PAKISTAN - TCS Courier For five days in October 2011, for twelve hours every day, 24 top executives of TCS were confined in close quarters at the impressive premises of the Pakistan

PAKISTAN

For five days in October 2011, for twelve hours every day, 24 top executives of TCS wereconfined in close quarters at the impressive premises of the Pakistan Society for Training

and Development (PSTD). Putting them in a state of high intellectual stimulation, andkeeping them there, was Usman A. Ghani, son of lengendary HR practitioner Mian Ghani,a Fortune 100 executive, distinguished by his record of developing powerful board policiesand business strategies for a variety of industry leaders in 30 countries on 6 continents.

His role during this high-intensity week was to lead this group of high achieving TCSexecutives in exploring and developing key relationship skills like advocacy, conflict

resolution, critique, decision making, initiative, inquiry, and resilience, as well as directingtheir impact in generating breakthrough results during the course of this Leadership GRID®

Seminar (LGS).

TCS Customer NewsletterDecember, 2011 / Volume: 10 / Issue: 3

Continued page 04

Celebrating Mian Ghani

Team TCS Engages with PSTD

The Leadership GRID® Seminar

TCS Customer Newsletter

December, 2011 / Volume: 10 / Issue: 302

Welcome to the new issue of ourCustomer News MagazineCONNECT that highlights thecentrality of the Customer withinthe TCS universe. We prideourselves on being Customer-centric and the entire emphasisat TCS is on increasing thesensitivity of the Organization toyour needs that achieves aseamless interface between ourresponses to your stimuli.

Three recent events at TCSillustrate the great lengths to whichwe are going in order attain andretain our Customer-centricity.Firstly, the launch of the Voice ofthe Customer (VOC) Departmentwith Alia Hasan as its Head isdesigned to ‘HEAR OURCUSTOMER in unconventionalways not yet experienced orpracticed by any service industryin Pakistan.’ Its Mission is “Tocritically evaluate our system &processes; To identify servicequality attributes that benchmarkour services, and align them withcustomer expectations; To Innovateand build industry standards ofexcellence that identify TCS cultureand people.”

Secondly, to further strengthen our

organizational response to theVoice of the Customer, andmaintain continuity at the highestlevel of service, TCS has launchedits Rising Star Program to identifyand groom from within TCS itsfuture leadership. The Rising StarProgram is the brainchild of TCSChairman Mr. Khalid Awan whoinitiated it over two decades ago,and of which I am a personalbeneficiary, and eternally indebtedto my Chairman for theopportunities afforded me for mypersonal and professionaldevelopment.

We at TCS are committed tocontinually engage in developingour human resource in pursuit ofthe optimal mix of people,processes, and technology. At TCSwe sincerely believe that the realassets of an organization are itspeople, especially so in the servicesector.

Finally, thirty of our seniormanagement members, myselfincluded, put themselves throughan intensive program for 5 days,12 hours every day, exploring anddeveloping key relationship skillslike advocacy, conflict resolution,critique, decision making, initiative,

inquiry, and resilience. This we didwith Usman A. Ghani, a Fortune100 executive, who conducted ourLeadership GRID® Seminar (LGS)at the Pakistan Society for Training& Development premises in Clifton,Karachi.

The above three activities takentogether we hope will help us attainand retain our Customer-centricity.Please engage us with yourfeedback to help us do better. TCSis fully cognizant of the role expresslogistics is playing in reversing theslide in Pakistan’s economicactivity. We have made hugeinvestments in our people,processes, technology and physicalinfrastructure. This has vastlyincreased our ability to handlevolumes, a fact that we are nowleveraging in our quest forcontinuous improvement in theservice of you, our esteemed andhighly valued customer.

Thank you for giving TCS your voteof confidence and we look forwardto serving you with the best of ourability.

Saqib Hamdani


03www.tcs.com.pk

Courier Syed Rahil Iqbal # 30246 isin General delivery and services theSaddar Route in Karachi. He has beenwith TCS since 1989, is 40 years ofage, and married with two daughtersand a son. He has attended college inBahalwalpur and attained an IntermediateCertification. Rahil’s message for our readershipis as follows:

“TCS has been good for me and my fellow Courier colleagues. We have earnedhere a meaningful amount that has enabled us to build our homes and raiseour families. The TCS Management has kept us motivated with the incentivesystem, and provided us with medical and insurance cover. That is why you willfind only TCS Couriers on their routes from 6am until 11pm sometimes. TheTCS Management’s progressive thinking that reorganized the business throughcreating Hubs and appointing Area Business Heads has increased the quantumof business, and this has benefited all of us. The enlightened leadership of ourChairman Mr. Khalid Awan, and our CEO Mr. Saqib Hamdani, has createdwithin TCS a family culture that has developed strong bonds of fellowship andloyalty amongst us for the Organization and its people.

On the operational front the conditions on the road are becoming more andmore challenging. Each of us is coping as best as we can. I pray to Allah tokeep us all in His protection, amen.”

World of TCS

CEO’s Messages 2

Message from the Frontlines 3

Voice of the Customer 11

HeadSpeak: Asif Ahmad Khan 16

Drivers Night Out! 17

Editorial 17

Spotlight: Muhammad Yousaf Rashid 18

Fleet Solutions helps make roads safe 19

Developing Human Capital

Breaking Management Gridlock 4

Rising Star Program 12

Shireen Naqvi 13

TRG’s 164th Meeting 15

Tommy Weir on CEOs 20

Roger Harrop on utilizing Skype 21

Dave Crane on Education 22

PatronKhalid N. Awan

Advisorjamil janjua

EditorAdil Ahmad

Graphic DesignerSyed Shahbaz

Members of Editorial CommitteeSalman AkramRizwan HafeezAli LeghariNusratullah Khan


December, 2011 / Volume: 10 / Issue: 304 05www.tcs.com.pk

BURNOUT & DEFEAT - The Resultof Linear Approach

"Participants come together for 5days, and put in 12 hours of workper day on average during thisperiod," says Usman Ghani. "Mostmanagement and leadership is onedimensional, and focusedexclusively on results. The moreoutput one gets the better leader ormanager one is considered to be.In reality when people produce atthe level required by this onedimensional leadership they oftenget burnt out or feel defeated, withjust one person getting the creditfor the work done, mostly ‘starperformers’ like the CEOs whomanage to write books. The meremortals who made that successpossible get little acknowledgement,and their motivation levels startslipping or they look at opportunitieselsewhere."

CREATING SYNERGY - The Resultof Team Approach

Usman says that at GRID® theybelieve that the corporate missioncannot be a single dimension issue,and instead it's a two dimensionalissue, with concern for resultsinextricably coupled with a concernfor the people who are part of theequation. "It is an integrated way ofdeveloping results and peopletogether. As these two axis, concernfor results and concern for people,merge they render a variety ofleadership styles. The leaders withthe highest concern for their peopleAND results are the most likely tocreate synergy within theorganization, which means they dobetter than the best person on theirteam.”

The notion of team is not symbolicbut real, says Usman. “It can be adepartment, a company, a family, acommunity, or even a country. Theother spaces on that twodimensional GRID® do not generatesynergy (a key outcome of true

teamwork) and, in fact, can becompromising and defeating of thecentral purpose, with people justsitting there and warming their seats,or pleasing one another, orcompromising and leaving value onthe table, or commanding people tostick to getting results."

TCS MOVES IN - Leveraging theOpportunity

Earlier in July, when he was visitingPakistan, Usman Ghani conductedGPS, or GRID® Problem Solving,based on the natural assumptionthat if GRID® was such a goodframework and set of values, thenit should help in solving toughproblems of teams and companies. CEOs and their direct teammatesof a maximum of five per companywere invited to bring their toughestproblem and participate in the GPS. TCS was one of them, and SaqibHamdani (CEO) was present alongwith Jamil Ahmed, Shafiq Malik,Khalid Dar, and Qasim Awan. Thefive days interaction convinced theTCS CEO that this approachprovided for his top team theimpetus to take it to the next level,which was indeed the result.

Come October it appeared that theentire TCS Head Office had shiftedits coordinates to the PSTD, leavingone wondering as to who wasminding the store! It was a majorvote of confidence in Usman Ghani,and his illustrious father Mian Ghani,the first Pakistani professionalTrainer and Founder of PakistanSociety for Training & Development,who introduced the GRID® methodsto Pakistan in 1972 and helpedmany companies as well asgovernment organizations succeedwith various phases of the GRID®methodology.

