1. WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE INTERVIEW INTERVIEW ACADEMIA
RIZVANA IKRAM DR. FAISAL SULTAN DR. IRFAN AMIR
DIRECTOR HR, PC, LAHORE CEO SKMCH DEAN FMS (UCP)

4. EDITOR’S
NOTE
Mail
Box
Dear Ijaz Nisar I would like to express gratitude
MAKING THE DIFFERENCE I appreciate your effort that you
made in realizing the dream of
over receiving Manager Today.
The content is rich in information.
publishing Manager Today. Its It’s appreciable.
I am grateful to Almighty Allah who enabled me quality of content and lay out is so Ahmed Muneeb
to bring the fourth issue of manager today to impressive. ________________________
your tables. The main focus of our team for con- I wish you good luck and success
tent development of the magazine is related to in the project. A few days back I visited a friend
corporate issues. We try to address corporate Prof. Khawaja Amjad Saeed of mine at his office. While we
problems and their solutions so that our read- Principal were chatting about weekend
ers may fit themselves more efficiently to their Hailey College of Banking & plans I got a glance at Manager
Finance Today along with some files on
Ijaz Nisar work requirements. Present day dilemma of
________________________ the table. The title on Emotional
Editor-in-Chief work place harassment is a big deterrent to Intelligence appealed me a lot,
progress. The cover story of this magazine com- I am glad to see that the maga- holding it I identified the pictures
prises a detailed introduction to the causes, zine is doing well. I have been of Ramzan Sheikh and Arshad B.
forms, and solutions of this problem. Inci- very impressed by the quality and Anjum thus it was irresistible to
dences of work place harassment not only hurt the overall presentation of the leave the magazine there any-
but also discourage women a great deal and magazine. Please accept my more. Till the next evening I had
they feel highly dispirited to work with males. warmest congratulations. read almost half of the magazine.
This notion mars the productive contribution of Best regards On Monday morning I called Man-
a huge talent pool. To end injustices with Roshaneh Zafar ager Today office and ordered its
President annual subscription.
women the United Nations observes interna-
kashf Microfinance Foundation In nutshell I loved the concept be-
tional day for the elimination of violence against ________________________ hind this publication on personal
women on November 25 every year. I hope for & professional development, its
a sincere contribution of our society men to- I am in receipt of the latest issue content selection and also the vi-
ward this cause and the removal of this blight of the magazine. It is a wonderful sual effects. I congratulate the
from our society as well.The secrets of building and commendable effort on part whole team of the magazine be-
outclass teams are also revealed in this issue. of the entire team. I congratulate cause such visionary publications
While as per our policy you would get to read Mr. Ijaz Nisar as he has really are the need of our time.
interviews including Dr. Faisal Sultan, CEO made the difference. Keep it up !
Dr Abdul Qaddus Saeed sarwar
Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital, Rizvana
COO Ittefaq Hospital, Lahore Operations Manager
Ikram, Director HR Pearl Continental hotel La-
________________________ Delta Fibers Pvt Ltd.
hore; from academia Dr. Irfan Amir, Dean FMS, ________________________
University of Central Punjab. Salam and hope you are well. I
Stay subscribed to Manager Today contributing read the third issue of your mag- The zeal for improving existing sit-
your valued suggestions, recommendations azine and I think it is a very com- uations plays a vital role in any
and enjoy a must read cover story on “Job cre- prehensive and structured success story.
ation through developing entrepreneurship” in approach towards effective man- Same is true with the team of
the upcoming fifth issue. agement skills. I'd like to congrat- Manager Today. A gradual im-
ulate you on your enterprising provement in the quality of this
efforts and hope that they bear publication is remarkable.
the desired results. Keep it up to shine with distinc-
Regards tion.
Hassan A Sheikh Aftab Hadeed
INSPIRED? MOTIVATED? DID YOU LIKE WHAT YOU READ?
If you find ManagerToday inspirational for the personal and professional development, do inform us. You can also contribute with
your articles, suggestions and recommendations at: Email: editor@themanagertoday.com, managertoday@hotmail.com
Website: www.themanagertoday.com Ph: 042 5792066, 042 5817048, 0323 4443482
Don’t forget to mention your full name, postal address and phone number on your letters.

6. PCPB # 303-M
MANAGER
TODAY
Editor-in-Chief
IJAZ NISAR
Editorial Advisor
SHAKEEL AHMED
Editor
NABEELA MALIK
Art Director
FAIZ-UR-REHMAN
COVER STORY
Workplace Harassment a deterrent to progress
Workplace harassment can have a significant
negative impact on both people and businesses.
10 20
Designer
SHAH JAHAN (SHANI) Breaking the silence
Corporate Manager
SONIA UROOJ
The types of behavior constituting sexual
harassment may vary in degree or severity. Its
definition has one key element – the behavior is
14
Operations Manager uninvited, unwanted and un-welcomed. ‘
MUHAMMAD YASIR
MANAGEMENT
Business Development Manager
NASIR MAHMOOD
Sales Manager
Problem solving: a leadership difference
The inability of leadership to perform its managerial
responsibilities is the single most important
16
HASEEB NISAR problem facing Pakistan
Photographer
KAMRAN
Contributors
MASOOD ALI KHAN
MARKETING
To brand or not to brand?
The key towards building a robust and clear
personal brand lies in consciously working at it
18 28
BAKHTIAR KHAWAJA
IDREES QAMAR
SHAUKAT BRAH
WALI MUHAMMAD
SHAHID NAFEES
BILAL ILAHI
WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE
A very hospitable Rizvana Ikram 20 32
DR. NOOR-UL-AIN FATIMA
BILAL QUTB
QAISER ABBAS
SUMAIR ABRO
GOAL SETTING
Escape from abstract goals
If our goals, our vision are important to achieve,
them it is essential that we do more than just talking
24
ATIF TUFAIL about then in abstract terms.
Legal Advisor
LEADERSHIP
MUHAMMAD ZULFIQAR ALI BUTTAR
Publisher
LEADING EDGE
Servant Leadership
Cash money is not the only thing that matters in life.
Respect, recognition and satisfaction associated
32
with one’s job is more important than tangible
Printer benefits
QASIM & NAEEM ART PRESS
HEAD OFFICE MANAGERTODAY
PL-20 SIDDIQUE TRADE CENTRE
MAIN BOULEVARD, GULBERG III
LAHORE
10 Commandments in Islam: HR Implications
HR FOCUS
All religions have put forth basic guiding principles
or tenets for mankind to follow.
35
Tel: 042-5792066, 5817048 These commandments have influence on the
Cell: 0300 4521298 outlook and behavior of individuals and groups
email: info@themanagertoday.com
www.themanagertoday.com
www.leadingedge.com.pk

7. 52
INTERVIEW
36 Dr. Faisal Sultan
CEO Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital
ECONOMY
40 Pakistan: a knowledge economy
Building a knowledge economy is indeed a long
process
How to deal with getting laid off
14 41 If you are a victim of your company’s layoff scheme
just remember that perseverance is better than
losing heart and giving it all up
STRESS MANAGEMENT
18 42 Stressed? try this ‘Desi’ prescription!
Stress inherently is not bad. It is in fact one of the
requirements that stretches our
TRAINING
36 46 Mentoring Practices
Mentoring offers valuable benefits to organization
when implemented with a clear policy and practice
framework.
INTERVIEW ACADEMIA
48 48 Developing entrepreneurs is the need of the
hour – Dr. Ifran
INTROSPECTION
42 52 Visualization
We can use visualization as method for directly
communicating with our mind.
TEAM BUILDING
54 Secrets of building outclass teams
Individual champions are less required in business
today.
HEALTH & WELLNESS
56 Migraine a sign of stress
Migraine is common complaint of people working in
high stress environment.

