Aizaz-e-Kamal is the 28th head of the Government College University (GCU) Lahore. He is an illustrious Physicist with 37 years of teaching experience at the Department of Physics, University of Engineering and Technology Lahore where he also served as chairperson for a very long time. The President of Pakistan conferred upon him the prestigious Aizaz-e-Kamal in the education sector on account of his overall academic distinction for the year 2009. The Higher Education Commision of Pakistan (HEC) selected him for the Best Teacher Award for the year 2008 in recognition of his invaluable services in the realm of research and pedagogy. Pakistan Institute of Physics bestowed upon him the Fellowship Gold Medal for his marvelous contribution to the advancement of Physics in Pakistan. The Pakistan Academy of Sciences (PAS), Islamabad awarded him the Gold Medal 2011 for outstanding research in the field of Physics. Having received his Ph.D. from the University of Manchester, UK, Prof. (Meritorious) Dr. M. Khaleeq-ur-Rahman, has contributed over 90 research articles to the journals of international repute and delivered many lectures at national and international conferences. He has supervised the research dissertations of 105 scholars at M. Sc., M. Phil. and Ph. D. levels. His research interest spans over Laser Surface Patterning of different materials, Characterization of Deposited Thin Films for Sensors/Detectors Development, Investigation of Hard XRays from Laser Induced Plasmas, High Power Laser Matter Interaction and Deposition of Solid Thin Films by Pulsed Nd. YAG Laser.
which is smoothly functioning. At the same time, we have tried to implement new missionary rules keeping in view the realities and expectations of the international world and also of our country. We have involved teachers and administration at every level to improve the functioning of the university. Regarding the financial management, we are facing a lot of difficulties just like other universities in terms of funding especially the development projects. Though, there is no encouraging response from the government, we have made an effort to reduce the fee by 35% to minimize pressure on the students. We hope that the government will provide us sufficient funds and grants to meet our requirements. At the same time, hostel charges have been regularized through vigorous administrative control and charges have nearly come down to 50%. Students are really happy about it. We have also established the long awaited Research Innovation Commercialization Center at GCU meeting the long due desire of the HEC. A university cannot run without such an important facility. All over the world it is the most important office that has started functioning at GCU under the supervision of eminent scholars and researchers. Now all universities are rated on the basis of their performance in teaching and research. This coordination office was need of the hour in presence of the PHD programs the GCU offers. Our new policy and rules are the same for all the departments. We encourage our researchers in particular whether they are faculty members or junior scholars doing M.Phill and PHD. We are trying to facilitate them by improving the equipment, re-
search facilities and also the necessary administrative approvals so that everything is steamed line in an effective way. This institution is the oldest education facility of Pakistan. It has produced legends and has a lot of contribution in social economic development of the country. It has got its own traditions. At the GCU, 44 societies are active, which keep organizing their functions. Sometimes, we have four functions being held simultaneously in the premises. Like recently International Women Day, Book Fair, Zoological Society International Conference and Computer Science Workshop were held in the university at the same time. Similarly, many other events execute here on a daily basis and this is only possible at the GCU. How do you plan to accommodate the growing number of students? Is there any expansion plan going on? We are now faced with the challenge of expansion. As the number of students has been tremendously increasing, requirements are growing too. To meet them, our previous administration had got 307 acre land near Kala Shah Kaku. Since I took over the charge, I have given preference to the development of that campus. By the Grace of Almighty, the boundary wall of that campus has been constructed. Its planning phase is complete. Now we are looking for certain grants from the government as the project requires four to five billion rupees. That is our major challenge now to develop that campus as soon as possible. What are the challenges that you are faced with and what was your very first concern when you joined the GCU?
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I hope this year there would be some generous allocation for the completion of new campus at Kala Shah Kaku either by the central government or the provisional government. Documentation is with us. We have presented it to the relevant bodies. It needs effective management as building a campus is a pain taking task. At the same time, we need major changes in faculty development. I want young lecturers to go abroad for higher education so that they improve their skills and change cognitive framework of students in Pakistan. I have already submitted a petition in the HEC for funding the Faculty Development Project. HEC is very supportive in this regard. Teachers who are doing Ph.D indigenously are being provided the best research projects for six to 12 months in world famous laboratories. Do you agree that setting up of private universities has resulted in commercialization of education? This was my fear a few years ago, which has proved to be right. Public sector universities are proving their worth at the international level despite facing low funding situations. Presently, five universities are in the world ranking. Commercialization component is becoming stronger in the private sector, which clearly demands a vigorous control of the government. At the GCU, we have students selected on highest merits. Although, the private universities offered them great temptations but still they preferred to study at the GCU.
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The GCU has produced many legends. Why it does not seem so now? The GCU is not isolated from other societal norms. It is a part of country, a part of system, which needs a lot of improvement. Generous support of HEC, universities are trying to improve and maintain their standards. Similarly the GCU is also perking up its values. If we peep into history, 20 to 25 years ago, no university offered the Phd programmes. That has caused an effect on the quality of our present faculty. We lack teachers with Phd degrees. But with consistent support and sufficient funds, we will be able to fill the vacuum soon. You have been doing research and writing journals yourself, are you satisfied with the quality of research conducted at the GCU? I can see that people are hard working. If their researches publish on international level, they will mark their milestone. More pace is required to be upgraded in this regard to compete with these challenges. Things are becoming inter-disciplinary so no more isolation is there. Zoology’s relation with physics, physics’ relation with engineering and bio-technology cannot be ignored. We are trying to encourage inter-disciplinary courses. In coming years, we will make sure that whatever faculty we have, they must have inter-disciplinary approach. Please comment on the need of good teacher-student relations?
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During my stay in many universities, my top priority had been on creating strong teacher-student relations. A teacher should be a friend, a reformer, a role model for his/her students. Moreover, he should be patient and should know the skills of maintaining healthy ambiance in the class. Knowledge is one of the eminent factors but only with knowledge teachers cannot inculcate ethics and other significant traits in his/her students. A teacher should bring down his level to the students to comprehend their psyche. I regarded my teachers as my role models and same values I have carried with me. My doors are open for the students. Students are very cooperative with me. They not only discuss academic stuff with me but also share their personal problems and I always try to nurture them from within. What is your strategy to tackle the plagiarism at the GCU? Till 2010, plagiarism was not clear to the teachers. But thanks to the HEC that they circulated a policy about it among the teachers and held many debates on it. So teachers and students are now well aware of the concept of plagiarism. Now we have progressed immensely in the internet field. We are now only one click away from all the researches, which have been made in different fields so latest means of information technology has minimized the concept of plagiarism. Where do you see GCU five years down the road? Insha’Allah I see it as one of the best universities of Pakistan. And I will leave no stone unturned to make it the best university in world ranking too. How can the joblessness be overcome in Pakistan and job providers rather than job seekers be created? I am strong advocate of entrepreneurship and throughout the world it is coming up. We should also promote entrepreneurship in universities. We are taking necessary steps for moving in this direction. The government cannot provide 100% jobs to people. Universities should play a leading role in developing this culture in the country. I feel that young graduates are somewhat reluctant and hesitant to take initiatives. They have
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vague vision with obscure management style. We are trying to tell the students regarding the importance of entrepreneurship. Kindly describe your management style as the VC of the GCU? My style is translucent like water. I involve each and every section of the university while taking any policy decision whether its about teachers, students, researchers or administration. I try to give them a feeling that I have gone through all these facets of system development. I provide them necessary leadership in a delicate way. What is leadership to you?