Comprising the TCS 'double dozen'at the LGS were Asif Ahmad Khan(Area Business Head KarachiSouth), Farrukh Zaheer (Head ofLine Haul Management), Mohsin

Ansari (Head of Operations -Logistics), Ghulam Murtaza (Headof Safety, Security & Administration),Alia Hasan (Head of Voice ofCustomer), Syed Shauket Abbas(National Manager Retail Sales), AliAsghar Kiyani (Regional DirectorOperations - North), Nadir Qureshi(Regional Director Operations -South), Sajid Khan (RegionalDirector Sales - Central), Rehan AllyAgha (Regional Director Sales -South), Rao Salman Akhter(Regional Director-North), WaseemBeg (Strategic Business Head -Express), Qasim Qayyum (StrategicBusiness Head - Logistics), SaqibAhmed (Strategic Business Head - SE & Intiana), Imran Younus (VP- Finance & Corporate Affairs),Mazhar Ayub Khan (VP -International Business), SalmanAkram (VP - Sales & RegionalDirector Central), Rizwan Hafeez(VP - Strategy & Retail), Salman AliSiddiqui (Head of BPR and SpecialProjects), Feroze Ahmed (Head ofCustomer Services), MohsinKeshodia (Head of Finance),Muhammad Sohail (Head of FleetSolutions), Nusratullah Khan (Headof HRM & OD), and Zulfiqar Ahmad(Head of Information Technology). Also present as seminar supportand keen imbibers of the learningfrom the proceedings were SeharKhan (CEO's Executive Assistant)and Haris Tabbassum (ManagerLearning & Development).

GRID® GRADUATES - The Prideof TCS Management

Talking to Usman Ghani turned outto be a rare treat. Clearly he is aman seized with a mission anddriven by passion in pursuit ofcorporate excellence that keepsconcern for human resource at parwith the generation of results.Speaking about the expandingfraternity of GRID® Graduates, hetakes a trip down memory lane towhen Shaukat Mirza of Engro, alongwith his top team, had taken part ina GRID® program led by Usman's

father Mian Ghani. Similarly, TCSfounder chairman Khalid Awan andhis close associates participated inthe GRID® in 1983. "TCS didoutstandingly well not only at thelocal and national level but also theregional level, becoming the symbolof sustainable success. As the topteam saw its past success and itscoverage in the Harvard BusinessSchool cases, it wished to go to thenext level using the same behavioraland leadership technology used bytheir founder chairman in the early1980s. Now we are doing at leastone behavior based program fortheir company every year.”

In Lahore DESCON has put its 52executives through the GRID®program. “DESCON has acquiredthe critical mass and developed G3,the GRID® Graduates Group, whichmeets every month in the DESCONLibrary, with whoever among theseGRID® Graduates is in townshowing up. They share theirsuccesses and failures, and critiquethese using GRID® principles andleadership theory. They help eachother gain conceptual clarity,reinforce their understanding, buildnew partnerships, and renew theirmission to achieving synergy andhigh production effectiveness."

GRID® has a role to play indeveloping entrepreneurs, saysUsman. "GRID® complements theseven behavioral skills that areneeded to take the entrepreneursvision to reality, and strategies andimplementation plans forward.Conflict solving, for instance, leadsto opportunities when two peopledisagree and sit down to discoversomething completely different, likea third option. Innovation andcreativity, which are at a premiumnow, are the fuel forentrepreneurship and result fromthe sound practice of these skillscollectively. Some unlearning hasto be done to accommodate thisand re-root executive confidence inleadership based on behavioral

Continued from Cover




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science principles, not hearsay orvoodoo magic or “charisma” thathave been sublimely coded in ourmyths about leadership practice forus mere mortals."

UNLEARNING, LEARNING, &RELEARNING - Renewing TCSCapabilities

For the week-long GRID® SeminarUsman Ghani split the TCS 'doubledozen' into four teams, putting themthrough a process of unlearning,learning, and relearning. "One ofthe fundamental principles ofbehavioral science pioneered byKurt Lewin is about unlearning, andthen learning and relearning. So alot of the myths about leadership inpeople's minds gathered from allover the place have to be firstunlearnt and substituted with theemerging scientific principles. Thoseprinciples are then instrumented andpracticed here. Practice makesperfect when done soundly. Havingthe participants together for just aday or two does not allow forsufficient time for the process ofunlearning, learning and relearning. Nor does it allow for a substantialobserved behavior database uponwhich teams can draw reliableconclusions from. The five daysstretch also provides the knowledgeand repeated opportunity to practicethe things they have learnt. Thecontent and process is there, andwe facilitate how they work. Theparticipants are in teams, with eachteam working on assignments andthen coming together for evaluationand critique so they can do betterthe next time. Then the cyclerepeats while they are alsomeasuring the growth and changeover time."

CANDOR, HONESTY, & TRUST -Established TCS Values

Usman is a behavioral scientist whohas studied at both Harvard andM.I.T. "The entire seminar is builton trust. The exercises determine

what a team culture is, and the toolscan be used in real life workplaceto improve results. There is inter-team conflict, which is good. But thequestion is are they focused on whois right? Or on what is right? Forexample, each team grades theothers’ reports. The process of risingabove egos is established. Thereis a lot of candor, honesty and trustthat gets built into it."

Going down memory lane Usmanspeaks fondly of the Atlas Groupwhich was the first to come up witha cheque when the idea of speciallydesigned premises for PSTD waslaunched by Mian Ghani in the1980s. Mian Ghani himself put hismoney where his mouth was, andput in over a million rupees from hisown pocket, never taking a pennyfrom the PSTD even whenconducting many programs for it.

"Mr. Yusuf H. Shirazi wrote out ablank cheque to the PSTD, andPSTD recognized his gesture bynaming the first training room as theAtlas Room. The Atlas Group hasalways been a perennial GRID®proponent, and through PSTD hasprogressed to the 2nd and 3rdphases of GRID® that encompassTeam Building and Inter-groupCooperation."

CASE FOR RESIDENTIALSEMINARS - The Need to TakeLifelong Learning Seriously

In 1972 the first GRID® seminartook place at the Beach Luxury Hotelin Karachi, participated in by 75people and conducted by MianGhani, says Usman. "They were allCEOs of corporations or FederalSecretaries from the Governmentof Pakistan and Heads of institutionslike IBA, NIPA, PIA, PIM, STI, andStaff Colleges. It was a 6-dayresidential program and a great dealmore intense as it allowed for muchmore formal and informal interactionand learning amongst participantswho were together round the clock

as a learning community. Over time CEOs in Pakistanfocused less on Talent Development and so GRID®programs got relegated to HR, and then later, furtherdelegated down to less-experienced Training Officerswith severely narrow scope and budgets. At thoselevels, due to cost cutting in HR corporate budgetsour present programs are not residential soparticipants are here until late into the night beforegoing home and returning again bright and early thenext morning. It gets much more hectic for theparticipants but costs considerably less for thecompanies.”

Usman believes that instead of viewing the hotelstay as an additional expense, CEOs need torediscover the impact of the residential programs,take ownership of talent development (especially atthe Board and senior executive levels), and allocatesufficient resources to HR for such events, or betterstill, allocate top talent development into their ownbudgets.

Usman Ghani is a Life Member of the PakistanSociety for Training and Development (PSTD) andtrains there on a contract basis when he visitsPakistan 2 to 3 times a year for various consultingassignments, preferably during the Summer,Thanksgiving, and Christmas holidays in the U.S.At least twice a year PSTD hosts the LeadershipGRID® seminar which Usman leads. Mian Sahibalso makes special appearances and otherexperienced Grid Graduate CEOs are invited asspeakers during the lunches.

Usman is based in Dallas (Texas, USA) where heworks as a full time consultant with Board Membersand CEOs of the Fortune 50 as his clients in theareas of strategy and corporate governance. Hebelieves that the glue that binds everything togetheris Organization Development and that is what theLeadership GRID® Seminars provide the bases ofand most scientifically. Even at the “pure” strategyformulation stage, the GRID® methodology (4thphase) makes a huge impact that is only realized bythe firms who have the commitment to the pursuitof excellence, and faith in behavioral science as afoundation for all human activity and for generatingtrue synergy.

Usman is a partner of GRID® International Worldwide,and Mian Ghani is a partner of GRID® in Pakistansince 1972. Azhar Iqbal Mir, Hasan S. Akhtar, andKamran H. Meer have been trained by Usman andMian Ghani to lead GRID® seminars in Karachi. InLahore M. Asim Aziz, Hasan N. Ansari and KhalidJ. Iqbal have undergone similar training, and it isheartening to see the GRID® fraternity expanding. Onward Pakistan!