8. 08 WISDOM
CORNER
quotable quotes
They WORSHIP
No worship or prayers are
VISION
One who takes lessons from
intoxicate more sacred than fulfillment of
obligations and duties.
happenings of life gets vision,
one who acquires vision be-
themselves — Hazrat Ali (A.S) comes wise, and one who at-
tains wisdom achieves
with work Worship without knowledge and
without abstinence merely ex-
knowledge.
— Hazrat Ali (A.S)
so they hausts the body.
— Hazrat Ali (A.S)
won't see SUCCESS
WORD Time has two days: one is for
how they When words come from the you: the other against. Be not
heart of anyone they find a place puffed up by success, and be pa-
really are. in the heart of another, but tient in adversity.
— Aldous Huxley when they come merely from — Hazrat Ali (A.S)
the tongue they do not go any
further than the ears. To be successful you have to be
— Hazrat Ali (A.S) lucky, or a little mad, or very tal-
ented, or to find yourself in a
THE WORLD rapid-growth field.
Surely whatever you possess in — Edward de Bono
this world used to belong to
someone else before you, and it PRAISING
is destined for someone else One who praises you for quali-
who will have it after you. ties you lack, will next be found
— Hazrat Ali (A.S) blaming you for faults not yours.
— Hazrat Ali (A.S)
WISDOM
A wise man needs every day an Don't work for recognition, but
hour set apart in which to ex- do work worthy
amine his conscience, and of recognition.
measure what he has gained or — H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
lost.
— Hazrat Ali (A.S) WAR
Be so subtle that you are invisi-
It is a wise man’s part to obey ble. Be so mysterious that you
his superiors, to respect his are intangible. Then you will con-
equal, and to be just to his infe- trol your rival’s fate.
rior. — Sun Tzu, (The Art of War)
— Hazrat Ali (A.S)
Wherever there is wisdom,
there is fear of Allah and wher-
ever there is fear of Him, there
also is his mercy.
— Hazrat Ali (A.S)
MANAGER TODAY | October - November 2009

10. 10 COVER
STORY
IJAZ NISAR
W
orkplace harassment has the country like multinational companies punishable offence. The first bill man-
been considered as a regu- and their relatively better rules & regula- dates every public, private or semi-private
lar phenomenon in every tions. Fortunately on February 4, 2009, organization to have a code of conduct
part of the world but in Pak- the Federal Cabinet also approved Pro- against sexual harassment at the work-
istan it’s severer than other tection Against Harassment at Work- place and to constitute a three-member
countries because of many reasons: poor place Bill 2008 which is a major step committee to handle individual com-
law-enforcement, low employment op- towards legislation related to protection plaints. It establishes the authority of the
portunities and a culture of non-accep- of workers against violation of the funda- said committee and related major and
tance of females in the workplace. The mental human rights to live with dignity minor penalties.
situation seems to becoming better with The cabinet approved two bills making The second bill is an amendment to the
advent of equal opportunity employers in sexual harassment at the workplace a Pakistan Penal Code through Section
10 MANAGER TODAY | October - November 2009

11. 509A which defines sexual harassment wide range of behaviors that can have an
and makes it a punishable offence. Al- adverse impact on the workplace health
though the bill awaits parliamentary ap- and safety of workers, other persons and
proval, women in the country are hopeful thus the organizational as whole. Ha-
regarding an improvement in their sta- rassing behaviors can range from subtle
tus. intimidation to more obvious aggressive
However, there’s still a long way to go tactics.
to minimize workplace harassment to the Detailed below are examples of behav-
employees be they men or women as iors that may be regarded as some of the
workplace harassment can have a sig- more common types of workplace ha-
nificant negative impact on both people rassment. Examples include:
and businesses, as outlined in the follow- l abusing a person loudly, usually when
ing sections. others are present;
Meaning of 'workplace harassment' l repeated threats of dismissal or
1. A person is subjected to 'workplace other severe punishment for no reason;
harassment' if the person is subjected to l constant ridicule and being put down;
repeated behavior, other than behavior l leaving offensive messages on email
amounting to sexual harassment, by a or the telephone;
person, including the person's employer l sabotaging a person's work, for ex-
or a co-worker or group of co-workers of ample, by deliberately withholding or sup-
the person that - plying incorrect information, hiding
a. is unwelcome and unsolicited; and documents or equipment, not passing on
b. the person considers to be offensive, messages and getting a person into trou-
intimidating, humiliating or threatening; ble in other ways;
and l maliciously excluding and isolating a
c. a reasonable person would consider person from workplace activities;
to be offensive, humiliating, intimidating l persistent and unjustified criticisms,
or threatening. often about petty, irrelevant or insignifi-
2. 'Workplace harassment' does not in- cant matters;
clude reasonable management action l humiliating a person through ges-
taken in a reasonable way by the person's tures, sarcasm, criticism and insults,
employer in connection with the person's often in front of customers, management
employment. or other workers;
This definition is intended to cover a l spreading gossip or false,
October - November 2009 | MANAGER TODAY 11

