Seven Arenas of Success

Seven Arenas of Success:Major (R)Khalid Nasr "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly." Theodore Roosevelt The Arenas of Success are:1.I Am - the Arena of Values 2.I Should – the Arena of Responsibility 3.I Could - the Arena of Possibility 4.I Would - the Arena of Negotiation 5.I Want To - the Arena of Vision 6.I Will - the Arena of Dedication 7.I Do - the Arena of Accomplishment The “Arenas” of Success are Values,Responsibility, Possibility, Negotiation, Vision, Dedication, and Accomplishment. The degree of our success is directly related to the degree in which we excel in and balance these arenas. As you go through each segment, think practically, because these are intended to be more than intellectual ideas. They are intended to help you solidify them into your life and turn your potential into performance: 1.I Am - The Arena of Values: Every person, organization and business has values. They may not know what they are, or they may not be able to articulate what they are, but they have them. The values of a business are what they believe in. What do they think is important? What do they hold as dear to the organization? Customer satisfaction is a simple value that a business may hold, for example. What a company values will affect the way the business runs and the employees act and work, so it is important to know what your business values are.The first step in a successful organization, or for your own life for that matter, is to determine your values. I would encourage you to spend some time on this if you haven’t already. And if you have, continue to make sure that everybody in the organization knows and believes in them. 2.I Should – The Arena of Responsibility: Those who would lead the way to accomplishment must also understand that they have responsibilities. And the man or woman of honor, integrity, and success, lives up to those responsibilities. So what are these responsibilities that we must live by? While I want to encourage you to think about them specifically for your own life and business, there are a few that I believe are for all of us. To be a person and company of high integrity. Ultimately, we are only a success to the degree that we are honorable people. This means that we are honest, hard working, and forthright. I don’t think it matters how much money one accumulates if the are not a person of integrity. To live by the “golden rule.” And the golden rule is that we will treat others as we want to and expect to be treated. 3.I Could – The Arena of Possibility: People have great ideas, dreams, and possibilities inside of them. They just need someone to stop the treadmill and ask the question, surrounded by an atmosphere of acceptance. Here are some areas to think about possibilities in: The office atmosphere Customer relations Customer satisfaction Increased sales Increased profit Community service projects 4.I Would – the Arena of Negotiation : After you have recognized your corporate values, understood your responsibilities and then had your staff possibilities session, there comes a time of reflection upon those possibilities. Every possibility has a cost associated with it. At this point an organization not only says “we could” but they also need to determine what the cost will be and whether or not the successful implementation of the possibility is worth the cost. This is the arena of negotiation. It isn’t negotiation in the traditional sense of the word, such as negotiating a price with a client or vendor, but is primarily an internal negotiation. These are all examples of negotiation questions. You are negotiating internally, with yourself or your staff. For example, you may find that your possibilities include substantially more profit for an extra five hours of your time per week. But your family life may be such that it wouldn’t be the overall best situation for you to increase your workload five more hours a week at this point in your life. 5.I Want To – The Arena of Vision: Those ideas that stir our passions for excellence become things that we can easily “see.” They can become our “vision.” Vision is a word that is used a lot in leadership development these days, and for a good reason. Great things come when we dream, when we gain a vision of a better tomorrow. Vision drives us to attempt things far beyond where we are right now. 6.I Will – The Arena of Dedication :The three most important things in work, especially during the start-up process, are “perseverance, perseverance, perseverance.” I have come to believe that much of what separates the successful from the unsuccessful is simply determination. The successful are not always the brightest, the best looking, or those with the most prestigious diplomas. Instead, they are the ones who say “I will do this!” and “Hardship will not deter me!” These people have entered into and continually live in the arena of dedication. Staying there long enough usually puts them on top. Dedication is a key to success. 7.I Do – The Arena of Accomplishment : It is important to remember that these phases are all constantly rotating through different areas of our lives. In some areas we will be in the values formulating arena, others the dedication arena. And of course we will at times be in the accomplishment arena. The greatest reward is, as the old saying goes, “the satisfaction of a job well done.” Not many people make it to the accomplishment arena very often. Enjoy the satisfaction!