1. Zulfiqar Ahmad Khan(Head of IT, TCS)

As they say, its never too late – so ourorganization gave this priceless opportunityto 28 colleagues of various managementcadres to learn & refresh (because it wasa refresher for me) how to bring change andbecome a change catalyst through soundleadership style from the behavioral sciences

aspect. Resources R1 (people), Relationships R2 & ResultsR3 are the three factors that are to be kept at the soundestlevel through seven R2 behavioral skills i.e. critique, initiative,inquiry, decision making, conflict resolution, advocacy &resilience. In Grid theory the synergy happens when resourcesare multiplied in the relationships so that results are enhanced.It is important for a sound leader to remain focused onrelationships to get sound results by best utilizing availableresources.

Organizations are built by people practicing core values. Theculture of any organization depicts how its people (R1) arebehaving – it starts from top to bottom. Openness, candidness(candor) and mutual trust develops synergy among ‘groups’which converts them into ‘teams’.

For me, this seminar was again a step towards adopting asound leadership style, not only in my professional career butin my personal life as well. A leader always converts dreamsinto vision, and through R2 keeps the focus of R1 to accomplishR3. This Grid seminar gave me an opportunity to look intomyself first, work on those aspects which are required for soundleadership, and then develop teams that have synergy – thiswill enable me to bring about 100% productive effectiveness,something the organization strives for.

2. Sajid Khan(Regional Director Sales - Central, TCS)

To me results (R3) cannot be producedwithout a sound relationship (R2) withcoworkers, where the quality of resource(R1) is given its due significance. A soundRelationship mainly depends on the levelof frankness and openness (candor), andoften conflict resolution plays a vital role in

maintaining it. Two brains will always decide better than oneprovided synergy exists between them, and any one can




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take the first step towardsimprovement. Grid is the initialmeasuring criteria which regulatescertain behavioral aspects, but I hopea time will come when the corporateworld will go beyond its limits, and 9,9will no more be the maximum toachieve for.

3. Salman Akram(VP - Sales & Regional DirectorCentral, TCS).

I've found TheLeadership GRID®Seminar to be ahighly effectivebehavioralimprovementprogram. Theconcept is simple

and practical, yet quite convincing -committing oneself to becoming asound GRID® practitioner cangenuinely improve one's leadershipeffectiveness. I strongly recommendit to all my colleagues.

4. Rehan Ally Agha(Regional Director Sales- South, TCS).

The course wasvery good and hada very strongmessage conveyedduring the fivedays. I feel that thebest thing would bethe part when we

all sat down to analyze each other,especially to try and identify the corepersonalities.

I think courses like “Grid” really helpus as individuals and also asprofessional to rediscover ourpersonalities, and start focusing on theareas of concern, which would actuallyhelp us in improving our acceptability,reliability and consistency. Thisnormally is not the prime focus of ourlives, and we tend to leave behind thereality about ourselves.

Even though the 5 days were verytough to manage, it would have beenbetter if more days had been budgeted.Grid is highly recommended for thesenior tier and product portfoliomanagers.

5. Salman Ali Siddiqui(Head of BPR & Special Projects, BulkDistribution Wing, TCS)

Nature has its ownways of alerting aperson to check hisdealings andindulge in hindsightto improve hisbehavior. But the

in rush of things and race against timeone does not pay heed to the warningsignals from within. Grid LeadershipSeminar provided an opportunitywherein, leaving all chores aside,participants were imparted with theessence of leadership; systematicallyand in a structured manner. Thissojourn also gave the opportunity forself discovery. Strengths which werea part of me but were dormant, andcertain behavioral aspect whichneeded attention, were brought to life.

Though the Grid Leadership platformis great, it is incomplete. It fails toaddress the most important aspect ofintegrity which is the core ofprofessional behavior.

6. Waseem Beg(Strategic Business Head - Express,TCS)

I believe that GridManagementprogram should becategorized as an“essential” foreveryone who is ingrade 8 and 9. The

Grid program identifies managementstyles in a very scientific manner and,barring a few loopholes, provides apoint of reference and target to directone’s efforts. For me it has opened up

another window to improve myself bothpersonally and professionally. As forthe duration, I believe that it should befor 7 days covering more details onthe Grid.

7. Saqib Ahmed(Strategic Business Head – SentimentsExpress & Intiana, TCS)

I had a greatlearning experiencetoday, whichallowed all of us tointeract with eachother, in an informalsetting removing all

ranks & inhibitions, resulting in gettingto know each other at a much deeperlevel, appreciating & embracing eachother, realizing the potential of TCSTeam, & what we can achievecollectively.

We believed, we knew each other,based on years of working together. Itis amazing what you discover whenyou start 'listening' instead of just'hearing'. In a company, like ours, fast-paced & pushed for deadlineseveryday, meeting and managing day-to-day affairs leaving us with little roomfor an up close and personal interaction- Grid based learning would allow us,as a team, to collectively benefit fromthe (Grid) concept, and appreciate &capture the essence to direct ourenergies towards building a culturethat truly envisions: - the power ofsynergy, - critique, - initiative, - inquiry,- advocacy, - decision making, - andconflict resolution. I thank you onceagain for allowing me an opportunityto attend this training program.

8. Farrukh Zaheer(Head of Line Haul Management, TCS)

A simple commentcould be “Weshould have done itquite earlier, butgood thing is wehave ultimately

done it”. Initially, I was not comfortableduring pre-work but when we wentthere, it suddenly enhanced level ofcomfort and satisfaction that, “ok” weare here to make a difference and thatwould happen after 5 days, so let’sfocus on this and achieve maximumout of it.

It was an exceptional course. As anindividual, it helped me to carefully andmethodically examine/understand mybehavior and address self deception(if any). Corrective measures were alsohighlighted which we need to honestlyimplement for our own betterment andoff course that will ultimately contributein the development of the organizationtoo. As an organization and team, itenabled us to learn, performancesupport and measured results. Welearnt how to handle conflicts, makeproductive and positive critique forbetter collective decisions.

9. Alia Hasan(Head of Voice of Customer)

The one word thatI could say aboutthe Grid Leadershipworkshop is“ExperientialUnderstanding”about what you are

and how others perceive you. If oneis open to Learning it opens up doorson the corners of that mean egoist thatwe all harbor in ourselves as individualsand are convinced about our fairness,and that is a Stark Revelation.

Grid has broken my biggest myth andbarrier that Diversity in the workforceis unacceptable in a male dominatedwork culture. It has challenges but byno means should it put you in anyStatus Quo or allow you to adopt anEvade & Elude paradigm. One shouldpersist and prevail to make a mark andif the stretch is longer one will bedestined to meet and be a member ofthe 9.9 Team (Sound & Committed).Mr.Usman Ghani as a coach and

change partner facilitates the processof learning that only “Right Practicewill carry you to Perfection” otherwiseeven Monkeys & Dolphins can betrained to perform magic.

10. Asif Khan(Area Business Head KHI South, TCS)

This seminar was agood refresherabout differenthuman behaviors,place in differentgrids, against resultand productivity.

How to Improve/develop relationshipto bring efficiency in commercial workas well as in other relations, by utilizingavailable set of resource. Howeffectively we behave if our relation isbased on candid, openness, un- biasedand fair culture. Usually in such typeof seminars the trainer used to askname and designation of theparticipants to begin with. UsmanGhani did not do so. He want to seethe actual facts of human behaviorwithout get influenced by positions.Good to know how to develop teaminstead of group by changing theattitude. It will be more productive ifwe apply it religiously in its true spritafter its clear understanding.

11. Nadir Qureshi (Regional DirectorOperations – South, TCS)

Overall, Mian A.Ghani did anexcellent job. Hewas knowledgeableand able to comeup with effectiveways to deal with

difficult situations in various scenarios.He had a good mix of lecture and groupactivities, and was able to get peopleto respond to comments and askquestions. GRID pre work activitieswere interesting, detailed and relevant.Five days learning would allow us toshare & implement the Grid learningin the work place. Command over

Critique, and Conflict Resolution werethe punch lines of the seminar.

I would have left the seminar feelingas if I had discovered 40 tips bothpositive & negative regarding mypersonality.