12. workplace harassment has been identified and assessed to be a risk,
employers must decide on and put in place control measures to prevent or
control this risk.
malicious rumors about a person with l reduced efficiency, productivity and harassment from occurring. Ensuring
an intent to cause the person harm. profitability; the workplace has effective and reason-
There are bound to be occasional dif- l bad publicity, poor public image - be- able performance management
ferences of opinion, conflicts and prob- coming 'known' as a difficult workplace processes and open communication sys-
lems in working relationships - these are environment; tems are two ways you can achieve this.
part of working life. However, if the work- l increased absenteeism and staff PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
place behavior is repeated, unwelcomed turnover; PROCESSES
and unsolicited, and offends, intimidates, l poor morale and erosion of worker Performance management processes
humiliates or threatens a person, then loyalty and commitment; are generally used to:
workplace harassment exists and action l increased costs associated with: l provide timely and accurate feed-
must be taken to stop the behavior. counselling, employee assistance, me- back about job performance in a rea-
HOW WORKPLACE HARASSMENT diation, recruitment and training of new sonable way;
CAN AFFECT A PERSON? workers; l identify a person's strengths, and
There are a range of psychological and l increased legal costs and workers' training and development needs for cur-
physical illnesses and injuries that an in- compensation claims. rent and future positions;
dividual who continues to be exposed to Where workplace harassment has l set mutually agreed goals and com-
workplace harassment may experience. been identified and assessed to be a petencies.
The effects of workplace harassment on risk, employers must decide on and put Because of the often sensitive nature
a person may include: in place control measures to prevent or of the feedback, performance manage-
l high levels of distress, impaired abil- control this risk. ment should only be conducted by per-
ity to make decisions and poor concen- Preventative measures should be sons who have the knowledge, skills and
tration; aimed at the source of the risk, and may abilities to conduct them in a reasonable
l loss of self-confidence and self-es- include a broad organizational response, way. Issues to consider when providing
teem and feelings of social isolation at as well as more targeted initiatives that feedback include:
work; address symptoms in a specific area. l encouraging open communication,
l panic attacks, anxiety disorders, de- A strategy aimed at preventing or con- allowing the receiver to also voice their
pression, social phobia (withdrawal from trolling exposure to the risk of workplace opinions and concerns;
usual social interaction) and deteriorat- harassment should include: l ensuring the person conducting the
ing relationships with family and friends; 1. a workplace harassment prevention performance management process is
l reduced output and performance, policy; supportive, delivers constructive feed-
incapacity to work, loss of employment; 2. a complaint handling system; back, and provides justification of obser-
l sleep disturbances, such as, insom- 3. a review of human resource sys- vations and decisions made.
nia or severe tiredness. tems; ESTABLISH OPEN COMMUNICATION
HOW WORKPLACE HARASSMENT 4. training and education. SYSTEMS
CAN AFFECT A BUSINESS? No single control measure will effec- Workplace harassment is more likely
It makes good business sense to en- tively prevent or control workplace ha- to occur in conditions of secrecy and
sure workplace harassment is pre- rassment from occurring. It is important poor communication. Many forms of
vented or controlled. Workplace these control measures are used to- workplace harassment, such as spread-
harassment can have significant human gether, as part of a broader strategy to ing false, malicious rumours, or with-
and financial costs for a business and prevent or control exposure to the risk holding important information from a
can lead to: of workplace harassment. worker to their disadvantage, prosper in
l the breakdown of teams and indi- HUMAN RESOURCE SYSTEMS poorly communicating workplaces.
vidual relationships; Effective human resource systems You can prevent or control exposure
l poor worker health; can help prevent or control workplace to these forms of workplace harass-
12 MANAGER TODAY | October - November 2009

13. ment by:
l encouraging good channels of com-
munication, for example, through regu-
lar staff meetings;
l consulting and discussing with work-
ers issues that may affect them, partic-
ularly during periods of organisational
change or restructure;
l encouraging 'open door' manage-
ment styles;
l implementing transparent decision
making processes.
TRAINING AND EDUCATION
Employers have an obligation to en-
sure workplace health and safety. This
may include making sure that workers
are provided with the appropriate infor-
mation, instruction, training and super-
vision to ensure health and safety.
Training and educating workers on is-
sues of workplace harassment is impor-
tant for the following reasons: and no record of problems. through the performance management
l workers including supervisors, man- To create awareness of workplace ha- process.
agers, WHSRs, WHSOs and WHS com- rassment, employers should provide Workers with supervisory responsibil-
mittees become more aware of their training to all workers on general work- ities should also be provided with train-
roles and responsibilities; place harassment issues, including the ing that focuses on developing a greater
l offenders will become more con- prevention policy and procedures for understanding of human behavior, com-
scious of their behavior, how it may be making complaints. munication and people management. As-
perceived and the possible conse- The most appropriate combination of sessment should also be conducted to
quences of their actions. This may deter information, instruction, training and su- ensure that supervisory staff is able to
workplace harassing behaviours; pervision will depend on the needs of apply their newly acquired knowledge,
l workers will have a more accurate workers and the workplace. skills and abilities in the workplace.
knowledge of what does and does not EFFECTIVE PEOPLE MANAGEMENT KEEP TRAINING RECORDS
constitute workplace harassment; TRAINING FOR SUPERVISORS Keep records of any training con-
l workers will become aware of the Workers will generally work more effi- ducted on workplace harassment.
consequences of making malicious, friv- ciently and productively if they are Training records should include:
olous or vexatious workplace harass- treated fairly and respectfully, and given l the date of the training session/s;
ment complaints; an opportunity to use their initiative and l the topics addressed at the training;
l it can promote cultural change and judgment. l whether knowledge, skills and abili-
a healthy and safe workplace; People with supervisory responsibili- ties were attained;
l people who work at the workplace ties need to demonstrate their under- l the name/s of the person/s who
are informed and encouraged to take standing and acceptance of this through conducted the training;
action against harassing behaviours. their management behaviors. l the name/s of the worker/s who
CREATE AWARENESS OF It is important that employers identify attended the training.
WORKPLACE HARASSMENT any workers with ineffective managerial Training should be updated following
Creating awareness of workplace ha- styles as these behaviors may con- any significant changes to a workplace
rassment helps to reinforce manage- tribute to workplace harassment. Em- harassment prevention policy, complaint
ment's commitment to ensuring a ployers should address any concerns handling system, or amendments to rel-
healthy and safe working environment, they have with particular management evant legislation. n
even in workplaces with good practices behaviors, in a reasonable manner,
October - November 2009 | MANAGER TODAY 13