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In my opinion, only that man has a right to lead a certain section of society who has involved himself in leadership activities since his tender age. The GCU has contributed a lot in producing legends. Prime Minister, Chief Minister, Governor of Panjab, Nawaz Sharif and many more have graduated from the GCU. Leaders are produced by the institutions. That’s why the role of teachers is very important in making an ordinary person into a legendary leader. Who do we need - leaders or managers? According to my point of view, leaders. A good leader will focus on a good managerial system. Managerial system means that you require good managers. It is an interesting interdependent relation. This is an open ended debate. Recently, I was in the Glasgow University and we had the same topic to speak our minds on, all of us concluded that without an effective managerial system there is no good leadership. How do you manage your stress? I have trained myself a lot to deal with stressful conditions. I have made myself strong enough that stress seems to me a trivial and petty issue. But still I am a human being not an iron man, I sometimes get stressed out but by the grace of Almighty I have enough courage to fight it back. How do you maintain your worklife balance? Yes again by the grace of Almighty, I
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have maintained a fairly good equilibrium. I spend quality time with my family over the weekends and meet their needs properly. On the other hand, they are also very supportive. They know that I am doing a useful job so they understand me and my job's nature. What is the most difficult decision that you ever took in your career? I made a tough decision when I cleared my CSS exam but did not leave my job at the UET as my father did not give me permission to join the civil services. My friends were surprised on my decision as they always had great admiration for my capabilities in their hearts and wanted me to join the civil services. My father used to answer my friends that if his son had any capability he would prove himself in his already chosen career. And I can say proudly that his decision was right and there are many witnesses who still talk about my effective way of administrating higher education management not only at the UET but all educational levels of Pakistan. How do you define yourself as a good teacher, researcher and administrator? Learning is an ongoing process and I am still learning and trying to be a good teacher, researcher and administrator. I was the best researcher at the UET having more than 100 internationally acclaimed researches. I am still paving my way to gain excellence in all respective fields. Please define success in your words? For me, success is satisfaction, which you get by humbly imparting knowledge to society. When you achieve your desired goal you feel contented. Alhamdulillah, I can confidently say that I have achieved all my goals. What are the three core competencies that you would like to see in our entrepreneurs? Reliability, devotion and dignity. Please tell us about your favourite books? There are many books, which I have read and are my favorite ones. The biography of Quaid-e- Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah has brought immense change in
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my personality so I would recommend the youth to read it and inculcate his traits in themselves. Who is your role model, I mean your inspiration? When you talk about leadership then it’s undoubtedly Quaid-e-Azam. I always keep in mind what he wanted from us as a nation. Any message of hope that you would like to give to the youth? I have never been hopeless throughout my life. Try to peep into your own personality. What is your idea of perfect happiness? This is debatable point for me. Everyone has a different perception of happiness. For me, happiness is how much effort you put in your profession and society. What is the future of researchers in Pakistan? We have good potential. Media has to play an important role in developing concise thinking in individuals. Media should become responsible now. n
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40 EXCLUSIVE SPEECH SPEECH DELIVERED BY
YASEEN ANWAR Governor, State Bank of Pakistan
G
ood morning ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for inviting me to this prestigious gathering! As I look around here, I can see some of the most talented individuals that Pakistan has ever produced. Each success story is as unique as it is brilliant. Ladies and gentlemen, I do not need to tell you this, but you have arrived! The successes of Pakistani CEOs are a collection of stories about fearless leadership, in the face of adversity. Let’s admit it: the business environment in this country could be better. We may have numerous problems, but a lack of entrepreneurial spirit and drive is not one of them. What have you, as entrepreneurs and managers, not faced in this environment? You have faced changes in governments and policies; you have faced high inflation; you have faced the depreciation in the value of the currency; you have faced shortages of electricity and energy; you have faced multiple security issues and a constant threat to both life and property; in fact, we haven’t made your job any easier by keeping interest rates on the higher side! But you have persevered and persisted, committed and dedicated your energies to your businesses and workers. And now your success stands in front of you. You have created corporate empires within Pakistan – ones that now provide essential goods and services to the economy, ones that are the engines of growth for this economy. This is why, ladies and gentlemen, you have arrived! And this is why I would like to applaud your success. But there is one thing that concerns me. And let me throw it out as a challenge. You have conquered the 40 | MANAGER TODAY | www.managertoday.pk
Pakistani market it would seem. Yes, the local market holds tremendous potential for growth, but I think the time has come for you to lead Pakistan forward, beyond our borders. Yes, I challenge you, to take the wonderful skills that you have acquired here in the face of adversity, and build up your presence in the world. Companies from the developing world have a unique advantage over their peers in industrialized economies. They are survivors in the face of challenges that your peers in the developed world have not had to face. They learn to adapt in the harshest of environments, and can take that nimbleness in their ventures abroad. The last two decades, in particular, have seen the rise of EMNCs – emerging multinational companies. Our corporate sector has survived in perhaps one of the most challenging environments, and yet it has flourished. There are challenges to expanding abroad –challenges that our companies may not have encountered previously. But I, for one, would like to see more of our corporate sector aggressively targeting the regional and global market. I challenge you to dream larger than ever before. This is where the role of visionary leadership comes in. Can a Pakistani multinational be recognized as a regional or global powerhouse? Our peers in the developing world have been surging forward here. Jaguar, the icon of British royalty, was recently bought by Tata motors. Mittal Steel acquired the European company Arcelor, and Arcelor-Mittal is now the world’s largest steel maker. Russia’s Gazprom surpassed Microsoft in 2006 to become the world’s third most valuable company. China Mobile’s market capitalization has now surpassed that of Vodafone’s. Orascom of Egypt led Europe’s largest ever leveraged buyout. It is apparent we are in the middle of a paradigm shift – let’s not get left behind. The path to internationalization of any corporate is slow and gradual. There is a steep learning curve, lots of false starts, and constant feedback loops. I may not be the best person to deliver a lecture on expanding overseas, but I am con-