12. Saqib Hamdani(Chief Executive Officer, TCS)

I had known forquite some timethat Mr. KhalidNawaz Awan, ourfounder chairmanand his initial topteam had

completed the Leadership Grid®Seminar in the early 1980s and theywere full believers. Their teamworkand Grid® learning producedspectacular success for TCS and theoutcome was results-and-peopleintegrated at every step of our growth. All our corporate indicators wereoutstanding and the Grid® languagegot imbibed in our culture. Top-ratedinstitutions like Harvard BusinessSchool, etc. wrote cases on TCS andinvited our leaders to talk to them aboutour story. Over time, and as a newgeneration of top management becamein charge, we felt the need of asystematic approach to help us defineour next level AND to achieve it (tightlycoupling strategy and action). We alsofelt some fading of the Grid® languageand culture and so, I personallyattended the 5-day Top Team Grid®Problem Solving program with my topteam at PSTD in July 2011. It wasvery capably and passionately led byMr. Usman A. Ghani from U.S.A. Notonly did we learn a scientific and self-convincing approach to leadership andmanagement, we also applied theseto one of our most thorny issues.Applying the principles learnt and withthe help of my team (and somefacilitation by Usman), we arrived at asuperior resolution to the problemwhich we are now implementing. Evenbefore the GPS concluded,



I approached Mr. Kamran Meer torequest Usman Sahib to do anexclusive, in-house Grid® programfor my top-25 executives and futuremanagers who report to my teamor have the potential to take onmuch more challenge. UsmanSahib confirmed from the U.S. acouple of months later and I wasmore than delighted to host thisprogram in early October, whateverits costs (which I see as investmentin TCS people and culture). Thesuccess of this program has beenoutstanding; my people are veryexcited to implement their learning,to measure their success, to focuson sound behaviors, to help eachother in clarity of understandingand advancing the Grid® humantechnology. I am now able to lookat our vision more convincingly thatwe can achieve our next level withour bold growth plans.

“To create a Barometer ofservice provided, and leverageit towards Excellence for thebenefit of Customers” is howAlia Hasan, Head of the new TCSDepartment Voice of theCustomer (VOC) defines herassignment.

“Logistics & Supply Chain are crucialto any business whether FMCG,Durables, Pharma, Banks, Telcos,Automobiles & other vehicle andvehicle parts industry, SMEs, PersonalEffects business, and the list isoverwhelming when we addGovernment sector organizations suchas Pakistan TelecommunicationsCompany Limited, Water & SewerageBoard, Karachi Electric SupplyCorporation, and so on. The demandsare diverse and the delivery processcan be very complicated.”

At TCS innovation is a norm, says Alia,an MBA in Marketing (IBA, Karachi,Class of 1992) who joined TCS in May2002 as Business Manager forSentiments Express. “Keeping up withthis tradition our CEO Mr. SaqibHamdani expressed the desire toHEAR OUR CUSTOMER inunconventional ways not yetexperienced or practiced by anyservice industry in Pakistan. This ishow the Voice of Customer desk cameinto being.”

Alia Hasan is someone who knowsTCS and its culture. She has interactedwith clients and customers at differentforums and at their premises, and iscognizant of business challengesfacing trade, commerce, industry, andgovernment sectors. “To ensure

satisfaction TCS has introduced 12products that serve diverse businessneeds and created specialization ineach area and personnel. Thedemands and the expectations fromour customers are raising ourbenchmarks everyday, by the hour.”

VOC’s Mission is “To critically evaluateour system & processes; To identifyservice quality attributes thatbenchmark our services, and alignthem with customer expectations; ToInnovate and build industry standardsof excellence that identify TCS cultureand people.” Voice of Customer is nowa significant element of TCS, and cameinto being in February 2011. YasirAftab Awan, a business graduate witha degree in software, is onboard as aVOC Executive and leads a team ofyoung graduates doing Research.

In its short life VOC has completed 12projects that include tele-surveys, visitsurveys and projects. Some milestoneprojects are Jeeto Har Bar, BISE-Lahore MMS Printing & DistributionProject, and BISP-Lahore MMSPrinting & Distribution Project. Projectsin the pipeline include Mega VIII,Mystery Shopping, PTCL (billsdelivery), UFONE/PTCL Bill delivery& UFONE Sentiments, Delivery courierattitude & behavior, Express CentreAudit-Customers Feedback,Operations Monitoring Report (AreaProper & Allied Locations).

“Developing a customer satisfactionanalysis is not just about carrying outa survey,” says Alia. “Major long lastingimprovements need a fundamentaltransformation in the companyinvolving training of human resource,and possibly involving cultural changes.

VOC conducts challenging analysis onthe internal determinants of thecompany at odds with customerexpectations. This in result createsfinancial benefits, less customer churn,higher market share, and strongerbrand name.”

Alia defines the prime focus of VOCas Enhancing Customer Satisfactionand Getting in close with the Customer.“We are creating a practice by whichcustomers can speak to us about theirexperience with TCS so we can betteridentify customer needs and servicegaps.”

More power to the Voice of theCustomer.


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Barometer to Attitude Excellence

Changes Gears



Nusratullah Khan (TCS Head of HRM& OD) is in overdrive these days, andhas been for sometime now. As TCSexpands and upgrades, it is generatingan ever increasing demand for qualitytalent at all levels of the organizationalhierarchy. Nusratullah Khan is in thethick of things, recruiting and screening,testing and training. Fortunately inMoona Sharif he has an able lieutenantwho is helping develop the futureleadership of TCS. She is the pointperson for the Rising Star Program,an initiative of the TCS Chairman Mr.Khalid Awan who initiated it over twodecades ago, and of which the presentTCS CEO Saqib Hamdani is a shiningexample.

“People are not your most importantasset, the right people are,” said JimColins in his book ‘Good to Great’. Thisis the central idea of the Rising Starprogram at TCS, says Moona Sharif,the TCS Manager for OrganizationDevelopment entrusted with the taskof developing a framework for theprogram and implementing itthroughout the nationwide TCSNetwork.

154 candidates applied and weredrawn mostly from Sales, Operations,and Customer Service, followed byFinance and Administration. The initialscreening took into accountqualification, experience, andperformance, with 116 qualifying forthe written test. This was followed bypsychometric assessment (MBTI) toascertain personality type.

“Finance, HR and Marketingexecutives have distinct personalitytypes, and identifying these is veryuseful in developing future leadership,”explains Moona Sharif. “The numberscame down from 116 to 60, and thesecandidates were then processed

through four assessment centers, oneeach in Lahore and Islamabad, andtwo in Karachi. It was a full day activityinvolving a coordinated approach, andduring the eight hours candidates wereput through different simulationsinvolving real life scenariosencountered in the organization. Agroup of assessors comprising seniormanagement was on hand at eachassessment center to evaluate thecandidates using group discussions,situation analysis and role-play.”

The entire process has taken fourmonths, and once the results havebeen tabulated, a group of 16 to 20rising stars will be put through aspecially designed fast track learningand development program spread over6 to 9 months, depending upon theneed of the individual. “The focus ison filling the HR needs of the

company’s business expansion plans,”says Moona Sharif. “Area BusinessHeads and Sales Managers will be ingreat demand, as also will beOperations Controllers. The averageage of the successful candidates is 30years.”

Given the organizational need, threeconsecutive Rising Star programs areenvisaged. CEO Saqib Hamdani is agreat supporter of the Rising Starprogram, having been a beneficiary ofa similar program in the early years ofhis career with TCS. “The real assetsof an organization are its people,especially so in the service sector likewe are in,” says the CEO TCS. “Weare continually engaged in developingour human resource in pursuit of theoptimal mix of people, processes, andtechnology.”

TCS Stars with Rising Stars


13www.tcs.com.pk

Shireen Naqvi is chief executiveofficer at School of Leadrship (SoL)and senior management consultantand facilitator at Navitus, and isroutinely engaged by a number oflocal and multinationalcorporations, NGOs and educationalresource centers across Pakistan.Her areas of focus are personalsocial development and visionaryleadership. In her efforts to bringabout positive change in thenation’s professional environment,she has organized and led theYoung Leaders Conference (YLC)since 2002.

Called ‘Shipa’ by Team SoL, theirfamilies and extended circles,Shireen has the strength of adaptingto a wide range of people. Fromcarpentry to capacity buildingsessions, she has multi-facetedexpertise. Always on the go andneeded by many, her colleagueshave sometimes seriouslyconsidered getting her cloned!Being exposed to diverse culturesthrough extensive traveling andvaried experiences, Shireen believesin the value of diversity and theexistence of immense potential ineach and every individual. Her aimis to develop inner discipline,greater resolve and empathy inpeople.

Shireen holds an MBA (1993), fromthe Institute of BusinessAdministration, University ofKarachi where she majored inManagement Information Systems.The TCS CONNECT corporate newsmagazine had the privilege of anextended session with Shireen overthe Internet, and came away suitablyawed.