14. 14 COVER
STORY
LUBNA KHAN
MANAGER TODAY | October - November 2009

15. is the most active and mental freedoms on a basis of equality
ASHA forthright organization
addressing sexual harassment in Pakistan
with men”.
Yet sexual harassment is viewed, if at all,
today. It aims to publicize the issue and as- more as a personal problem than an issue
sist the government and private sectors to demanding a societal response, and many
find ways to deal with it. A nationwide study deny the problem even exists, partly due to
conducted by AASHA to analyze sexual ha- the discomfort of facing the reality and
rassment in the Pakistani workplace re- partly because of our society’s taboo of all
veals the problem knows no boundaries things sexual. We have been conditioned to
and no profession is immune. view male domination and sexism as ‘nor-
For example, 58 percent of nurses and mal’. Behavior such as touching, sugges-
doctors interviewed admitted being sexu- tive language or gestures, and subtle
ally harassed, usually at the hands of other advances, no matter how unwelcome, are
doctors, nurses, attendants, patients and often accepted as part of male human na-
visitors. Domestic servants suffer even ture and ignored, encouraging offenders
more, 91 percent disclosing they’d been to continue, confident there is no threat of
victims of some sexual abuse. Life is tough the woman reacting openly.
for these women, who have to deal with ha- In their quest for such a change,
rassment on their own. There are endless AASHA’s efforts are directed towards
stories of domestic servants being fondled, influencing policy makers to provide pro-
beaten and raped by men in the houses tection to women in the workplace and
where they work. In some cases they are to ensure a safe and healthy working en-
even sold to strangers for the night. For vironment. Sexual harassment in the
women working in fields and brick kilns the workplace is now at least recognized as
problem is even more acute, with a stag- a labor and management issue. It is pro- We have been
gering 95 percent having faced sexual ha- hibited by law in many countries, includ-
rassment of some form (including rape ing some in Asia like Sri Lanka, India and conditioned to view male
and torture), many facing it on a regular Malaysia. Having ratified CEDAW in ad- domination and sexism
basis. The harassers are usually landlords, dition to signing ILO Conventions and
munshies, contractors and co-workers. other international and national laws
as ‘normal’.
“Face or beauty does not matter,” says one dealing with this issue, the Pakistani leg- Behavior such as
field worker resignedly, “It is enough that
you are a woman”.
islators have no choice but to take touching, suggestive
measures. Although the Constitution
The situation is no better for families and the Criminal Penal Code do address language or gestures,
forced to work in bonded labour. The own- women’s equality and therefore sexual and subtle advances, no
ers and contractors openly tease and in- harassment to some extent. Responding
timidate the women. to the situation, AASHA has drafted a
matter how unwelcome,
CEDAW, the Convention on the Elimina- Code for Gender Justice in the Work- are often accepted as
tion of All Forms of Discrimination Against place. The objective of this code of con-
Women, adopted by the United Nations duct is to improve labour conditions and
part of male human
General Assembly in 1979 and often de- enable a working environment free of nature and ignored,
scribed as an international bill of rights for sexual harassment, abuse and intimida- encouraging offenders
women, states: “the full and complete de- tion by presenting a comprehensive
velopment of a country, the welfare of the strategy to employers. AASHA is to continue, confident
world and the cause of peace require the presently introducing the code in the pri- there is no threat of the
participation of women on equal terms vate sector. As Dr Fouzia Saeed puts it,
with men in all fields”. Article 3 of the con- “Hiding behind any denial will not work
woman reacting openly.
vention clearly requires states to take “all any more. It’s time that we face our own
appropriate measures, including legisla- value system and question the basic
tion, to ensure the full development and concept of woman that we have in our
advancement of women, for the purpose heads, which we have unconsciously in-
of guaranteeing them the exercise and herited, and which we do not want to let
enjoyment of human rights and funda- go of.” n
October - November 2009 | MANAGER TODAY 15

16. 16 MANAGEMENT
T he issue is not whether we have re-
sources to solve our socioeconomic
problems - of course we do. The
issue is whether we have a leadership
willing to mobilize resources to solve
problems facing the nation. This is not to sug-
gest we have means to become an overnight
economic or political power. Nonetheless, we
vides direction without appropriate motivation
and guidance, must forego from the manage-
ment objectives of our leaders. Further, the
shop floor foreman or Station House Officer
(SHO) mentality must change in managerial
practices. As a result of such management
tactics, most of our leaders spend a substan-
tial portion of their time and resources fighting
account of two basic factors. First, as pointed
out by Peters and Druckers in their book, "In
Search of Excellence," it is because "Everybody
rises to their level of incompetence." The solu-
tion to this aspect is fairly straightforward, that
is, train people to bring forward competence
in their leadership and remove the ones who
are unable to make the grade from their posi-
earnestly believe, there are enough means to the brush fires. tions of influence. Clarity, merit, integrity, ef-
foster a respectable national living standard if The inability of leadership to perform its man- fectiveness, appropriateness are some of the
we were to develop and promote "A Leader- agerial responsibilities is the single most im- common attributes for selection and promo-
ship Difference." portant problem facing Pakistan. This is tion of leadership.
In order to bring about a true leadership, the happening by virtue of a lack of foresightedness Second, and most importantly, the leaders
sheep herder mode of operation, which pro- in leadership, such a mentality is growing on are insecure or immature in their current po-
sitions of influence. In most likelihood, they are
uncomfortable, or feel threatened, in their po-
sitions as leaders and subsequently resort to
lower level functions. The solution to this factor
SHAUKAT ALI BRAH requires an understanding of the circum-
The writer is stances leading to these conditions. Basically,
Dean & Prof. Suleman Dawood business School LUMS training and organizational development can
shaukatb@lums.edu.pk solve the problem of immaturity. The dilemma
of insecurity is resolved exclusively with a gen-
uine commitment from the top down, in addi-
tion to providing appropriate education and
training. Perhaps, a proper understanding of
MANAGER TODAY | October - November 2009

17. The key to success of any problem solving situation is in establishing
the credibility of purpose. It is unlikely to achieve the intended
purpose without credibility.
the two factors will make the leadership dif- fine for generating interest, but slogans alone problem in hiding is unlikely to go away or get
ference. The purpose of this article is not to will only create more problems. resolved, whereas an exposed problem has at
examine the characteristics of a true leader. "Automation creates jobs." least some chance of obtaining a solution.
Rather, in the following sections, it will develop In general, the automation creates jobs un- Also, it is very amusing to hear the claims of
on suggesting the areas of interest for achiev- less the new equipment is under or improperly actions in the so called "national interests." It
ing the leadership difference. utilized. Besides, if only creating jobs was the is astonishing to think that only people in power
"The bigger is not necessarily better." idea, perhaps we can create a lot more jobs in seems to be overwhelmed with this sacred re-
Quite often, the notion of adding more people earth digging by replacing shovels with spoons. sponsibility of looking after the national inter-
compounds the problem instead of solving it. Furthermore, at times, the use of automation ests. Except in the case of few basic laws of
For example, adding more quality control in- is unavoidable. Occasionally, on account of the physics, there are more than one ways of
spectors does not always solve the quality con- service time requirements, precision needs, or doing things. Listening and accommodating
trol problems; rather, finding and correcting complexity of the problem, automation is all but other point of views can extend an alternate
the causes of poor quality often resolves the inevitable. optimum or close to optimum solution which
problem. Similarly, the way to solve inefficiency "Establish the credibility of purpose." may be acceptable to a larger number of peo-
and corruption problems is perhaps through There is a popular saying that you can fool ple.
developing a system of control and accounta- some of the people all of the time and all of the Last, but not the least, as one would say,
bility. people some of the time, but you cannot fool all "Be human."
"Innovation is one percent inspiration and of the people all of the time. The key to suc- One cannot bring about a lasting change in a
ninety-nine percent perspiration." cess of any problem solving situation is in es- civilized society unless the change is through
Solving the real life problems require a lot tablishing the credibility of purpose. A basic mutual respect. A leader must remember to
of hard work. For example, let us consider factor for establishing trust is to allow an easy earn respect as opposed to command the
initiating a system of social democracy. Quite access to and assurance of credible informa- same. A program based on a principle of mu-
often, we hear some of our political leaders tion. Perhaps, providing credible information tual respect, has a much higher probability of
talk about transforming this country into a and developing a system of accountability is success and one without it is doomed for fail-
welfare state. In making this proposition per- the only way we can keep honorable people ure.Before we end this discussion, let’s make
haps they realize that planning for even a honest. Furthermore, keeping the leadership one final observation. Apparently, we always
modest welfare system would require the honest is a basic requirement of achieving the seem to be waiting for a perfect time when
services of many experts and several years leadership difference. everything will be in the right place. That time
of lead time, that is assuming there are no "The problems are solved by exposing will never come; therefore, we should make the
constraints on the available resources. Re- them." best use of what we have while working to-
alizing a plan would most likely take decades. Quite frequently we hear stories of common wards our goals. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
Similarly, the aspiration of creating a true so- knowledge documents marked as classified in- once said, "The time is always right to do what
cioeconomic Islamic order would take a long formation in government and private agencies. is right." We must not postpone for tomorrow
time to mature. Without a doubt, any or all of Interestingly, if we glance around we would rec- the things that we can start today. With these
this requires sheer hard work. Enthusiasm is ognize that the people who strive to conceal words we would like to urge the leaders of the
common knowledge are the ones who are ex- country and organizations to come forward
tremely insecure and perhaps incompetent. A and make a leadership difference. n
October - November 2009 | MANAGER TODAY 17

