Download - TCS Courier

TCS was the lead sponsor of a full day activity
organized by NUTSHELL Management Development
Services on the issue of taking the initiative and
being in control of one's life and work. The 20th
anniversary celebrations of TCS have been
marked by intellectually stimulating events, and
this was another such occasion. Organized at
the Karachi Sheraton Hotel on the 21st of
December 2002, management consultants
Richard Geary and Navaid M. Khan elaborated on
a theme that is fairly alien to Pakistan, with the
absence of the entrepreneurial spirit responsible
for the dire straits that business in general finds
itself in today.
Jamil Janjua, CEO, TCS, was the chief guest,
and in his opening remarks elaborated on the
aura of the human persona and how it impacts
the interaction amongst people. The sum total of
human experiences makes for either negative or
positive mindsets generating vibes that set the
tone for pleasant or unpleasant environments.
Richard Geary conducted the morning session,
and differentiated between proactive and reactive
people. To be proactive means to take
responsibility. While proactive people are positive
and value driven, reactive people are negative and
enslaved to circumstances, and are often irrational
and illogical. Are we leading from a foundation of
integrity? was the question he posed. Tough
experiences should make us better, not bitter, he
said, and we should avoid drowning ourselves
in self-pity.
When we are proactive we handle difficulties in
a positive way, and when we are reactive we let
the difficulties overcome us. Richard Geary spoke
of the four critical qualities of leadership that
enable a successful ascent of the mountain of
accomplishment. These are Vision, Faith, Initiative
and Courage. What lies behind us, and what lies
ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what
lies within us.
Navaid Khan took the floor in the post lunch
session, and defined proactive as the taking of
decisions in anticipation of change. It is the
philosophy of taking initiative, accepting
responsibility, and choosing what you want to do.
There are three kinds of people - those who make
things happen, those who watch things happen,
and those who wonder what happened (George
Bernard Shaw). Reactive people consider
changes as threats, and for them the future just
happens. Proactive people consider changes as
opportunities, they know the future can be
influenced, they set the agenda, take
responsibility, and lean forward. Reactive people
shun responsibility, lean back and let others set
the agenda.
According to Navaid Khan the 21st century will
have two kinds of managers - proactive managers
and dead managers. He cited Jack Welch
(Chairman of General Electric) as Mr. Proactive
with a US$20 million annual compensation
package for his efforts. Fred Smith of FedEx
scored a 'D' grade in college for his concept paper
on overnight deliveries. He was denied funding
from banks, and proceeded to Las Vegas. There
he won US$28,000 at Blackjack to bankroll FedEx.
A rather extreme case of pro-activity! On the
Pakistani landscape those who score high on
being proactive include M/s Sadiq Awan (DHL),
Khalid Awan (TCS), Mumtaz Rahim (Brinks),
Sultan Lakhani (Lakson), Amin Lakhani
(McDonalds) Tanveer Jamshed (TJs), Shakeelur-Rehman
(Jang), Musharraf Hai (Levers),
Shaukat Tareen (Banker) and Sadia Khairi
(Banker).
It was a day full of thought provoking discourse,
and the sessions were interactive with the
audience wide awake and responsive. The urge
to control has yielded a coercive mindset and
work environment, and this absolutely has to
change if Pakistan is to compete in the world
marketplace. The will to expedite must be
inculcated within the rank and file of Pakistani
management, only then will we be able to attract,
retain, develop and nurture talent.
Hina Mesiya / Marketing Coordinator/
hmesiya@tcs.com.pk
"being beyond outstanding, it has
to be super supra-service deserving of an
'academy award', service that is beyond the
wildest expectations of a customer".
7