TCS CONNECT: They say that ateacher learns from his or her students.In your work at the School ofLeadership with young bright sparkswhat has been your learning?

SHIREEN NAQVI: My young clients,associates and champions have beena source of immense growth andlearning. In a nutshell; on the one hand,I know now that our youth is endowedwith unmatched intelligence,enthusiasm and energy; on the other,I see, they are under-confident, lackexposure and are easily influenced asthey lack an opinion of their own. Thishas been helpful in fine-tuning myofferings for them in the form of youthleadership development programs, i.e.‘play on strengths’ and ‘fill the gap’.No doubt, they are in awe when theybecome aware of their potential anddiscover the possibilities that surroundthem. Once their mind opens, there isno stopping them. Thousands of themtake the leap to make a difference totheir communities and this process,over the last 10 years of SoL, hasextended to millions. The revolutionhas started. It is a revolution of loveand respect and is, therefore, quietwith many positive outcomes and littlenoise.

When we started SoL in January 2003,our Vision was to see Pakistan changeto a prosperous, respectable and greatnation in 400 years. With theexponential change that the youth isbringing about, we foresee the samehappening in 20 years.

TCS CONNECT: Please tell us of thesequence of thoughts and events thatled to the formation of the School ofLeadership.

SHIREEN NAQVI: It was the year2000. My children were teenagers.They and their friends were a bunchof high-voltage energy with nodirection. They would respondconstructively to any little attempt atcapturing this power. That gave methe inspiration to do something aboutit and I did, but on a personal, homelevel. Then I saw an announcementon GYLC (Global Young Leaders’Conference), which is held every yearin New York. I questioned myself howwe can organize the same for ourbrilliant youth? For two years I churnedthis idea in my head and mulled overit to, with the help of some sincere andwilling adults, come up with the designfor a youth leadership developmentprogram. In 2002, YLC (YoungLeaders’ Conference) was initiated.The outcome was tremendous and itsimpact phenomenal, where our youthfound their voice and let it be heardwith dignity. That is how SoL (Schoolof Leadership) came into being and in2011, has successfully trained over20,000 youth in the means and waysof sustainable, growth-orientedleadership.




15www.tcs.com.pk

TCS CONNECT: Please tell us aboutthe high points that the School ofLeadership has experienced duringthe course of its life.

SHIREEN NAQVI: Evolution happensthrough conscious endeavor. It is strifeagainst entropy. Where SoL began asa sole entity to build a nation thatdeserves to be its best; today,in 2011, it has hundreds-of-thousands of ambassadorsknitted into the web of theroots of our country. Aunique business modelhas developed – withouta single penny invested;SoL has at least 25branches in Pakistan,officially registered andproactively working onthe same agenda –youth leadershipdevelopment. Fromstudent bodies inPeshawar, Islamabad,Abbottabad, Quetta, Multan,Lahore, Faisalabad, Sukkur,Khairpur, Hyderabad, several inKarachi and many more; youth inthrongs are actively pursuing theirdreams of contributing to societal uplift.Kudos to them who have, at times, puttheir lives at stake, to spread theirmessage of empathy, love and self-reliance. When I attend their programsI am mesmerized by their single-mindedness and focus on the knowingthat we can do more; we can be better.This stream has now entered its thirdgeneration, reaching those in theinterior of provinces and at the gali(small street) level.

I have received feedback fromemployers who prefer new entrants intheir organization who have beenthrough the SoL training. The Universityof California wrote to offer 50%discount on fee to applicants who areYLC alumni. Parents, who formallyused to resist the idea of youthleadership development, are nowpartnering with their children to makea difference. Deans and Registrars ofcolleges and universities are doing thesame. Over a hundred social, public

and private sector organizationspartner with SoL to actualize its Vision;persistently engaging in funding youthto accomplish their best; TCS beingone of our lead sponsors and believerssince 2002.

Any idea that has conviction, passionand good intent, must succeed.

SoL is a story that makes thiscome true.

TCS CONNECT: Whatnext for the School ofLeadership andyourself?

SHIREEN NAQVI: I amone of those fortunatepeople who are livingtheir Vision. What I doand experience at SoL

every single day is thereality of my dream.

Though I see the grandeurof our results, yet my anger

is growing at the millions of youthwho are in the dark; slaves to their

conditioning of disempowerment; theadherents of centuries of fetid tradition;transforming to opening up to thepossibilities of bold creativity; respectfor humanity and the environment;taking charge of their abilities andpushing ahead to make Pakistan arecognized country in the league ofnations.

TCS CONNECT: Please tell us aboutyour trip to the USA.

SHIREEN NAQVI: Tempted by nameslike Malcolm Gladwell, Howard Schultz,Jack Welch and Bill Clinton as thelineup of speakers at the WorldBusiness Forum, New York, October5 & 6, 2011; I packed my bags andrushed over. No matter how high myexpectations were, what I experiencedwas far beyond. Sitting amongst over4,000 people from 42 countries, thetwo days were a pure intellectually-stimulating treat. The twenty world-class speakers held me and mycolleague, Kamran Rizvi, spellboundfor the 8-hours a day they injected us

with some new, some old ideas buteach with a fresh perspective. Whatfascinated me was that there are yetmore ways to see simple and basichuman aspects in so many more ways,each more important than the other,those that fleet by us unnoticed butare picked up by great minds that seethem as the obvious distinctions ofhuman excellence.

TCS CONNECT: Has it been difficultcoping with the demands of acommercial aviator's wife?

SHIREEN NAQVI: Having known myhusband Shuja 4 year prior to gettingmarried, I fathomed that life with a pilotwill be tough. But when it actuallyhappened, it was tougher. Yet, I wouldmake the same decision again anytime.

TCS CONNECT: Please introduce usto your children, and the career pathsthat they have embarked upon.

SHIREEN NAQVI: I have 2 boys, now30 and 29 years. My older one, Aroosh,is an Airbus 310 pilot with PIA, marriedand a father of an exquisite new-bornbaby girl, Leeah. Since he was four,he single-mindedly pursued his dreamof flying. After graduating as anaeronautical engineer from ClarksonUniversity, New York State; doors tohis career opened as if by Providence.His lovely wife, Sivim, is an artist,having graduated from the Indus ValleySchool of Art & Architecture. Afaan isour younger son, who graduated inMechanical Engineering from McGillUniversity and did his masters inEngineering Management fromRochester Institute of Technology. Heis currently an Environment and EnergyEngineer with ARUP in San Francisco,a multinational engineeringconsultancy. He is getting married nextmonth Inshallah. Both were born inIslamabad but grew up in Karachi whileat the Karachi Grammar School.

TCS CONNECT: What hobbies do youpursue in order to unwind andrejuvenate?

SHIREEN NAQVI: I could danceall night, besides reading andwatching movies. As a young girl,I learnt the Kathak and performedat occasions in Pakistan and inJapan. Being the daughter of asportsman, team and stretchgames have been my pleasure.Now, work is my hobby. Spendingtime with young people stimulatesme perpetually, while being withmy colleagues at Navitus I enjoythe deeper aspects of learning. Butwhat I could do all my life – eachday of it, is travel. I guess mymother infused a profound desireof adventure, discovery and lovefor the unknown, the lust of whichis ever increasing.

TCS CONNECT: What is yourfavourite food?

SHIREEN NAQVI: I have nointerest in food other than that mybody needs it to remain healthy,and for which I am grateful.

TCS CONNECT: Whatbooks and authors wouldyou recommend for theyouth to read?

SHIREEN NAQVI:Books that I like aremostly related tohuman development;specifically on psychologybut a lot of philosophy too.I am fond of reading DanialGoleman, due to his insightfulresearch of the working of thehuman brain. Lately, I’vediscovered a new Moroccanauthor, Fatima Mernissi, who writesabout women in Islamic history.Karin Armstrong of course, is thestar.

TCS CONNECT: Do you have afavourite movie and actor?

SHIREEN NAQVI: ‘Enemy of theState’ was a wonderful movie. I likemovies that boggle the mind, like‘Inception’ and ‘Limitless’.Romance appeals to me as well

as action movies, particularly thosewhere women are the heroes.

TCS CONNECT: Pakistan, indeedthe world, appears plagued by alow trust culture between its peopleand government. Do you have anyrecipe for resolving this divide?

SHIREEN NAQVI: Through littleglimpses of history, I would say,comparatively, we live in a betterworld, though far from what it oughtto be. The Holy Quran explainsthat the purpose of the world is‘Justice’. As long as we do notpractice this supreme Value, therewill always be strife. Where peoplerespect the right of the other(instead of their own first), thosesocieties will progress; others won’t.A government comes from thepeople – as the people, so thegovernment. I believe when thepeople will improve, so will theirgovernance. Low trust at the

government level or betweenpeople and governments

means low trust in self.