vinced that the lessons learned here, can easily be applied in other economies, where companies from more developed countries may not be able to adapt as quickly. So let us expand to other developing countries first. Let us expand to other countries in South Asia for instance. The African market is another possible destination as well. Let us develop a regional presence before we can take on the markets in industrialized nations. Let us also not forget that the millions of Pakistanis abroad will give you an edge as you venture abroad. They will be familiar with your brands, and with the quality of your products. They may just hold the key to giving you a foothold in international markets. But for all this to happen, we need your vision and your leadership. At the State Bank, we are concerned about the current state of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). We are concerned for a good reason. Most of the time, it is a very good indication of the health of the economy. The reasoning is something like this: if the economy is doing well, companies abroad will want to invest in the country. But we’re not living in normal times. Most companies in the west are themselves struggling with their domestic markets. Would they then consider investing abroad in another country and assume all the risk that entails, especially in times like these? As business leaders, you know the answer better than I do. So where does this leave us? The market opportunities in developing nations are still there. But FDI flows from industrialized nations have been falling. That is where EMNCs have emerged to fill in that vacuum. And that is where our companies should expand. It’s time for reverse capital flows. Outward FDI (OFDI) is a metric that has been largely forgotten and relegated to just a number in most developing countries’ balance of payments two decades ago. Now, it is increasingly becoming a measure that signifies the health of the country’s corporations and their competitiveness abroad. Last fiscal year that number was $63 million for Pakistan. That is very small by any standard and it is a challenge we
should undertake to change. I have also noticed that there seems to be some apprehension surrounding outward FDI in Pakistan. We have fallen prey to a mindset where inward FDI is good, and outward FDI is bad. From a strictly balance of payments perspective, that is very true; and it is my job to be concerned about that and at the same time to manage it in a prudent and disciplined manner. The flows of FDI, both inward and outward, reflect something deeper. Inward FDI reflects the potential in the domestic economy. Outward FDI reflects the willingness and ability of domestic corporations to compete in the international market. The two are not inversely proportional. One of more does not imply less of the other. There is another distinction to be made here. FDI does not include investments in financial assets, such as investments in stock or bond markets. FDI is investment in tangible assets in the real sector. That means that money and capital flows through FDI are not very volatile. And it is the volatility in such flows that keeps any central banker awake at night. Let me digress here. The point that I hope to communicate is that our economy should move away from a persisting fascination with inward FDI as a metric of the economy’s health and, at least, give OFDI the attention it deserves. Again it is your leadership and vision in taking your corporations to the next frontier that will take us forward into this new paradigm. Your corporations are the engines of this economy, and our economy needs a paradigm shift. I have noted that a few of our corporations have tentatively started venturing into foreign markets. The United Arab Emirates has been a particularly favored destination. I’ve seen many of our brands there, particularly from the textile industry. One of our conglomerates recently acquired a company in the North American market. We know a couple of our banks are extremely keen on entering the Indian market. So yes, a few of our more daring enterprises have ventured outside their comfort zone, and I respect them for that. But there is a great deal more that www.managertoday.pk | MANAGER TODAY | 41
needs to be done. And there is a great deal more that can be done. The current breed of Pakistani CEOs is the street-smart entrepreneur, who will learn to adapt to any environment. That is going to be our competitive advantage in the global market. Once again the challenge is to put your skills to the test on the global stage. I am confident that you will create a new success story with each challenge. I would certainly be remiss in not pointing out that the world today is passing through a turbulent phase that requires a realignment of our leadership approach to managing businesses. Today’s business leader is faced with a multitude of challenges, both on external and internal fronts. The complexities arising in the eco-system of any business may arise in the shape of macro economic imbalances that include sagging demand, inflation, volatility in financial markets, etc. While demanding situations on the internal front arise from personnel management, investment ambiguity that there are always complex matrices linking external challenges with internal ones and therefore, successful business leaders will never make internal business decisions in isolation. An uniformed business leader is a leader without a vision and quite likely without any success. Like any real life crisis, the present 42 | MANAGER TODAY | www.managertoday.pk
turmoil in the financial sector provides an opportunity to learn from the financial world’s mistakes and overzealousness. This gives us the opportunity to look back and see what went wrong and structure our own financial houses so that this does not happen to us, or so severely affect the world again. In this regard I feel the most significant lesson that we have learnt from recent events is the importance of fundamentals in risk management. For instance there is a basic rule since inception of banks which says ‘do not put all your eggs in one basket’. Had this simple rule been followed, many institutions could have avoided huge losses. The challenges posed by the Global Financial Crisis have impacted leaders of all major businesses. Elevating corporate governance should not be confined to banks, but commercial concerns must also do the same. We all know the pace of globalization has accelerated, resulting in increased domestic and global economic integration. Today we cannot just shrug off failures within a particular sector or sometimes even a single entity if it has global linkages. Gone are the days when a financial or political crisis in one country could be contained to that country; now there are several contagion effects at different levels. That is why emphasis on good cor-
porate governance regimes cannot be underscored more as it creates an attractive investment climate necessary to maintain investors’ confidence, resulting in positive impact on the share price and creating possibilities for raising low cost Capital. It is imperative that we develop and implement good governance practices in order to provide impetus to economic growth. Given Globalization and the crisis we all face, let me highlight the traits of effective leadership that are universally applicable and that I have cited in earlier talks. Leaders must be VISIONARY to see the future trends, anticipate institutional bottlenecks, remain competitive and be able to ADAPT RAPIDLY to changes. They should be CONTINUOUS LEARNERS, a necessity for enhancing leadership skills. Leaders also need to take into account their CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY so that profit seeking is balanced against the objective of SOCIAL SERVICE and well being of society. Leadership success requires strong CONVICTION and BELIEF. Yet having HUMILITY and recognizing the need to REINVENT and inspire their organization to adapt to new challenges remain an integral part of successful leaders. This is vital if businesses want to remain at the forefront of new innovations, critical for LONG TERM COMPETITIVENESS. All these and more comprise the necessary characteristics for dynamic leaders that push the frontiers of excellence. Such corporate leaders fuel the drive towards long-term growth and stability. I’ll conclude my thoughts with a small personal aspiration. Twenty years from now, I would like to hear the story of how a Pakistani corporation entered the global market, the challenges it faced and overcame, and became the first Pakistani company to be consistently featured in the Fortune Global 500 list of companies. I look forward to being in an audience of thousands, listening to that story. That is my final challenge to you. So, ladies and gentlemen, you have arrived. But there is, as I have said in my talk, that other frontier that still needs to be conquered. And I am confident that your leadership skills and your vision are more than sufficient to achieve that ambitious but reachable goal. After all, a man’s reach should exceed his grasp or what’s a Heaven for. That is what will usher this country into a new age of economic growth and prosperity. Thank you! n