18. 18 MARKETING
THE KEY TOWARDS BUILDING A ROBUST AND CLEAR
PERSONAL BRAND LIES IN CONSCIOUSLY WORKING AT IT
SUMAIR ABRO
The writer is a lead trainer/motivational speaker at Navitus.
TOBRAND
ORNOTTOBRAND?
MANAGER TODAY | October - November 2009

19. I t’s a Monday morning. Shayan
Agha, a good friend and colleague
at Navitus walks into the office. He
is part of ‘Generation Y’; a concept
beautifully explained by Penelope Trunk
in Time magazine’s July issue. For these
kinds of employees, the line between
work and home does not really exist.
crosoft. When I first came across this
idea a few years ago, it confused me. It
was also repulsive, because to me it
was merely stamping people like ani-
mals. Then I did some research and
came across writings of Peter Montoya
who is an international authority on per-
sonal branding. In his book ‘The brand
The most common names I hear are
Abdul Sattar Edhi, Bill Gates, Oprah Win-
frey, Asma Jahangir, Imran Khan,
Amitabh Bachan, Michael Jordon,
Waseem Akram, Musarat Misbah, Tom
Peters, Junaid Jamshed, Jahangir
Khan, Lady Diana, Mother Teresa and
Jack Welch. With each of these names
They just want to spend their time in called you’, he defines personal brand- people associate different words & ex-
meaningful and useful ways, no matter ing as: pressions such as; dedication, charis-
where they are. Your personal brand is the powerful, matic leadership, caring, committed,
Another key feature about ‘Generation clear, positive idea that comes to mind open minded, determined etc.
Y’ is their ability to influence their per- whenever other people think of you. It’s Lesley Everett, a branding consultant
ceived image with their physical ap- what you stand for – the values, abilities & author of the book "Walking Tall: Key
pearance and belongings. For example, and actions that others associate with Steps to Total Image Impact" spoke re-
observing Shayan for not more then 30 you. It’s a professional alter ego de- cently with CNN. She emphasized the
seconds one can easily see his affilia-
tions with various brands. A celebrity
like haircut (David Beckham), washed
down pair of jeans (Diesel), bright red
Your personal brand is the powerful, clear, positive
sneakers bearing a big logo (Puma) & a idea that comes to mind whenever other people
striking red bag pack with a prancing think of you. It’s what you stand for – the values,
horse symbol (Ferrari).
Let’s face it. Like Shayan, we have abilities and actions that others associate with you.
been branded as well. You probably own
a pair of trainers with a unique symbol
or a t-shirt which has a distinctive logo.
Maybe you have a preference for a par-
ticular fountain pen that has the signed for the purpose of influencing, need to focus on personal branding now
maker's emblem crafted into the end or how others perceive you, and turning more than ever; to differentiate our-
your notebook bag tells everyone that that perception into opportunity. It does selves and stand out from the crowd.
you are a Toshiba person. this by telling audience three things: Whenever we are with clients or mak-
This phenomenon called ‘Branding’, who you are, what you do & what makes ing presentations, we are always pro-
quite literally began many centuries ago you different or how you create value.’ jecting a personal brand – a perceived
as a method to distinguish & identify I was finally convinced. We are all image.
livestock. Domestic animals were aware of the above at some level. Also, Hence, like famous brands you are
burned with symbols to claim the right from time to time we have successfully also responsible for your perceived
to ownership in case they wandered off created lasting impressions on many of image. Therefore, to start thinking like
or were stolen by competitors. Similarly, our colleagues, friends and key opinion a brand, ask yourself the same question
over a period of time organizations have leaders. the brand managers at Nike, Pepsi,
been able to do the same with us; how- However, the key towards building a BMW, or Gucci ask themselves; how is
ever the method is slightly more so- robust and clear personal brand lies in our brand different, unique and authen-
phisticated & time consuming, where consciously working at it. In other tic? When we will consciously make an
brands appeal to us via an emotional words, orchestrating perfect harmony effort, our perceived image will be clear
process. between how we perceive ourselves & and consistent with our values. There
Today we are told that it’s time for us how others see us. will be less ambiguity and we will be able
to take a lesson from the big brands, a I have been conducting workshops on to influence and inspire like never be-
lesson that's true for anyone who's in- ‘Personal Branding’ for some time now. fore.
terested in what it takes to stand out To help participants understand per- Lastly, ask yourself this. In today’s fast
and prosper in a brand new world. In sonal branding I often ask them to think moving, ever changing and competitive
other words, you and I are a brand just of a famous person who they look up to environment, can you afford not to
like Nike, Pepsi, BMW, Levi’s and Mi- as a role model & explain why? brand yourself!? n
October - November 2009 | MANAGER TODAY 19

20. WOMAN OF
20 SUBSTANCE

21. IJAZ NISAR
PROFILE:
Rizvana Ikram is a veteran HR professional,
having specialization in HRM & HRD from
Pakistan and the universities of the USA and
Japan.She is working at the Pearl Continen-
tal Hotel Lahore as the Director HR. The time
span of more than 17 years of work in indus-
try has equipped her with a hands-on experi-
ence in all areas of Human Resource. Rizvana
started her career with a scholarship from
USAID. She was certified Human Systems
Development Trainer by AED, a USAID She
enjoyed a diversified exposure while working
with huge multinationals including Mobilink
as the HR manager; Coopers & Lybrand Con-
sulting Pakistan as assistant vice president
HR; Touchstone Communications Islamabad,
at the capacity of training consultant.
Presently she is undergoing one year HR
specialization program from Champaign, Illi-
nois, USA, a Fulbright Scholarship. Impart-
ing her knowledge to the young generation,
Rizvana has conducted workshops on ‘Busi-
ness Mannerism’ and ‘Team Building’ for the
students of IBA at Punjab University. She de-
livers lectures as the visiting faculty member
of Superior University, MBA also.
October - November 2009 | MANAGER TODAY 21