TCS CONNECT:Does the SoLbrigade of brightsparks have anyplans for joining theglobal movement

against corporategreed? Is there an

occupation ofChundrigarh Road

(Pakistan's Wall Street) on thecards?

SHIREEN NAQVI: As PresidentLincoln said, “Whatever you do, doit well.” My young brigade is gearedto do just that. They aremultitasking between theirobligations and duties to self, familyand society, on the condition thatit is growth-oriented. Yes, they aregreedy, but greedy for knowledge,development, creativity and loveof humankind.

Thank you Shireen Naqvi.

An evening with Shireen Naqvi as theguest speaker was organized by theTrainer Resource Group (TRG) at its164th meeting, the topic ‘Breaking theBarriers’. Shireen kept the session veryinteractive and exhilarating. Takinganecdotes from her life, she askedparticipants to write down what obstacleshad stopped them from exploring theirfull potential. She quoted from theQuran’s Al-Rahman, “Then which of theBlessings of your Lord will you both(jinns and men) deny?” to personify thefact that it is troubles, pressures andproblems that become opportunities forgrowth and optimization of our potential.

During her talk on “BREAKING THEBARRIERS”, Shireen Naqvi offered aclear and easy to follow plan of how tobreak through barriers and attain thefreedom and success we desire.“The youth of today is weak in terms ofcourage and bravery. From a very youngage, they get engaged in activities whichthey think are cool but in reality theseactivities are harming their personalities.The emphasis should not only be oncorrecting the nation, but to correct yourown selves first,” she said, going on totalk about Sattar Edhi and his selflessefforts to help the less fortunate. The

evening ended on ahigh note with

everyone infusedwith a positivefeeling.

Report filed by Syed Waqas UR Rahman

TRG 164th Meeting



Asif Ahmad Khan joined TCS on May 5, 2006 as Senior Manager Special Projects,and worked on cash sales enhancement through Express Centers. He was thentransferred as Business Manager TCS Overland Express (OLE) in November 5th2007, and promoted to Strategic Business Head OLE, involved in product planning.In August 2010 Asif was given the charge of Area South Karachi as Area BusinessHead and worked at this position for 11 months. In July 2011 Asif has been chargedwith heading a Retail Distribution setup of TCS, distributing Zong Scratch cards andMobile sets in the South region.

Asif started his professional career in August 1992 with English Biscuits as Assistant Brand Managerin the Marketing Department just after completing his B.Sc Honours (Economics) exam from the KarachiUniversity. Along with the job Asif acquired M.Sc in Economics in 1994-95, and attended various certificatecourses from the Institute of Business Administration.

From English Biscuits Asif moved to UDL Distribution in their Pharmaceutical wing as Business LineManager. There he serviced the accounts of ICI Pharma, Veterinary, Allergan Pharmaceuticals, andPfizer at the national level. UDL also sent Asif to Bishkek independent state of former USSR for twomonths to develop and implement distribution system for JSC Pharmacia for their consumer andpharmaceuticals products.

After UDL, Asif moved to Dubai as Distribution Manager Lancnor fruit juices. He returned a year laterand started his own Distribution business in Karachi with the sole agency of Tops Food and Beverage,Happies Diapers, Masalas etc. Admitting that he had underestimated the challenges of self-employment,Asif wound up his business and joined Kolson Foods as Product Manager Chips Divisions, rising toRegional Sales Manager, and then Business Manager in Dubai, spending a total of five years withKolson.

Asif thrives in challenging environments performing challenging tasks. His self-perceived strengthsare punctuality, candidness, hard work, and team play. In resolving issues he consciously workson the emotional quotient rather than just the intelligence quotient.

Asif’s favorite colors are Blue and Green. In his leisure time he likes to play cricket and footballwith his kids and spend time with the family. His hobbies include traveling and socializing. Hegot married in January 1994 at the age of 24, and has three kids, two boys and a girl in themiddle, aged 17, 14 and 10 years respectively.

Ladies and gentlemen, Asif Ahmad Khan at your service!

Asif Ahmad KhanArea Business Head Karachi South

[email protected]


17www.tcs.com.pk

The Midnight Express left the TCS Head Office in Karachi atmidnight, arriving at the Kalri Jheel (Lake) Rest House at 2.30am.Comprising 2 busloads of TCS’s finest men-behind-the-wheel,this was high order bonding of a cadre always on the go negotiatingtraffic; staying within the speed limit, and refraining from overtaking;avoiding a heavy meal prior to departure; maintaining lanediscipline, and so on and so forth. Tonight these law abiding,street legal TCS hot-rodders were freed of their shackles andrestraints. The mission tonight was to party for the next 24 hours!And party they did! Right up till Fajar time when prayers wereoffered, with some catching forty winks before embarkingon fishing trips around the lake. A hearty breakfast followed,after which the assembly divided up into two groupscomprising Drivers and Workshop Staff that engagedeach other in a series of games. Sweaty contestantsthen dived into the lake for a reinvigorating swim, afterwhich they proceeded to offer Zuhar prayers. Threecheers went up for Malik Mohammad Saeed, the ManagerTCS Fleet Solutions, as he arrived from Karachi with thekeenly awaited lunch. Having satiated their admirableappetites the law abiding, street legal TCS hot-rodders piledback into their two buses, and sang their way back to Karachi,arriving exhausted and bleary eyed, but recharged and ready toroll once the sleep deficit had been addressed.Hu Ha!

The global business environment has come to be characterized by a singular lack of integrity in corporateboardrooms, spawning mantras like ‘privatizing profits and socializing losses.’ In the midst of this acute low-trustculture we have witnessed a spontaneous wave of worldwide public protest, beginning with ‘Occupy Wall Street’.

Trawling the back issues of the Harvard Business Review I came across a Letter-to-the-Editor in its September 2009 Issue,written by one Paul Pease, the president of the Pease Group (Hermosa Beach, California). He says teaching ethics andlearning how to rebuild trust at the executive level, or even teaching it at business school, is a waste of time. Trust is aboutcharacter, he says, and that is developed before anyone ever sets foot in business school, much less the executive suite.“Maybe the selection process should consider character before credentials. Maybe candidates should have to play a round

of golf to see if they count every stroke, play every lie, and maintain composure as they hit a poor shot.”

Time for Nusratullah Khan to finally take up golf in right earnest! This promises to become a win-win situation for HRDpractitioners, mixing business with pleasure.

Muhammad Yousaf Rashid is a Mathematician on

his second tour of duty with TCS, having worked

here for 9 years between 1995 and 2004. He did

his Masters in Mathematics from the University of

the Punjab in 1993, and after working for a year with EFU Life Assurance, joined TCS

as Territory Manager. He was promoted to Station Manager Islamabad, and his last

assignment before leaving TCS for Telenor was Area Sales Manager. While at TCS

Yousaf’s areas of responsibility were Sales and Account Management. His achievements

included introducing the new product of Warehousing & Distribution, and revitalizing the

Drop Box product. TCS awarded him with Manager of the Year in 2002.

At Telenor Yousaf spent 7 years between 2004 and 2011, joining as Assistant Manger

Logistics, promoted to Manager Logistics, with his last assignment with Telenor being

Manager Procurement. At Telenor Yousaf’s areas of responsibility included Procurement

& Logistics (Strategic & Global Sourcing, Contract Management, Material Planning,

Imports, Insurance, Warehousing & Distribution, Vendor & Product Development). His

achievements at Telenor he cites as conceptualizing, planning, implementing, and

monitoring systems for the multimillion-dollar SIM and Scratch Card supply chain for at

launch and during successive years of cutthroat competition and aggressive growth. He

also succeeded in achieving 0% lost sales, while maintaining apt buffers with minimum

inventory carrying cost.

Over the years Yousaf has attended a variety of courses and workshops to keep his

knowledge updated. These include Materials & Supply Chain Management in Dubai;

Insurance & Risk Management for Telecommunications in London; Management

Development Program at LUMS; Supply Chain Management at LUMS; Project

Management at LUMS; Care & Growth by Etsko Schutima; Global SIM workshop in

Bangkok; Insurance Renewals Workshop in Istanbul; and, Communication Media

Technology Conference in London.