44 ISLAMIC HRM
ISLAMIC
human resource MANAGEMENT AND PAKISTAN
BINISH NAUMAN
In today’s competitive world Human Resource Management (HRM) practices have become an effective tool to increase an organization’s productivity and performance. According to Western management researches, the history of HRM starts from Human Relations Era (Hawthorne Studies by Elton Mayo) to Personnel Management to current version of HRM. Many researchers still think HRM to be a modified version of Personnel Management, ‘old wine in a new bottle’. Besides all the controversies regarding its origin and existence HRM has now become a universal and acceptable truth. The latest researchers are unearthing the foundations of HRM practices in religion. Most of the Muslim researchers are highlighting the fact that the foundations of HRM can be traced back to Islam. These researchers are emphasizing on the fact that Islam is not only a religion, but it is also a set of values that govern various aspects of behavior, a cultural system, a way of life, a civilization rather than just faith. Islam has significant effect not only on economic and political organizations but also on human relationships, giving a code of conduct to the Muslims whether they are at home or at workplace. I have conducted a research study answering various questions like what Islamic Human Resource Management really is, how is it different from Western manage-
Islamic teachings make it obligatory for the Islamic HRM policies to be based on the principles of transparency, accountability, justice and sincerity
ment practices, to what extent Islamic Human Resource Management is implemented in Pakistan being a Muslim country and if it is possible to ignore the Western management practices and adopt the Islamic Human Resource Management practices wholly. The country that I have chosen for data collection is Pakistan. The main reason for choosing Pakistan for this study is that it was created in the name of Islam. In 1947, when Pakistan came into being, the leaders of this country made a commitment that only Islamic teachings and practices will be adopted in every field of life. In my study, I have tried to explore whether this target has been achieved or if Pakistanis are still caught in a conflict to choose between the Western management practices and Islamic management practices. Source of information for my qualitative study, i.e. the Quranic Ayats (words of Allah), Hadith (words and acts of Holy Prophet PBUH) and the existing literature on Islamic HRM and HRM practices in Pakistan, were used as source of secondary data. Islam being a complete code of life offers useful prescriptions for HR practitioners. Islamic HRM emphasizes on human dignity, kindness in one’s dealings and concern for the welfare of the society. Islamic HRM emphasizes on morality in conduct. It stipulates that the acts of the employers and employees should be based on ethics. Islamic teachings make it obligatory for the Islamic HRM policies to be based on the principles of transparency, accountability, justice, ehsan and sincerity. It is stated that the prosperity of the workers and employers is interwoven. In the above mentioned box is the comparison between different functions of HRM, while keeping in mind the Islamic HRM and the actual practices prevalent in Pakistan:
ISLAMIC HRM
PRACTICES IN PAKISTAN RECRUITMENT
People should be recruited not just because they asked for a job but rather there should be a recruitment pool from which vacant jobs are filled and they should be marked by diversity.
Referrals and knowing the management is the most common source of recruitment.
TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT In Islamic thinking, both the theoretical and practical dimensions of training & development fit within the broad concept of human existence and the capability of human being to make a difference and provide value to society.
It is limited to those personnel's who are at dominating positions in organizations. Human resources are trained keeping in mind the American ideas and practices. Most of the organizations consider this as an expense not an investment.
COMPENSATIONS In Islam it is determined on the basis of equity, nature of work, family responsibilities.
Elite class is created among organizations. Marketing employees are given more salaries and perks. Salary difference between entry level employees and executives is around 800%.
REWARDS Rewards in Islam underscores the importance of performance and seeks to achieve three objectives: enforcing good behavior, avoidance of apathy, ensuring commitment and loyalty to broader societal goals and encouraging employees to do their best while observing spiritual norms.
Performance based rewards have been copied from multinationals by most of the large and most successful local organizations.
PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL Islam emphasizes on self responsibility. Every one should keep up his commitments and fulfill all his deeds and feel themselves accountable in front of Allah for all their deeds.
Maintaining a good relationship with managers is far more important than the actual tasks they perform. Referrals are the most common source of good performance appraisal.
In Pakistan, multinationals are playing the role of a change agent, so the organizations within Pakistan (both local and foreign) are trying to transform themselves. It is evident from the current economic and industrial condition of Pakistan that all these efforts are not much fruitful. Different Islamic and non-Islamic sources of values and traditions (Indian origin, British legacy, American influences) are prevalent in Pakistan, hence creating a hindrance in the development of a particular HRM Model. Due to this reason a mixture of Western and national management practices has been created, resulting in a conflict and making the actual application of HRM practices even more complicated. Islamic HRM is more practical and feasible for the Muslims to adopt. Muslims consider Islam as a complete code of life covering all spheres and activi-
ties of socio economic life. There is no segregation between worldly and religious way of leading life for a Muslim. Whether at home or workplace, Islam demands a Muslim to be honest and faithful. Muslims do not follow these practice due to the fear or pressure of the superior, instead they continuously feel themselves answerable and accountable in front of Allah. Whereas in Western management practices the technical and material objectives are more important most of the time. n
BINISH NAUMAN has done her M.Com from Hailey College of Commerce, PU. She took her LLB degree with distinction from University Law College, PU.
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46 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW IJAZ NISAR PEPSICOISAWORLDLEADERINCONVENIENTSNACKS, FOODSANDBEVERAGESWITHREVENUESMORETHAN $60BILLIONANDOVER285,000EMPLOYEES WORLDWIDE.PEPSICOPAKISTANHASWIDERANGING INVESTMENTSINTHEFOODANDBEVERAGESECTOR.ON THEBEVERAGESIDETHEYOWNTHETOP4OUTOF5 BRANDSINTHECOUNTRY,WHICHINCLUDEHOUSEHOLD NAMESLIKEPEPSI,MOUNTAINDEWAND7–UP.ONTHE FOODSIDE,IN2006THEYINTRODUCEDTHEFAMOUS LAY’SPOTATOCHIPSBRANDINPAKISTAN.ROMANA AZIZKHANISFRANCHISEMANAGERINTHEBEVERAGES BUSINESSATPEPSICOPAKISTAN.FRANCHISE MANAGEMENTBEINGANICHEMODEL,WITHWOMEN BEINGINASMALLERNUMBERINTHISFIELD,ROMANAIS ONEOFTHEFEWEXAMPLESINPAKISTANASWELLAS AROUNDTHEPEPSICOBUSINESSGLOBALLY.INHER OWNWORDS,SHEISSOMEONEWHOTHRIVESON CHALLENGES,PUSHESHERSELFASMUCHANDASFAR ASPOSSIBLEANDREDEFINESTHERULESOFTHEGAME. “IFICANCONTRIBUTEEVENTOASMALLEXTENTIN CHANGINGTHEDEFAULTMINDSETTHATPREVAILSIN OURSOCIETYBARRINGWOMENFROMOCCUPYINGAND EXCELLINGINCERTAINROLESIWOULDBEAHAPPY PERSONWITHMYSELF”,SAYSROMANAAZIZINHER EXCLUSIVEINTERVIEWWITHMANAGERTODAY MAGAZINE.READON.