22. Please share with us the mission cal field. There are countless educational
statement of your organization? institutions imparting HR studies. Hun-
Our mission is to be the hotel recog- dreds of HR graduates are being passed
nized as the leader in the industry in any out every year from these institutions but
aspect. We are committed to train and there is not enough space in market to
develop all our staff members allowing engage them. Here we need to under-
them to grow in their careers and provide stand that a HR department can be run
services and standards which exceed efficiently with a few employees. For in-
guest expectations. stance, to manage the workforce of
Where does HR stand in today’s sce- about 1500 employees, five to six mem-
nario? ber HR staff is sufficient for an organiza-
Human resource is undoubtedly the tion. So the number of HR graduates
most important asset of any organization being produced should be in line with the
and the presence of a HR department ad- capacity of the workforce. I also foresee
vocates it. Developing employees’ skills outsourcing of HR function within next five
and retaining them for longer period is to six years in Pakistan.
one of the core responsibilities of HR de- What is the role of top management in
partments. Developed countries have in- reshaping an organizational culture?
tegrated it in their systems in a true Culture always drives from top to bot-
sense. Take a look at Japan; the laid off tom. So if one wants change in her/his or-
ratio and job switch-over are very low ganization, top management will have to
there as they believe in advocacy and im- apply it first thus it’ll create a trickle down
plementation of HR management and de- effect. It’s just like sweeping of stairs
velopment in all fields of life. which always starts from the top
How do you see the HRM practices in Could you please tell us about HR
Pakistan? practices in Pearl Continental?
Human Resource Management is a re- As we belong to hotel industry, here the
We firmly believe in cent phenomenon in Pakistan. Since the role of HRM, HRD becomes very chal-
serving our advent of multinational companies, its im- lenging and it requires diligent trainings,
employees, we also portance has got recognition here. Ear- check and balance and wellbeing of the
lier, there was a culture of personnel employees. I make it sure that our staff
celebrate their management that was less popular and services remain on top so for that
birthdays every among the employees. The introduction of reason, we keep holding various training
HR concept has shown a gradual shift in sessions every other day in the hotel’s
month and in the the mindsets of the top management to- premises. There is an English language
same ceremony we wards the acknowledgement of HR man- learning class for those who are poor in
confer awards to agement and development in Pakistan’s
corporate sector. When I went to Japan
spoken English, training on how to receive
the guest, how to handle the luggage at
succeeding on scholarship to study this field, people the security check point etc. We also hold
employees like back here used to ask me about it in won- a monthly campaign in accordance with
derment. I used to answer them: just let the hottest issue of the month. For in-
honesty award etc. 10 years pass by and you would see its stance, the very next day after attacks on
We hold an annual significance in Pakistan’s corporate sec- Taj hotel in Mumbai, I arranged a training
tor. The current HRM practices in Pak- session for our employees on how to han-
dinner for our istan vary from one organization to dle such situations.
employees’ families. another according to their modes of uti- As we firmly believe in serving our em-
lization of human resource. ployees, we also celebrate their birthdays
How do you see the future of fresh HR every month and in the same ceremony
graduates in Pakistan? we confer awards to succeeding employ-
There’s always room for talented peo- ees like honesty award etc. We hold an
ple in every field but here is a problem annual dinner for our employees’ families.
with our education system that’s not in We encourage them to grow and excel in
line with the requirements of the practi- their relevant area of service.
22 MANAGER TODAY | October - November 2009

23. We also have a deep-rooted mentoring
system embedded in our culture; we call it
Culture always drives from top to bottom. So if
‘Buddy System’. This system helps our one wants change in her/his organization, top
employees not to feel lost and to fall back
in hour of need to each other.
management will have to apply it first thus it’ll
What is your employee annual create a trickle down effect.
turnover ratio and how do you plan
succession?
Our employee annual turnover is only 2
per cent. Though it’s a low-paying industry tive employees’ union in our group. I main- on the top in market.
but our overhead expenditures are huge. tain an open door policy, thus making my- How does your group respond to Cor-
The people who work with us become so self accessible to every employee for porate Social Responsibility?
well-trained that wherever they go, they immediate solution of the problems. As a reputable and value-driven organi-
appear as masters in their fields. We are Kindly tell us about the imperative role zation, Hashoo Group of Companies ad-
very focused on effective succession plan- of training and development in an or- heres to the highest level of ethical
ning. No one is indispensable but once this ganization’s setup. behaviours and principled economic con-
fact is negated, the growth of an organi- Talking in broader perspective, let’s duct. The Hashoo Group applies a ‘big pic-
zation becomes stagnant. We make sure take a look at China what they’ve focused ture’ approach by providing heath care,
that every person has one or two persons upon is solely their human resource and infrastructure, education and training fa-
under his supervision who can succeed now they have taken over the world mar- cilities to the local communities improving
her/him in time. kets with their products. Japanese have upon the capacity building. In hospitality in-
What are the initiatives you’ve taken trained and developed their people as a dustry, Ms Sarah Hashwani is taking into
regarding training and development in multitasking human resource. Even Indi- consideration the opening of a hotel train-
your organization? ans are being outsourced by companies ing school in Lahore to provide the indus-
I hold the privilege of being the first fe- of the other countries because of their try with qualified trained staff. We are
male HR director in PC. Earlier, this posi- developed human resource. Training and also helping the internally displaced peo-
tion was always be held by some retired development of employees is imperative ple (IDPs) of Swat valley by donating our
army man. First thing which I introduced to excel. In near future, you’ll see how one-day salaries and the stuff required by
here was the culture of trust thus elimi- human resource would take a shift to them. We give special attention to the en-
nating the culture of fear between the HR multitasking functioning in Pakistan as vironment and often campaign for its con-
department and the employees. Since I’ve well. servation.
joined this group, I’ve made sure that What do you think are the core com- How do you keep work-life balance?
each and every employee takes at least petencies of a trainer? I believe in giving quality time to both my
eight hours training every year in her/his A trainer must be a master of extraor- office and my family. When I’m at work, I
relevant area. dinary communication skills. Besides, concentrate on it, while at home I give
How is employees’ feedback taken to being an expert of the relevant field, maximum attention to my family. In fact,
the top management? she/he must be an extrovert by nature. it’s all about efficient time management.
We believe in sharing everything with Good sense of humor shows how down to What would you like to advise the
our employees and taking their feedback earth she/he is, plus the trainer should young HR professionals?
for maintaining an environment of thor- be accessible to all otherwise a trainer My advice to the young HR profession-
ough understanding within the organiza- who keeps sitting on a pedestal cannot als is that there’s no shortcut to success.
tion. We have outsourced this task to a impart anything to the trainees. Keep believing in yourself and continue
company to maintain impartiality which What are the challenges our hospital- working as hard work always pay in the
takes our employees feedback through an ity industry is facing these days? long run.
employee opinion survey. This survey Our first challenge is to tackle the situ- Please share with us your recipe of
helps us a lot getting to know our employ- ation raised by political issues and secu- success?
ees requirements, expectations and also rity concerns in Pakistan and secure our I always keep myself prepared for the
gauging the image of the group in minds business in these tough times while the challenges ahead in time. I believe in
of our employees. Another effective com- second challenge is of getting trained proactive approach which if combined
munication channel is bulletin boards and human resource. Hospitality industry is with good luck, ultimately leads to suc-
intranet. We post every information, news very small in our country. Trained staff is cess. As I believe that thorough prepara-
and activity on our intranet site. You’ll be hard to find and that’s why we hire and tion naturally yields good luck to one’s
amazed to know that there’s also an ac- give extensive training to our staff to stay efforts. n
October - November | MANAGER TODAY 23