A Layman's vision on Pakistan

A LAYMAN'S VISION ON PAKISTAN :MAJOR(R)KHALID NASR In a democratic society, political parties are expected to play a significant role in articulating citizen's aspirations, but unfortunately, our political leaders have no personal vision or agenda to improve the condition of a common man and to face the challenges in the geo-political environment. An individual’s death takes place when his soul leaves his body; which is unavoidable whereas; a nation dies when there is a leadership crises and no effective leader is on board to take over. The history of Pakistan is full of incidents when our political leadership invited army to intervene in state affairs. Starting from Ghulam Mohammad to Musharraf, the opposition and common men of Pakistan always welcomed take over by the army. There is a general misconception in an Army general's mind that the civilian leadership is corrupt and incompetent. To some extent this conception is right also. We can take examples of Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif. Now the people of Pakistan want a change towards a civilian led democracy. Pakistan has seen enough traumas in her life and needs a respite. Our Sohni Dharti is too precious to be left to opportunists and carpet braggers. Election campaign has already begun; however, the main crisis a common man faces is a regime that is not delivering what the people want: they want rule of law and improvement in the life of a common man, while preserving the citizens’ basic human rights. The country is chock full of political parties but not a single one of them has the vision and strategy to change the miserable condition of a common man, and to handle the issues that Pakistan is confronting. A deal between Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto runs afoul of the two basic fault lines that will determine the future of democracy in Pakistan. These require a balance between the: Civil -Military relations in governance of the country; and The moderate------- extremist division in the society. The next two to three months are very crucial for redesigning Pakistan’s foreign policy. Pakistan will have to take a firm stand regarding her relations with U.S.A. After the so called restoration of democracy in Pakistan, things would not be all that easy for Gen.Musharraf. As a civilian president, Gen.Musharraf will be having more power and public trust in certain areas; but would also be facing some pressures regarding the foreign policy issues. The relations with USA, China and Iran will take a positive turn from Pakistan’s perspective. US interference in Pakistan's internal affairs and the violation of international boundary laws on our Western border would be strictly dealt with. Let us hope that in the coming scenario the "Troika” comprising, the President , the Prime Minister and the Army Chief will work under mutual trust, respect and coordination to bring Pakistan out of its current crises and be able to face the global challenges. PAKISTAN HAD BEEN MANIPULATED BY THE OPPORTUNISTS & CARPET BRAGGERS.REPEATED TAKE OVERS BY ARMY WAS BASICALLY DUE TO FAULT-LINE IN MIND-SET OF OUR POLITICIANS. THEY HAD ALWAYS BEEN DEPENDENT ON ARMY FOR THE SOLUTION OF THEIR PROBLEMS. CONSIDERING THE POLITICAL HISTORY OF BHARAT ( I WOULD PREFER TO USE THE WORLD BHARAT RATHER THAN INDIA FOR OBVIOUS REASONS), WE FIND NOT A SINGLE OCCASION WHEN THE POLITICIANS LOOKED UPON THEIR ARMY FOR THE SOLUTION OF THEIR POLITICAL ISSUES. I PERSONALLY FEEL THE NEED OF A PARADIGM SHIFT IN THE MIND- SET OF OUR POLITICIANS. THEY SHOULD BE MORE FLEXIBLE IN THEIR THINKING,THEY SHOULD ALLOW MORE SPACE TO THEIR OPPONENTS .In fact the nature of this political malady is twofold in as much as Muslim Leadership (except for the Quaid) were not prepared for Independence; and quaid didn't make any bones out of this when he admitted' I find nothing but counterfeit coins when I search my right & left pockets'. He further went on to say,'I and my typewriter made Pakistan'. On the other hand, Mr Abdul Aziz Malwada warned in his letter addressed to the Quaid,'Muslims are backward financially, intellectually, economically, and socio-politically, whereas Indian National Congress has taken them to the position where they are standing with their back to the wall after LUCKNOW PACT. Under the circumstances, Muslims would be left with no other option, but to ask for a separate homeland. For running its day-to-day affairs, they would be finding themselves helpless in the absence of political institutions, but for Army wherein they are present in size able number. Hence the affairs of this country per force would be run by Army. It is also a fact, that Muslims were represented by Army Officers in the Boundary Commission & Muslim troops were awaited badly to save Muslims from the massacre in East Punjab etc. Whereas Quaid was given the lease of life just for one year (due to being in advanced stage of Tuberculosis)after partition, the political leadership was found wanting in intellectual acumen & moral fibre.Consequently the high-handedness of Ghulam Muhammad as Governor-General and the notorious Tamiz-ud-din case by Justice Munir laying down the law of necessity; which ultimately was to result in secession of East Pakistan. General Muhammad Ayub Khan (assuming the title of Field Marshal against internationally accepted standards for this rank)indulged in all kinds of irregularities including the ones for which Captain (Retired)Gauhar Ayub was well-known in the context of his connections with GANDHARA INDUSTRIES and his firing on Karachi mob,and the High-handedness shown against Miss Fatima Jinnah (sister of the Father of Nation)were by no means a credit to the country. Miss Jinnah's death in mysterious circumstances was also not a very happy reflection to the country. Thus started a trail of unfortunate events with Military Rule coupled with political incompetence of the Leadership, which was never allowed to grow. History is full of the names of Military Leaders like Ayub Khan,Zia-ul-Haq, and Yahya Khan who was held finally responsible along with Z. A. Bhutto (starting the legacy of the so called Martial Law Administrators) who was hanged by General Zia-ul-Haq for the murder of late Mr Qasuri. Hence Pakistan became a political arena for adventurers both from the Civil and the Army. Society being the same, both sides excelled each other in political adventurism & gravest possible irregularities at the cost of national interests. Ourproblems have been many fold, first we never took our ideology as the guidance source. Ideolgoy was flouted and made a political slogan toderive political mileage out of it. What we never understood is the difference between rule of law and rule of justice. Islam has always emphasised on establishing justice and not law. Man made laws are as corrupt as man himself hence the rule of law would take us no where. NRO is the latest example of a corrupt law but justice would never tolerate it. Henceforth, the legal fraternity and the civil society or the silent majority should demand establishment of Justice and not Law. If we don't do that, we shall keep witnessing one corrupt leader after the other with many waiting in the wings.