ROMANA
AZIZ KHAN Franchise Manager Beverages Business at PepsiCo Pakistan 46 | MANAGER TODAY | www.managertoday.pk
Manager Today: Tell us something about your academic background and work profile? Romana Aziz: I am proud to be a typical home-grown product of Pakistan. After initial schooling, I went to St. Joseph’s Government College and then to DHA College. I completed my education with an MBA in Marketing from Institute of Business Administration, Karachi. My career till date spans over almost 13 years in various brand, trade and franchise management roles across three different organizations varying from oil marketing to tobacco and beverages. What do you think are the challenges that working women face in Pakistan and what strategies you adopt to overcome those challenges? Not just in Pakistan, I think it’s equally difficult for women anywhere in the world to prove themselves. And the biggest impediment in my opinion is the sheer small representation of women especially in senior roles. Women currently hold just 4% of Fortune 500 CEO roles, so applying the same formula you can imagine how tough the situation may be in Pakistan being a developing country. Having said that, I think, the biggest challenge to overcome is inner challenge. It’s an inside job before it's an outside job! Just because women wear many more hats in their personal lives, it doesn't mean that they are any less professional, efficient and effective in the business world. God has blessed all His creation with equal knowledge, maturity and intelligence irrespective of gender. So start taking yourselves seriously before you want others to take you seriously. How important do you think it is for organizations to implement anti-harassment policies in their companies? Does such a policy exist at PepsiCo? It is a very important policy that should be implemented in companies who want to attract competent and professional female workers. PepsiCo is a case in point where this policy has helped in creating a congenial and comfortable environment for females to fulfill their true potential. We seek to provide a work environment that is free from harassment of any kind and/or any other offensive or disrespectful conduct. Our company complies with all country and local laws prohibiting harassment, and our code prohibits harassment in the work place. The policy does not just exist but is truly embedded in our culture. The com-
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pany ensures that all employees are aware and trained on the same as well as constantly refreshed through visual reminders as well as interactive sessions and quizzes etc. We have even conducted gender sensitivity workshops for our shop floor workers and educated them on the importance of this issue as well. What is the difference between a leader and manager? What is convenient for a woman, to be a leader or a manager? Leadership and management go hand in hand. They are not the same thing, but they are necessarily linked, and complementary. Any effort to separate the two is likely to cause more problems than it solves. Some of the differences could be like: Managers have employees ---- Leaders win followers. Managers react to change ---- Leaders create change. Managers have good ideas ---- Leaders implement them. Managers communicate ---- Leaders persuade. Again I would say gender cannot dictate whether a woman leader is better or vice versa. You have to find your own balance as to what you are most comfortable with- being a leader or a manager, regardless of whether you are a man or a woman. PepsiCo is a great company to harness your leadership skills. It teaches you critical management techniques along with important leadership traits like setting the right agenda, taking people along, collaborating and influencing and all the while acting with the utmost integrity. All these qualities go beyond any gender gaps. Why women are encouraged and thought to be best for secretarial kind of jobs and not as managers? I think this is changing. Gone are the days when women occupied just secretarial or clerical jobs. Today, you have women managers, women CEOs, women pilots, women in the armed forces and the list goes on. Pakistan has come a long way since the last century and the future only looks brighter in this direction. What is the vision of your organization? How did you add value to that vision? Our vision is to be the world's premier consumer products company focused on convenient foods and beverages. We seek to produce financial rewards to investors as we provide opportunities for growth and enrichment to our employees, our business partners and the communities in which we
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operate. And in everything that we do, we strive for honesty, fairness and integrity. My job is to ensure that PepsiCo is building a sustainable business in my area of influence which is Sindh and Balochistan. It is extremely important for us to provide all the necessary support and knowledge to our bottling partners to ensure that they are able to run their businesses in a sustainable and profitable manner as well. Currently PepsiCo is the largest food and beverage company in Pakistan and we are well on our way of contributing to our global vision. Pakistan is currently the 6th largest market in the world for PepsiCo. We have brands worth 22 billion dollars brands globally and there are innumerable opportunities for expanding our food and beverage portfolios in Pakistan which the company keeps evaluating. What is the PepsiCo’s contribution to the corporate social responsibility (CSR)? We use the term Performance with Purpose rather than CSR. Performance with Purpose means delivering sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future for people and our planet. As a global food and beverage company with brands that stand for quality and are respected household names like Quaker Oats, Tropicana, Gatorade, Lay’s and Pepsi-Cola, to name a few. We will continue to build a portfolio of enjoyable and wholesome foods and beverages, find innovative ways to reduce the use of energy, water and packaging, and provide a great workplace for our associates. What are the core competencies required for the franchise business? What are the challenges that franchise businesses face? Are there any HR related challenges involved in it? PepsiCo may be one of the very few FMCG organizations in Pakistan that operates on a franchise based model. It is a different model where the principle doesn’t have direct control over the end product unlike an operating entity. We have a network of 7 franchise partners in Pakistan, who are responsible for making, selling and distributing PepsiCo products. The franchise manager maintains a go-be-
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tween link between PepsiCo and the bottlers. While technical and functional knowledge is a given, what is critical is the relationship and networking skills. And that is what we look for while evaluating a prospective candidate for a franchise management job. And as I said, hardly any other FMCG in Pakistan works on this model so that itself remains the biggest HR challenge. How do you define your management style? It may sound clichéd; however, my management style has always been participative. I am someone who thrives on networking and gaining friends. The thought of being segregated sounds alien to me. Besides, as you grow in your roles your job becomes more and more skewed towards relationship management and less on core functional expertise, hence participative it has to be. What was the toughest decision you have ever made? Well, every day presents a new challenge and requires some or the other tough decisions to be made. From being the first in my family to acquire an MBA degree, to being the first in my family to start a corporate career; as these things were only restricted to boys before. In my corporate career, being the
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youngest head of brand management at a government organization, that too a female, to being the first female Area Manager in Pakistan Tobacco Company (British American Tobacco) and only the second Regional Manager in the company’s more than half a century’s history in Pakistan. Launching Dunhill in Pakistan, handling a large FMCG brand- John Players Gold Leaf etc all these looked very tough decisions at that point in time. Even I was not sure if I would be able to break these boundaries and make it easier for younger females to follow. Recently, I was nominated to represent PepsiCo Pakistan in the biggest global award ceremony named after PepsiCo cofounder, Donald M. Kendall. Usually, the business is represented by the head of the market/business unit and I was a small fish in a very big pond being younger in age and experience than others. Hence, I was reluctant to go as I did not want the company to lose only because I did not represent them well. However, the company displayed more confidence in me than I had in myself and was able to bring back the most coveted trophy back home on behalf of PepsiCo Pakistan. This to date perhaps remains my biggest corporate credential.