24. 24 GOAL
SETTING
ATIF TUFAIL
The writer is serving as
head of human recources at
eWorx International
T
here is no dearth of ‘Abstract Goals’
in organizations. At workplaces, we
hear frequently things like “They
need to have a better attitude”,
“We’ve got to teach them to be
properly motivated” etc. However,
achievements of these ambiguous goals re-
main a distant dream because people asso-
ciate subjective meanings to such
statements. Consequently, utter confusion
prevails in organizations owing to abstract
goals.
MANAGER TODAY | October - November 2009

25. The first step in transforming abstract pieces of paper; new analyses began for management. Human Resource Managers
goals into concrete performances is to get each. The third item, already qualifying as a were assigned the task of increasing the hon-
them down, and then attempt to remove the performance, was shelved until the perform- esty of the reporting. They designed training
fluff. Here is an example of abstract goal that ances defining the first two goals were iden- programs to hammer the importance of pro-
initially proved harder to define. The Human tified. Once that was done, the HR managers fessional ethics. They reminded the work-
Resources department of a company de- were ready for the final steps in the dissec- force about the company policy about
cided that a very important goal for their em- tion of goals. “honest reporting” and made them aware of
ployees to achieve was “pride in work”. After The list for “enjoys responsibility look like the dire consequences of “dishonest report-
writing down the goal “Have pride in work,” this: ing”. However, all these measures made no
the HR team began to think of the things em- l Accepts new assignments without com- difference and the management kept on re-
ployees might say or do to make the man- plaint ceiving the reports not meeting their expec-
agement willing to pin this label on them. l Appears in time for management meet- tations. This made HR team to step back
We can see that for the management the ings from their good for nothing ‘Activity Trap”.
essence of “pride in work” had mainly to do l Keeps subordinates informed They realized that it is impossible to know
with how tasks are carried out. What started l Meets deadlines what action to take until they knew the results
as an ‘abstract goal’ gradually turned into l Spends time managing instead of oper- they wanted to achieve. In a pensive mood,
measurable performances by adopting ana- ation they decided to figure out THE meaning of
lytical approach towards the determined An explanation of the last item is in order. honesty was, that is, to describe the ultimate
goal. This leads us to step two of ‘Con- The rule of thumb in industry seems to be: definition of honest reporting.
cretization of Goals’. In this step, we write Promote the best operators to managerial What began as an alleged problem with
down the performances that would cause us level, but don’t teach them how to manage. morals or ethics was seen, through goal
to agree the goal had been achieved, without As a result, there are thousands of man- analysis, to be a simple problem of commu-
regard for redundancy or abstraction. agers who are good at their old jobs, what- nication. Once the problem description was
Here’s an example of how it goes. While ever the jobs were, but who are totally turned into a checklist and distributed to the
working toward analysis of a goal described ignorant about managing. The end result is maintenance staff, the quality of the report
as “demonstrates initiative,” a group of that they tend to spend time doing what they improved. Once the performances repre-
human resource managers listed the follow- did before they were promoted because it’s senting the essence of the goal are identified,
ing items during step two for the line man- what they know how to do. Therefore, it is im- the final steps in the analysis are to draft
agers perative that all ways and means should be statements describing each desired out-
l Enjoys responsibility employed to develop managerial skills in the come to test those statements with the
l Makes good decisions star performers before promoting them as question, “If these performances are
l Uses good judgment managers. achieved, will we be willing to say the goal is
l Is on time The list for “makes good decisions” look like achieved?” when the answer is yes the analy-
After completing the list, they went through this: sis is complete. The complete goal analysis
the items for sorting. The first item is a dou- l Identifies company goals supported by procedure, then, is summarized as follows:
ble abstraction. Both words ‘enjoy’ and ‘re- decisions STEP ONE:: Write down the goals in out-
sponsibility’ describe general states. Both are l Always inform subordinates of decisions, come terms.
inferred from the things we might see some- and the reasons for making them STEP TWO: Jot down, in words and
one do or say. Since the Human Resource l Makes decisions in time to be useful phrases, the performances that, if observed,
Managers agreed that this was an important l Keeps well-informed about company would cause us to agree the goal was
item for further consideration, they labeled it goals and plans achieved.
a goal and went to the next item After discussion the last item was removed STEP THREE:: Sort out the jottings. Delete
Finally, they thought about the last item. because it looked like a process than a goal duplications and unwanted items. Repeat
“Yes,” they said, “we can tell directly if a per- with a definite outcome. Steps One and Two for any remaining ab-
son is on time. One is either there at the ap- The two lists were then combined, and fur- stractions (fuzzies) considered important.
pointed hour or one isn’t. All we have to do is ther discussion was focused on clarifying the STEP FOUR: Write a complete statement
say what we mean by “on time”, so that a cri- performances. In a large company that em- for each performance, describing the nature,
terion of acceptable performance will be ploys a substantial number of maintenance quality, or amount you will consider accept-
available.” That was easier said than done, people; management observed that the in- able.
however, for there was quite a discussion formation flowing from the field to the com- STEP FIVE: Test the statements with the
about just what the limits of “on-timeness” pany was often erroneous or non-existent. question, “If someone achieved or demon-
should be. But that was real progress, since The reports filled after machine repair were strated each of these performances, would
they were now discussing the desired shape used as the basics for several important de- we be willing to say he or she had achieved
of a performance rather than arguing about cisions; but, it was said, those reports were the goal?” When we can answer “yes,” the
the abstractions. completed in a shabby fashion. journey of turning abstract goals into meas-
The first two items were put on separate “We need more honest reporting,” said urable performances culminates. n
October - November 2009 | MANAGER TODAY 25