ROLE OF PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS IN PROMOTION OF EDUCATION

Role of private institutions in the promotion of education:Major(R)Khalid Nasr Education plays a pivotal role in the development of our younger generation to lead a successful life in this world of global competition. There are many dimensions of education in the development of human personality. It gives us professional knowledge. It teaches us human skills. It puts our mind on creative thinking. It builds our confidence and self-esteem. Now the question is: are the private institutions playing their role for the promotion of education? We can see a mushroom of private schools and colleges in Lahore but the parents and students are still in a state of bewilderment which institution to join for quality education. First of all, the tuition fee and admission charges of leading institutions in private sector are very high. Secondly, there is no standard criteria for getting admission in these renowned institutions. Back door techniques are used to get admission where the merit is lacking for open competition. It is very difficult for a competent student from a middle class family to get admission in leading institutions on merit. Now, we see the condition in middle class educational institutions. There is no quality of education in the so-called average educational institutions. The teaching environment and the faculty is not upto the mark. The standard of graduate & postgraduate level is so poor that some institutions are even selling their transcripts & degrees. The government is taking action against these institutions in private sector. The University of the Punjab and Higher Education Commission have set a standard for the operation of these institutions and award affiliations & charters to only those private institutions who qualify the required criteria. Everyday, we see the sign boards of a school or college removed by the concerned authorities but again we see a new entrant in the education sector with a very poor standard of teaching environment and faculty. The tuition culture is also a black spot on our prevailing educational environment in private institutions. Many daytime colleges & schools are converted into tuition centers in the evening. There are some private institutions that have not been awarded charter by Higher Education Commission or affiliation with Punjab University but they are miss-leading or rather cheating the students by putting false statements on their signboards and brochures. The curriculum offered in most of the educational institutes does not fit in the requirements of the job. Due attention is not given to the professional programs to enable a student to face competitive & professional requirements of the job opportunities in the market. Education does not merely mean academic qualification. What we have to do is to mobilize our people and build up the character of our future generations. In this world of global competition, success of a business is dependent upon the quality of management, which comes through the quality of education. The basic role of the educational institutions in the private sector is to educate, train and develop the young generation for the successful leadership roles in the practical realms of life. It is not just the degree from a college, which ensures the highest standards of excellence & growth. The basic purpose of training programs should not be to transmit knowledge from books but to impart learning & training to effect changes in behaviours & skills. The point to note here is whether our educational institutions in private sector are providing an opportunity to explore human capabilities which are not addressed in main stream education and are they willing to modify their curriculums to meet the demands of global competition in the job market. Due to high merit and limited seats in government institutions, the majority of the students join private educational institutions. So the demand of the day is that private institutions should provide quality education at affordable price to fulfill their social responsibility. Disintegrated nations can be transformed into uncanny force by bringing revolutionary changes in their stagnant thinking. We want our younger generation to be flexible, creative and assertive enough to make out dreams true about a progressive, liberal and strong Pakistan. Education without purpose & direction is a mere waste of time & resources that results in unemployment & frustration. The educational institutions in the private sector should feel their responsibility to provide quality education at affordable price. All of us do not have equal talents, but all of use should have an equal opportunity to develop out talents to have a competitive edge in the global market. The government has its own role to play which includes monitoring the activities of the educational institutions in the private sector, encouraging those institutions which are playing a positive role in providing quality education at affordable price and taking action against those who are a black spot in the field of education.

Rule of Law in Pakistan

The Rule of Law in Pakistan :Major(R)Khalid Nasr The rule of law is the fundamental component of democratic society. Rule of Law is defined as the principle that all members of society are bound by a set of clearly defined & universally accepted laws. In a democracy, the rule of law is manifested in an independent judiciary a free press and a system of check & balance on leaders through free elections and separation of powers among the pillars of state. Three major components of Rule of Law are: 1.The government is bound by the law. 2. All people are treated equally under the law. 3. The law recognizes that in each person, there is a core of spirituality, dignity and humanity. When we see the ground reality in Pakistan, the people of Pakistan are struggling for the rule of law .The rule of law can be ensured by an independent judiciary. The independence of judiciary does not mean that the court can take what decisions it wants to take but what it should take .A common man is always running around the courts in search of justice .The police system in Pakistan is for the rich & powerful. It is very difficult for a common man to survive under the present lawlessness. Electing the political leaders tried & tested in their stupidity & greed is again a practicing stupidity. It is the fear in the minds of the voters which compel them to repeat the same mistake again & again. This fear comes from the non-existence of the rule of law .The rule of law can solve the prevailing issues but for that we should focus on the restoration of independent judiciary not the restoration of individual judges who after their restoration might again reinforce fear & greed in our society through their biased 7 political decisions.