Romana receiving the winning Donald M. Kendall (DMK) Awards trophy from PepsiCo Chairman and CEO, Indra Nooyi and PepsiCo co-founder Donald M. Kendall
In your opinion, what is the true meaning of happiness? Happiness is a state of mind and cannot be based on any material or physical attributes. To me, being content with what I am doing day in-day out, spending time with my family, remaining in close contact with my childhood friends as well as those acquired over all these years, going for a walk or exploring new places all this is happiness. Simply put, being able to face myself in the mirror with confidence and not smirking away is true happiness. You may avoid anyone but the one person you have to face every day in the mirror is you. You should only try to make that one person happy with you. That’s it. Who is your inspiration in your personal and professional life? Quaid-e-Azam, Muhammad Ali Jinnah is my inspiration in my professional life. His professional ethics were so superior that if we adopt them in our daily routine, the state of economic condition of our country will take a Uturn. Imagine if we could live with his principle that goes, “I don’t believe in taking right decision, I believe in taking decision and making them right”. And in a personal capacity, Abdus Sattar Edhi remains an eternal ray of hope. Imagine with what resources he started single-handedly and where he is today. We all complain about issues, leaving it to the government alone to tackle while there are people who in their personal capacities have made such a lasting impression on humanity. Today, the Edhi Foundation is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as having the largest volunteer ambulance organization in the world. We do not need to look outside for such great personal examples. Has your organization taken any initiative to help young females professionals polish their talent further and
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become more productive at work? Oh many. Women, as they are fewer in numbers need a little more support and hand holding when they start their professional journeys and beyond. We have so many programmes at Pepsico Pakistan that are aimed at nurturing female talent. l. Powerful Women Program: Its a program to “reach down and pull up” females. This is a formal training targeted specifically towards females with defined modules on leadership and how to overcome associated challenges. 2. Buddy Program: Each female is provided a Buddy to help her benefit from the right advice, encourage org savvy behavior and approach, and develop a culture of openness and trust. 3. Pakistan Women Forum: A forum to promote, develop, inspire and tackle females’ challenges in the company. 4. Day Care Centre: A quality day care center in our Head Office and Sundar factory to attract and retain working mothers. This is truly a best practice and has enabled the company to retain some of its best talent. Being a manager how do you manage your work-life balance? It’s quite simple. When I put life before work then the work itself becomes easy. While there are times when work is in tons and lots of critical deadlines are to be met.; however that is never something that is perpetual. When a task does not require me to put in late hours that day, I let it wait till the next. I believe in creating time to be with my family, go out with friends, exercise or go on a vacation. A relaxed mind and body is more productive too. How do you manage your business stress?
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At the time when I am not working and there’s some business stress looming over my head, I shut my mind off it too. Do something completely different. Go on a long drive, listen to music, learn something new like Golf that I am learning these days, visit family or friends or simply spend time with a child or someone older. A complete change in scene from routine work life is always refreshing for me. And more often I come back to work with a fresher mind and better ideas to tackle the business related issue too. What is your recipe of success in life and what message of hope would you like to give to the future managers, entrepreneurs and leader? Never think any work challenge is big enough to achieve. If anyone else can do it, so can I. And the greatest achievements for me have come from tasks that I initially thought were not easy, even if possible. Multi-tasking. I think the one thing that has helped me all throughout my journey is multi-tasking and speed to execution. As we move on, there would be many tasks that need our attention, and not all of them take very long to execute. So clearing your table as fast as you can brings the stress level down considerably, coupled with a sense of accomplishment. Have faith. Everything happens for the best. One can only put in 100% effort but results should be left to God. And He always blesses with the best results possible. Be positive. Positive energy is the biggest form of addiction. Your positivity makes the world around you as positive and hopeful. n
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50 PERSONALITIES of a work d r a dh Q n the ck an OO ter lu h people i lot of t R u A e h c F et oing a t its t t of ri HAN n , bu been a lo ve been d fortable y S o s A r e a K e p m h v e o l s a H e c g v d n ire KA here h at an ple ha liona ery si of ev illionaire. T . Many Bil done gre hese peo uch e m a e T s b g v orld. how m other t was d the ed ha ream is a d d rich an iration for They inde le in the W eck below . But wha y h t l e a p an ch op e. st pe y mad of ins nd we . Just ealth e tim rich a kes him w n a source ss or mor op 10 riche tic assets g have the g n i e n m Beco which ma th has bee t fame in l piled this t here giga rtable livin t l n o o a y m o g e b s o e r m c w d v e ple. e d e a co f p whos ess and h Forbes ha h astonish e what a ichest peo d l r o r . n t n i w i r e g et ea le now in bus y ima ore th work r living sty f this plan can easil , lets expl o u h la popu he people n , then yo s much ric t i w h e o t d y a m e h m he h do t ade t wealt ng that m i the th
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52 BOOKS REVIEW KAHKASHAN FAROOQ
LEADERSHIP BOOKS OF ALL TIMES THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE by Stephen R. Covey
HOW TO WIN FRIENDS & INFLUENCE PEOPLE by Dale Carnegie
THE ONE MINUTE MANAGER by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People; by Stephen R. Covey – It’s hard not to put Dale Carnegie at Number 1, but Covey’s 7 Habits is simply the best leadership development book of all time. No matter what management level you hold – you don’t even need to be a manager to learn from this book – by following the 7 Habits you will improve every relationship in your work and private life; you’ll gain the respect of your peers, subordinates and superiors; and you’ll actually begin to accomplish a few things. Not a bad way to run your life, is it?
It’s hard to believe that this “people-skills” book was written more than 70 years ago, but its staying power proves one thing: business is about people. Interestingly, so is leadership. The most important asset of any successful business is their people, and Carnegie’s classic has helped millions worldwide improve their business relationships and grow as leaders. The lessons are almost common knowledge, but as Manager Today, common knowledge always seems uncommon in business.
This best-selling leadership tale has stood the test of time – not to the extent of Carnegie’s great work, but Manager Today doesn’t doubt that The One Minute Manager will still be as relevant in 2081 as it is today (and as it was in 1981). Full of great advice on how to manage a small team and presented in a concise story format, the lessons in One Minute can be applied across all levels of leadership.
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EXECUTION: THE DISCIPLINE OF GETTING THINGS DONE by Larry Bossidy, Ram Charan, and Charles Burck Once you know how to deal with and lead people, the next step is actually getting these groups to accomplish something. For business leaders today, it seems we spend more time admiring our problems than we do solving them. Execution does a great job of driving leaders into action. Interpersonal relationships, innovation and strategy are all critical leadership skill sets, but without Execution these abilities mean nothing to the success or failure of a business.
THE FIVE DYSFUNCTIONS OF A TEAM: A LEADERSHIP FABLE by Patrick M. Lencioni A great fictional tale that gets to heart of why most teams fail to execute: teamwork. Your group may understand the terrific vision and direction you provide, but without teamwork your processes will grind to a halt. Regardless of the number of “truly dedicated” individuals you have in a group, The Five Dysfunctions demonstrates how to move that group away from personalities and into a cohesive state characterized by results.