28. 28 CAREER
SAGHIR AHMED
The writer is a seasoned sales trainer
saghirahmad@hotmail.com
Career
mappingHow to discover what you’re best at
Much bigger than Unemployment is the problem of Under-Employment in
Pakistan where the blind leads another blind, and people become blind followers of the blind follower.
‘Journey of a thousand miles starts with a don’t have a clear career plan, and they
single step‘, when the Chinese Philosopher, don’t know how to design it. And unfortu-
Lou Tzu, uttered these words for his disci- nately none is there to guide and lead them
ples, he intended to guide them to a mean- in designing a proper plan for a successful
ingful and result-oriented journey. He career. Blind leads another blind, and stu-
meant that people traveling a thousand dents easily become the blind follower of
miles, or even just a few miles, should have the blind follower. Consequently, students
a clear idea of where they’re going when find themselves confused, aimless and lost,
they take their first step; otherwise, they’ll thus becoming a stone that rolls in differ-
reach nowhere and, ultimately, end up in ent directions but gathers no mass at all.
frustration and failure. A meaningful education and successful
There are incalculable so-called execu- career path calls for a sound future plan-
tives who now live depressed and frus- ning that enables students to turn their ac-
trated lives, working in a wrong occupation, ademic opportunities into achievable goal
simply because they took a defensive atti- and thus control their career and, ulti-
tude toward their education and career mately, life.
path. People with a wrong career planning Educational planning is subject to the fol-
become a magnet for the life-long un- lowing two inter-linked and correlative fac-
pleasant situations. tors:
Students’ expectations for a bright future 1. Planning is Crucial to Your Career:
don’t last long, and even after holding a proper planning can shape and refine the
Master Degree they soon find themselves career and, ultimately, life. It can help stu-
surrounded by the same old enervating dents set and achieve their life vision, and
question: what to do and how to do ? They is capable of bringing happiness, satisfac-
want to move ahead in life, but they just tion and prosperity in career. It is a way to
don’t know how and where to start. They manage your life on a daily basis; focusing
MANAGER TODAY | October - November 2009

29. on the desired objectives and achieving
them on time.
physical energies, putting them behind life
goals; it excites for a challenge to succeed
Much bigger than
2. Systematic Thinking: this approach in job, helps you climb the success ladder; Unemployment is the
is the underlying factor of the whole plan- inspires your imagination, stimulates your problem of Under-
ning process. It starts with defining your creativity and fill you with enthusiasm for a
ideal future vision, and leads and guides bright career and successful life.
Employment in
students step-by-step throughout the CAREER PLANNING PROCESS Pakistan where the blind
process until they achieve their desired ob- Career planning process comprises of
jectives. It doesn’t focus on daily activities; it the following four inter-dependent steps,
leads another blind, and
takes into account the overall grand pur- each of which leads to the next one in people become blind
poses in personal and career life. order to complete the cycle: followers of the blind
WHAT IS CAREER MAPPING? STEP 1: SELF-ASSESSMENT
Career Planning is deciding today what It is a system of gathering information follower.
you have to do tomorrow. about a student in order to make a sound
Students can definitely attain all of their decision about the choice of subjects lead-
career and life goals if they only know the ing to the right educational degree and a
right tools and skills. All it takes is the bright career path. The teacher, based on
proper planning. Once students decide his one-on-one discussions with the stu- This data includes details about the rele-
what to achieve in their career lives, they dent, takes an inventory of the student’s vant industry, job outlook, salary, fringe ben-
can then design a ‘how to’ action plan. But values, likes and dislikes, interests, abilities, efits, future prospects, allied occupations,
equally important is knowing ‘why ’. This skills, job preference and personality char- education and training opportunities, job
‘why’ brings the required motivation and acteristics. duties, authorities and responsibilities.
prompts them to an action. Values: they’re the students’ life-govern- STEP 3: MATCH
According to the renowned Career ing principles and core beliefs of their per- During this phase of the planning
Counselor, Dr. James Sherman, career sonality; they include the virtues that are process, you’ll:
planning is the design of a hoped-for future the most important to students. Some of l Identify possible occupations
and the development of effective steps for these career-related virtues are: status, l Evaluate these occupations
bringing it about ’. job security, prestige, high salary with l Explore alternatives
In simpler words, career planning is a ra- fringe benefits, autonomy and achieve- The purpose of an informational inter-
tional and systematic method of decision ment. view is to get information about a field of
making for a career; it gives you the rea- Interests: they’re the students’ prefer- work from someone who has some first-
son and power that you need to control ence of one subject to another one; for ex- hand knowledge. When you’re on an infor-
your future career path. It helps you cross ample, arts or science subjects. Students mational interview, you should not ask for a
all the critical milestones on the road to ed- always enjoy subjects more if their per- job. This is not to say that an informational
ucational and career success. sonal interests are related to the charac- interview can’t lead to a job. In addition to
WHY CAREER PLANNING? teristics of the career they like most. helping you learn about a particular career,
Career planning can benefit students in Abilities & Skills: they’re the activities the informational interview is a way to start
so many ways that it is hard to mention all you are best at. For instance, abilities may building a network.
of them, but the following advantages include the artistic, scientific, mechanical, There is another way an informational in-
stand out prominently: physical and manual abilities. Skills may in- terview can benefit you. For those who are
l Career planning prompts you to result- volve linguistic writing, programming, a little shy about going on a job interview,
oriented activities, and saves you from con- teaching, selling, painting skills etc. the informational interview provides a non-
fusion and stress that an aimless person Preference: this is the student’s desire threatening situation in which to get some
always undergoes. or liking for one subject over another one; practice.
l Planning helps you know your per- for example, physics over chemistry; tech- STEP 4 : ACTION
formance, measure progress and evaluate nical over non-technical discipline. A stu- You’ll develop the steps you need to take
your career achievements. dent may express his/her liking in these in order to reach your goal, for example:
l Sound planning saves students from words: I would rather work in the office l Investigating sources of additional
becoming a ‘wandering generality ’, and than in the field. training and education, if needed
makes them a ‘meaningful person’ heading STEP 2: OPTIONS l Developing a job search strategy
towards a well-defined aim and life. This stage involves the search of those l Writing your resume
l It helps you live properly, utilize your tal- potential careers that are compatible with l Job Interview and Career Start
ents and reach your full potential for a your interests and personality type. This In short, career planning means knowing
meaningful career and a purposeful life. step comprises of two correlative aspects: where you are going, and how and when
In short, career planning is a powerful a. Exploring the Occupation you’ll reach there. n
process of harnessing your mental and b. Occupational Information
October - November 2009 | MANAGER TODAY 29

30. 30 EVENTS
GLIMPSES OF LEADING EDGE TRAININGS
eading Edge is a higly
L proactive and client focued
Training & Development Con-
sultancy. As an energetic com-
pany, it is infused with a desire
to provide value added serv-
ices. The core phillosophy of
Leading Edge is “Learning with
fun”. To demonstrate this phi-
losophy ,below are the
glimpses in which participants
from different organisations
like, Federal Board of Revenue, Venerated guests in a memorable group photo
Allied Bank Ltd., PEL, Ufone,
A.F. Ferguson, Bank Al-Habib,
Royal Palm Golf & Country
Club, are learning and having
fun together.
Participants listening to the trainer
Noting down the lecture
Bilal Illahi giving presentation during the training session
All attentive to the speaker Moment of concentration Thought provoking moment in the learning
MANAGER TODAY | October - November 2009

31. Ijaz Nisar imparting training
Relaxed and penetrating
In a jovial, pleasant mood
Mr. Afzal Hassan presenting a shield to Mr. Saad Amanullah, CEO Gillette Pakistan Ltd.
Solving the quiz
A quick brain storming exercise
Trainees over the activity table Group activity to enhance team building capacity of participants
October - November 2009 | MANAGER TODAY 31