Muhammad Yousaf Rashid was born in Rawalpindi on the September 22, 1969, and

is married with two daughters and a son. His leisure time pursuits include book reading,

cricket and soccer. Real Madrid is his favorite soccer team, and Raja Gidh by Bano

Qudsia is favorite book. Mumtaz Mufti is Yousaf’s favorite writer, and Richard Gere his

favorite actor. ‘Ijazat’ and ‘The Next Three Days’ are his favorite movies. Were he to

go on an overseas holiday, London would be the spot Yousaf would pick, a place where

his favorite ‘desi’ cuisine is amply available. In school Yousaf captained the school’s

cricket team, and served as the General Secretary of the Tutorial Group in university.

He is President of the postgraduate Mathematics Literary Society.

Ladies and gentlemen, Muhammad Yousaf Rashid at your service!



Muhammad Yousaf RashidKey Account Head, NorthEmail: [email protected]


19www.tcs.com.pk

TCS FLEET SOLUTIONS’ Muhammad Sohail Joins Forceswith Social Research & Development Organization (SRDO) &National Highway & Motorway Police to Set Right Mindsets

Over 300 participants drawn from school van drivers, the driversand management of national and multinational companies like

Shell Pakistan, private notable goods carriers, public transporters,and government officials, gathered recently in the well appointedAuditorium of the Traffic Police License Branch Clifton, Karachi.

Taking the initiative were the Social Research & DevelopmentOrganization in partnership with the National Highway & MotorwayPolice. The Head of TCS Fleet Solutions Muhammad Sohail wasinvited to give a presentation and conduct a training program that

engaged the audience for over one hour and 15 minutes.

In the audience were 30 TCS Fleet Solutions’ drivers, smartlyturned out in their uniforms. Muhammad Sohail enumerated thebest practices that must be embraced while sharing space onpublic thoroughfares, specially when transporting a ‘cargo’ as

precious as the future generations of Pakistan in pursuit of learning.School van drivers have routinely been castigated for rash and

negligent driving through overloading and over-speeding. On anyday of the school week, in the early mornings and afternoons,

Suzuki vans can be seen with school kids hanging dangerouslyoutside the van and school bags dangling dangerously outside

the vehicle.

Rao Rashid, Inspector Motorway Police and professional trainer,presented statistics and briefed the gathering about the NationalHighway & Motorway Police’s contribution towards safety on theroads. Surgeon Doctor Rasheed Jumma gave a thought provokingpresentation based upon his experiences and data gathered from

Emergency Wards of different hospitals. Also present on theoccasion was Rauf Siddique, Minister Sindh.



Dr. Tommy Weir is a renownedspeaker, advisor, and author oninnovative leadership. Globallyrecognized as an authority onleading in Fast-Growth andEmerging Markets, Dr. Weir, hasrare insights through workingwith over 2,000 CEOs andbusiness leaders from aroundthe world, ranging from Fortune100 companies to newlyestablished corporations in Asiaand the Middle East.

The other week while having a breakfrom the office, I overheard whatappeared to be a CEO say, “What canI do to solve this?”

I guess it is the time to make aconfession. I have a habit of listeningto others’ conversations as they walkby. It goes with the territory of my workas I continuously observe people intheir natural settings, evaluating whatwould make them a better leader. Itseems like 24/7 my mind is wonderingabout leadership.

Back to the Shakespeare Cafe in Dubaiwhere I was enjoying a nice mint shishawhen this executive leader, along withhis entourage, rushed past my table. His phone was glued to his cheek asI heard him ask, “What can I do tosolve this?” At first I had to determineif he was attempting to abdicate hisrole insinuating, “What does thisproblem have to do with me?” Youknow, the classic approach to pushing

problems away or “don’t put yourmonkey on my back” managementtheory.

But as he asked a second and thirdtime, “What can I do to solve this?” Itwas clear he was trying to help andwanted to know what actions he couldtake to get this matter closed off.

As I inconspicuously listened, Iwondered, “Is this what a CEO shouldbe asking?” Do you think that CEOsand other senior leaders should bespending their time running aroundtrying to solve others problems? Isn’ttheir time better spent in other ways?

Let’s dive straight into the crux of thiscommon practice and at the same timeanswer how CEOs can best help. No,they should not be spending their timein reaction solving what others deemas urgent. Time is a very limitedcommodity, you only have 168 hoursper week and they quickly slip awayespecially after you deduct the hoursfor sleep, eating and other personaltime. Every minute of a senior leaderslife counts and should be invested inthe right activities.

The most important activity of the CEOis creating the operating culture of thecompany – this is more important thanthe trendy strategy planning sessions.The CEO’s actions are what reallycreate the culture. You can invest hoursand hours articulating values anddetermining how you want youremployees to act. But, in the end, they(the employees) mirror the actions oftheir leaders. So the quickest way to

set culture is to live it out.

Across the region, it is ordinary to findemployees who are more comfortablewith their leader taking a decision andoutlining what actions to take. Thiscomes from the multi-nationalworkforces that are heavily populatedwith employees from staunchhierarchical cultures. When a businessleader jumps straight in and solves anissue, she or he is feeding this practiceand allowing the employees to mentallyskip over accountability.

The other outcome is the unhealthydependency that is built. Over time,the culture becomes centered on CEOdependency and the resultingbottleneck limits others perspectivesand involvement. The temptation tojump in and solve problems is ripe asit makes the leader feel valued. Andquite frankly many welcome it. It is funto see tangible results and feel thewinds of urgency as a break from whatis otherwise the deliberate strategicside of the business.

So, instead of asking, “What can I doto solve this?” Leaders need to spendtheir time building the culture of theirorganization and the employees’capabilities. Ask, “What can we do tohelp you solve this? Put the ownershipon the employee while giving him orher confidence of support.

Courtesy


21www.tcs.com.pk

When it comes to business communication,Skype is an invaluable tool. Its impressivearray of features make it ideal for sendingfiles, checking in on business partners,holding video conferences and makinginternational calls.

Its popularity cannot be denied; the VoIPclient has over 550 million users and actuallyaccounted for 12 percent of the world'sinternational calls in 2009. There's definitelya reason why one-third of Skype users utilizeit primarily for business.

Very few get the full value out of Skype,though. Many in the business world don'trealize just how useful Skype can be or howmuch time it can save for those that know itsbest features or the tricks for getting the mostof the desktop client.

We could write a book-length guide on usingSkype, but here are five of our favorite tipsfor getting the most out of Skype for smallbusiness.

Courtesy

1. Screen Sharing may be Skype's best feature: It amazes me howmany people still don't know that you can share your computerscreen with the person on the other end of the video call. It's anideal way to remotely give presentations, show code to anotherprogrammer and show others what's currently in your browser. Justright click during a video call and click "Share Your Screen" (or"Share Screen" on a Mac).

2. Download Skype Extras: Skype is an extensible platform throughits many plug-ins, known as "Extras." You can download apps thatdo everything from enable you to play games to record Skype calls.For example, Unyte provides advanced small business collaborationtools, while Pamela includes call recording, Outlook integration andVoicemail.

3. Set up call forwarding: This is one of the most important things toset up if you're a regular Skype user. You can forward incomingSkype calls to your cell phone, even if your computer is turned off.You need to set up the feature under the "Tools" menu, and youwill use up Skype credit during forwarded calls, but it's worth it,especially if you don't have the Android or iPhone application (bothof which run in the background). In fact, we suggest setting up callforwarding anyway, because the Skype mobile apps are well-knownbattery hogs.

4. Check in on the house/pets while you're away: There's an old trickfor checking out your house if you're away and have a homecomputer. Create two Skype accounts and log in to your new accountat home, set it to auto-answer any incoming calls, have it set to startvideo automatically when you are in a call, and enable Skype Video.The end result is that, when you call this account from your businesstrip in Beijing or your office downtown, you will automatically be ableto see what's going on at home and put your mind at ease.

5. Turn Skype into your customer service tool: You don't have to putyour Skype username on your website to provide customer support;you can use a handy Skype button to make it easy for customersto contact you with issues concerning your product. That way, youcan make it known that you're available via Skype without distributingyour username to the world.

6. When travelling abroad, use Skype To Go to avoid expensiveinternational charges. You need to set it up before hand, but whenyou are away, you call a local number (to Skype), choose whichpre-stored number you want and Skype completes the internationalportion of the call. Ideal for calling home.

7. Another travel related feature. If you have Skype credit, you canuse this to access Boingo Wi-Fi hotspots. You are charged perminute rather than having to pay an exorbitant fee for an hour, orworse, 24 hours' access. Connect to the hotspot, and as long asSkype is running Boing detects it and asks if you want to use Skypecredit for access. No credit cards, no registration. Perfect forsynchronizing emails that need a laptop instead of mobile.

Go Skype!