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riginally published on June 23, 2008, The Best Leadership Books of All Time received so much feedback from readers
WHAT GOT YOU HERE WON’T GET YOU THERE by Marshall Goldsmith How Successful People Become Even More Successful; by Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter – Sometimes misclassified as just a self-help book for leaders, What Got You Here is actually a great leadership development read for both those who need to smooth out some rough edges in their approach or personality, and those who want to build a constructive company culture that takes the organization to the next level. Manager Today especially recommends this book for leaders who consider themselves successful, but also believe they might be perfect. (Chances are, you’re not, and what got you here won’t get you there.)
who asked that we expound on our comments of these best sellers, that Manager Today Magazine felt compelled to reissue top ten list of The Best
FIRST, BREAK ALL THE RULES: WHAT THE WORLD’S GREATEST MANAGERS DO DIFFERENTLY by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman Focused on performance, among other things, Break All The Rules should be required reading for all managers. The concepts discussed fly in the face of conventional wisdom and may leave you scratching your head at first. Throughout Break All The Rules, commonly held beliefs are exposed as ineffective or destructive – not by the authors, but by the hyper-successful managers they interviewed.
Leadership Books of All Time. We’re hopeful you find these expanded reviews helpful on your quest to become a truly great leader.
GOOD TO GREAT: WHY SOME COMPANIES MAKE THE LEAP … AND OTHERS DON’T by Jim Collins Although many of the companies Collins identifies as having made the leap from good to great back when this book was first published (2001) have since fallen on hard times (Fannie Mae comes to mind right away), it does not diminish Good to Great’s standing as one of the ten best leadership books of all time. What originally moved Collins’ eleven highlighted companies to the top is what matters, and the principles exposed in his book are still the best roadmap we have for improving entire organizations.
Although everyone has their favorites, the team atManager Today chooses the following tomes as The Best Leadership Books of All Time:
THE ART OF WAR by Sun Tzu Even today, business is war, and the teachings of Sun Tzu are still applicable more than 2,500 years after they were first written. While it would be great if we could all sit in a circle wearing just our underwear, hold hands and sing Kumbaya, the hard truth is that not every interaction is going to be fair and not everyone we deal with is going to deal fairly. The Art of War teaches you how to plan, negotiate, and build important interpersonal skills – it is an understatement to say that this work has stood the test of time. (TheManager’s note: make certain you acquire the complete version and not an abbreviated version of this work.)
WHO MOVED MY CHEESE? by Spencer Johnson with Kenneth Blanchard The only authors to have two books on our list, Messrs. Johnson and Blanchard always take a unique approach to teaching the mundane. In Who Moved My Cheese you’ll discover a very quick and entertaining read that helps people and organizations cope with change. Probably the most argued book on this list (our editors were split 50/50 on whether or not to include it), Cheese was included primarily because of the current economic climate we face. Businesses are either changing or closing, and Who Move My Cheese helps you, your leaders and your employees cope with and adapt to it.
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54 MOVIES REVIEW SAQIB SHEHZAD WILL SMITH
STARRING: Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Castellaneta, Thandie Newton DIRECTOR: Gabriele Muccino RATING: 4 out of 5
he real difference between successful and unsuccessful people is that in tough times the unsuccessful ones blame and complain but the successful ones do their best to make things happen against all odds. This is what Chris Gardner has done in his life, full of odds, problems and disturbance but he did what he wanted to do. He wants to be happy. He pursues happiness and finds it. This is the gist of this film. Will Smith plays Chris Gardner who is a salesman for expensive medical scanners, which were supposed to sell like hot cakes but doctors considered it a luxury. So, nobody would buy it, but Chris is not the person to give in. These scanners are his last hope to feed his family. He has spent his life’s savings on them. He has nothing to do except selling these scanners. He is struggling to sell scanners; his wife is moonlighting to meet household expenses. He is extremely depressed and unhappy. One day he meets happiness and hope outside of a brokerage firm. He applies for a highly competitive internship at the firm, in which 20 candidates will be selected and after six month only one will get the job and above all that internship is unpaid. Meanwhile, his wife leaves him. Now he is with his son, his scanners and a hope for broker's job. He has to compete for internship; he has to sell scanners, and has to take care of his son. He is very concerned about his son and wants to give him his best. Things
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getting tougher by the day and he is struggling harder and harder to make both ends meet. One day he gets the shock of his life when tax authorities withdraw all his money from his bank account. Now he has nothing: no money, no house and no friends. He is on the street with his baggage, his son, and scanners. Each day seems to bring new and unsurpassable problems. He can barely feed and house himself, let alone fulfill the requirements of his internship. If he doesn’t win the desirable single slot awarded at the end of the internship it will all be for naught.
After all these trials and tribulations, he ultimately finds what he is looking for. It is a fabulous movie. It tells you a lot about resources, time management, smart work and problems solving. It is a well-written, well-directed and well-acted movie. Will Smith has given a superb performance. The sequence is good, with beautiful dialogues and an amazing. The actors have put life in characters. After watching this movie, you will be highly motivated and you will start believing that nothing can stop you from achieving your goal, provided you are determined.n
56 CORPORATE EVENTS
TIME & STRESS MANAGEMENT Ijaz Nisar, the Founder and President of Manager Today Magazine exclusively conducted a two day training session for senior managers of SECP. The major theme of the training was ‘Time & Stress Management’ which shed light on the coping strategies of Time & Stress Management at SECP Lahore, Karachi & Islamabad. ‘Without training no organization can survive & thrive’. n
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Fire Protection Association Pakistan & National Forum for Environment holds 3rd Fire Safety Convention at local hotel.
Fazal Kadir Shirani President FPCCI, chairman PIFFA Nadeem Khan, chairman ACAP Farrukh Iqbal, CEO Pchannel Naeem Qureshi, Director eventMahmood Tareen, Adil Rasheed (PQ), Capt Anwar Shah, Atiq ur Rehman & others are seen on the occasion of 2nd Shipping Logistics Conference held at local hotel Karachi.
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58 CORPORATE EVENTS Grid International, Inc. and Grid Graduates Group (G3) Pakistan Karachi: Since 1961, Grid International Inc. is a pioneer in research and systematic application of leadership and culture development. It deploys processes that emphasize rigorous business logic. Working initially with Exxon and NASA, the Grid approach enabled mobilizing resources to deliver top-line and bottom-line results. Today, Grid processes are practiced at many of Fortune 500 companies, and in most, completion from the basic leadership Grid® is a prerequisite to elevation
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in the organization. Grid International deploys a network of Grid consultants that addresses clients’ needs in over 40 countries including North America, Europe and Far East. Grid consultants are professionally trained and systematically developed to work across multi-culture, cross-industry clients. Boards, CEOs, and their organizations benefit from Grid’s global R&D through its valued worldwide consultants network. Mr. Carlson is chairman of Grid Inter-
national, Inc., and The Carlson Training Group Inc; based in Canada. He is a globally respected authority on Leadership and organization Development. Mr. Carlson is a highly-demanded speaker on Board and Top-Executive Leadership focusing on Organization Culture Change. He is the co-author of the Power to Change, (translated into 17 languages in over 50 countries), The CEO Grid and other publications based on foundational behavioral science concepts.
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SUMMIT 60 CEO KARACHI
INTERNATIONALCEOSUMMIT: SPEAKERSSAYPAKISTANHASGREAT POTENTIALTOACHIEVE Karachi: November 08, 2012 Prominent speakers speaking at the fourth International CEO Summit emphasized that there was immense potential and resources in the country and if the resilient people were properly guided they could push the country into a developed one as they had overcome devastated floods and earthquakes within shortest possible time. However, they said the people could not harness the national resources because of various reasons including lack of professional approach, bad law and order situation across the country that is inter-related with structural problems. This mess has created fear of uncertainty in all spheres of life, they added. They were speaking at the fourth international CEO Summit themed as 'Growth in Testing Times: Challenges & Opportunities' followed by the book launching ceremony of "100 Business Leaders of Pakistan' under the aegis of Manager Today magazine & CEO CLUB. Those who spoke on the occasion included chief guest Yaseen Anwar Governor State Bank of Pakistan; Ijaz Nisar - Founder & President Manager Today & CEO CLUB; Hussain Dawood Chairman Engro Corp; Asad Umar - ExPresident Engro Corp; Kamran Rizvi Executive Director Navitus; Atif Bajwa – President & CEO Bank Alfalah Ltd.; Sohail Wajahat Siddiqui - Chairman, Pakistan State Oil; Sirajuddin Aziz – President Habib Metropolitan Bank; Kashmala Tariq - MNA;Muhammad Zubair Motiwala - Chairman SBI; M. Rafiq Uddin Mehkari – President Askari Bank; Irfan Siddiqui - President & CEO Meezan Bank Limited; Shireen Naqvi – Lead Trainer Navitus; Adnan Siddiqui – Country General Manager IBM Pakistan; Sikandar Sultan – CEO Shan Foods
(Pvt.) Ltd; Hasan A Bilgrami –CEO Bank Islami Pakistan Ltd; Duraid Qureshi CEO HUM Network; Shehryar Ali Taseer – CEO Media Times Ltd; Jamshid Iqbal Cheema – Chairman Auriga Group of Companies; Asad Said Jaffar – Chairman & CEO Philips Electrical Industries of Pakistan Ltd; Syed Saquib Mohyuddin – CEO SME BSF; Usman A. Ghani – International Consultant CONFLUENTC Tariq M. Rangoon Wala Chairman ICC Pakistan Chapter and Dr. Kamran Shams - Executive Director Akhuwat and others. Speaking on the subject of role played by the visionary leadership in overall economic growth, Governor State of Pakistan Mr. Yaseen Anwar said, “Business leaders face challenges both internally and externally, but business leaders cannot take good decisions internally, without considering the external issues and problems”. Asad Umar, former President of Engro Corporation said, “A clear vision and sense of ownership not only brings up good leaders but helps build great institutions as well. Speaking on the given subject of growth in testing times, he said that institutions were beyond individuals leading the institutions, and true leadership was vital to the entire socioconomic growth of the country. Ijaz Nisar said, "We always quote success stories of western CEOs but do not highlight achievements of local entrepreneurs like Sohail Wajahat Siddiqui, Kamran Rizvi, Asad Umar and Muhammad Zubair Motiwala. We have our own local Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Laxmi Mittal who can turn the fate and face of the country if they are provided conducive and friendly environment for doing business."
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Natasha Hussain and Ijaz Nisar
Sohail Wajahat, Hussain Dawood, Yaseen Anwar, Raffiq Uddin Mehkari and Atif Bajwa
Yaseen Anwar
Sirajuddin Aziz
Asad Said Jaffar
Tazeen Aman
Yaseen Anwar
Farukh Mazhar
Asad Umar
Participants from Meezan Bank
Participants at the CEO Summit
Activities at the full swing
Participants attending the CEO Summit
Yaseen Anwar presenting the souviner to Hussain Dawood
Ijaz Nisar presenting the souviner to Yaseen Anwar Kaiser Waheed asking question
Yaseen Anwar presenting the souviner to Atif Bajwa
Top CEOs are expericing happy moments at the CEO Summit Karachi www.managertoday.pk | MANAGER TODAY | 61
Ijaz Nisar, Sohail Wajahat, Uzma Bashir & Saleem Ranjha Yaseen Anwar presenting the book to Asad Umar
Yaseen Anwar presenting the book to Raffiq uddin Mehkari
Yaseen Anwar presenting the book to Kalim ur Rehman
Yaseen Anwar presenting the book to Irfan Siddiqui
Yaseen Anwar presenting the book to CEO
Yaseen Anwar presenting the book to Javed Qureshy
Yaseen Anwar presenting the book to Tariq Mehmood Mian
Yaseen Anwar presenting the book to Asad Said Jaffar
Yaseen Anwar presenting the book to Uzma Bashir
Yaseen Anwar presenting the book to
Yaseen Anwar presenting the book to Sarfraz Rahman
Yaseen Anwar presenting the book to Arif Ansari
Yaseen Anwar presenting the book to Saleem Ranjha
Yaseen Anwar presenting the book to Kamran Rizvi
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Yaseen Anwar presenting the book to Shireen Naqvi
Group Photo of top CEOs, Entrepreneurs and Presidents from business world at CEO Summit Karachi
Asad Umar signing the book 100 Business Leaders
CEO panel discussion
Sirajuddin Aziz presenting the souviner to partner
Raffiq uddin Mehkari presenting the souviner to Mr. Ejaz
Group photo of our valued partners, supporters and panelists at the CEO Summit Karachi
Sohail Wajahat presenting the souviner to event supporter www.managertoday.pk | MANAGER TODAY | 63
Kashmala Tariq presenting the souviner to Shireen Naqvi
Kashmala Tariq presenting the souviner to Adnan Siddiqui
Sikandar Sultan presenting the souviner to Shahid Hussain
Madeeha moderating panel discussion at CEO Summit Karachi
Fiza Farhan presenting the souviner to Shahid Hussain
Hasan Bilgrami presenting the souviner toShahid Hussain
Kashmala Tariq presenting an LCD to the lucky draw winner
Sikandar Sultan presenting the souviner to Junaid Ahsan
Hasan Bilgrami presenting the souviner
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Group photo of our valued partners, supporters and panelists at the CEO Summit Karachi
Natasha Hussain with volunteer
Natasha Hussain, Fiza Farhan & Ijaz Nisar planning agenda of CEO Summit
Ayesha with volunteer
Monica Peter and Ayesha
Kashmala Tariq deeply involved in CEO Summit Karachi
Syed Azhar at blue carpet
Junaid Ahsan with his team
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