23www.tcs.com.pk

About the Author

He is one of the freshest and highlyrequested trainers andmotivational speakers in themarket. In the last few years DaveCrane has worked in Spain, SouthAfrica, Germany, Austria, France,Greece, Egypt, the Caribbean, Italyand Monaco. One motivationalsession in Greece led to one globalcompany recording a 49% growthin sales within their next 12 monthsperiod and they attributed muchof it to his work.

Dave Crane is a Certified NFNLPHypnotherapist and NLP MasterPractitioner and life coach.

He is the only Stage Hypnotist inthe Arabian Gulf having trainedand performed in Las Vegas andMonte Carlo.

Dave also occasionally hosts TheLaughter Factory, the Gulf’slongest running stand-up comedynight and numerous promotions.

Dave Crane has worked with manymajor names in the musicbusiness including James Brown,Sting, Bryan Adams, Kanye West,UB40, Enrique Iglesias, RobertPlant, Iron Maiden, Joss Stone,Westlife, The Prodigy, The HumanLeague, Velvet Revolver, PaulWeller, Madness, Mika, ZiggyMarley, Melanie C and GeriHalliwell.

Dave is one of the best knownnames in regional radio havingworked on 99.3 Radio 2FM,formerly the station manager of104.8 Channel 4FM and Dubai 92FM.

He is a Freelance journalist formany high profile publications,and a Freelance TVpresenter/reporter.

1) We Are Categorised On OurDate Of Birth – NOT OurInterests

Think about it. Look at your office,your closest friends and yoursocial networks. Are you all thesame age? Of course not. Butyou DO have the same interestsin common.

I guarantee the key things youwere interested in up to the ageof seven are EXACTLY the sametype of things you are interestedin right now. The problem is youprobably don’t get to enjoy thoseexperiences anymore. If you did,you would be much happier andif you could add those basicpleasures to the daily mix of yourbusiness day (or even get a jobthat allows you to get paid fordoing elements of it) you’d neverhave a bad day again.

2) We Are Forced To LearnEVERYTHING – NOT HowTo Learn Anything

Why did you need to recite somuch stuff ‘parrot-fashion’? Theability to adapt and learn newskills quickly is far more usefulto you than trudging throughyears of difficult calculus andtrigonometry. You will probablynever use them again for the restof your life. Instead, if you needthat expertise, you’ll Google it orhire a specialist (who actuallyenjoyed it at school).

3) We Were Humiliated ForAsking Stupid Questions.

Nowadays those ‘stupidquestions’ are called ‘Out of thebox thinking’. They are worth afortune to every company on theplanet and almost impossible toget your trained and educatedworkforce to do. Well, at least,now you know why.

4) We Were Punished ForCheating

Time is money, short cuts aregenerously rewarded (they’recalled ‘efficiency’). Nowadays,we call cheating ‘reverseengineering’ and that’s whyChina and India are dominatingthe planet with cheaperproductivity, new innovativesolutions and ROI.

5) We Were Taught To FearDifferences In Others

The most powerful person in anygroup is the most flexible. Anycountry that operates a cultureof isolated superiority will fail.The smart players are breedingglobal citizens with multiplelanguage skills and an interestin travel and adapting to newcultures. One day you willactually meet that new friendfrom the other side of the planetyou knew through Facebook.

6) We Focus On OurWeaknesses

It’s wrong. When you have astrength and are interested insomething, you become betterat doing it. The better youbecome, the more you’ll findsuccess breeding success. Withthat comes confidence as yououtstrip the competition andbegin to start your own niche.Choose to focus on yourweaknesses and someone willalways be naturally better at itthan you. You will at best beaverage, frustrated anddesperately unhappy watchingdullards with less talent gettingbetter results with less effort.Sounds familiar? Unless YOUchange, this pattern will keeprepeating itself as it has beensince your first childhood testresults all the way up to your lastappraisal.

7) We Were Taught NOT ToQuestion Authority

Remember that theteacher/boss/government/systemknows best. That’s why, we’vejust experienced the biggestcultural revolution that the middleeast has ever seen. Social mediahas allowed a platform for the conversations that make peoplerealize that the status quo needsrebalancing. Regularly. In a worldwhere presidents ask boybillionaires for advice, the rest ofus have to sit open mouthed andwonder why we never got thesame ‘lucky breaks’ as those weadmire on TV. We probably did,but we’re told to ignore then bypeople who ‘knew best’. Theydidn’t. I bet you now feel guiltyabout even thinking this way.

8) We Were Scared To Fail

We were taught a simpleparadigm. If you get good examresults, you’ll get a great universityand a good job. If you get badresults, you’ll be cursed to acceptan average life in an average jobforever. We are so paralyzed witha fear of failure we won’t evencontemplate opportunities just incase it all goes wrong. Thesuccessful people know it’s anumbers game. That’s whyRichard Branson, Donald Trumpand Steve Jobs lead their fieldbecause they know ‘risk = life’.

9) We Worry About MakingMistakes

99% of us remember theclassroom laughing at our‘foolishness’ and can’t bear theidea of the same treatment in thecorporate world. When youunderstand that you actually makethe right decision at the time ofmaking it (we don’t have hindsight)you can have more confidence inyour own informed calculations.Success comes to those who takeaction and are prepared to learnfrom their ‘mistakes’.

10) We Don’t Believe in OurOwn Abilites.

Wake up call. No-one else caresabout you as much as you do, nordo they know you as well as youdo. No-one else is likely to bearound you from birth to deatheither. With only one guaranteedwitness who will also double asyour primary cheerleader, why isit we have to care so much aboutwhat others think? We know thatthey too have their own agendafrom playground survival to drivinga Mercedes Benz, so maybe it’stime we cut ourselves a little moreslack and stopped listening toothers opinions. You can only readyour life properly when you lookat it backwards so a waywardexam result or scolding needs tobe put in context of your wholelife. Basically, it didn’t matter thenand it matters less now.

This is why most of us will spendmost of our adult life searchingfor a new way to reinventourselves, make sense of our pastand hope we can find the formulato happiness before it’s too late.OH BY THE WAY, here’s an 11threason:

11) We Didn’t Learn How ToMake Money

Amazing isn’t it. Nothing aboutwealth creation, handling creditcard debt, buying a house,pensions, insurance and keepingcash under your bed in a biscuittin! Without Robert Kiyosaki’s‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’ series tobail you out, you’d still be in thedark ages.

We should have been taught thisat school, but nobody there kneweither!

Courtesy

Dubai - UAETCS Express Worldwide LLC

#5, Abdullah Rashid Muhammad Saif Building,Rashidya, Umm Ramool, P.O. Box 29575, Dubai, UAE

Tel: +(971) 4 285 8556, Fax: +(971) 4 285 8560www.tcsuae.com

TCS Express CenterShop # 7, Hassan Majid Mohd Building

Frijmurar, Deira, Dubai, UAETel: +(971) 4 285 8556, Fax: +(971) 4 285 8560

www.tcsuae.com

Abu Dhabi - UAETCS Express Worldwide LLC

Fardous Building, Al Salam StreetP.O. Box 54525, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Tel: +(971) 2 677 8600, Fax: +(971) 2 6779800www.tcsuae.com

Sharjah - UAETCS Express Worldwide LLC

Al Arooba Shop # 24 & 25, Al Arooba Street,Behind al Ansari Exchange, Rolla Square, Sharjah

Tel: +(971) 6 563 0563, Fax: +(971) 6 563 0562www.tcsuae.com

London - UKTCS Express Worldwide (UK) Limited

1000 Great West Road, Brentford,Middlesex TW8-9HH, London, UK

Tel: +(44) 208 263 5715, Fax: +(44) 208 263 5716www.tcsexpress.co.uk

Karachi - PakistanTCS House

Saqib Hamdani Building,Iqbal Avenue, Jinnah International Airport,

Karachi 75202, Pakistan.Tel: +(92) 21 111 123 456, Fax: +(92) 21 924 2830

www.tcs.com.pk

“We have to build up the character of our future

generations which means highest sense of honour,

integrity, selfless service to the nation, and sense of

responsibility, and we have to see that they are fully

qualified and equipped to play their part in the various

branches of economic life in a manner which will do

honour to Pakistan”

(Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s Message to All Pakistan

Educational Conference, Karachi, 27th November 1947)

“When the government is unobtrusive, people are pure;when the government is prying, people are wanting”

(Lao-tzu)

Documents

PAKISTAN - TCS Courier For five days in October 2011, for twelve hours every day, 24 top executives of TCS were confined in close quarters at the impressive premises of the Pakistan