Loud Thinking

Posts Tagged ‘My Views’

How to revamp the PCB..?

A blue print for the PCB’s revamping..!

Pakistani cricketers always bear the burden of representing the image and the hopes of millions of their fans.

Their on and off the field behaviours, have a social and political significance, that goes well beyond the field and enters into the homes of all the citizens as well as, into the most powerful institutions.

The victory in a world cup ODI or a T20 contest, can move nearly all sections of the Pakistani nation, in an incomparable manner.

Thus, for the ordinary Pakistani cricket fan, PCB is not just an organisation; rather, it is a mini Pakistan (and its chairman a mini Prime Minister) and looked upon like the institution of the Pakistani armed forces, where they can’t imagine, any compromise shall be made, on the image and reputation of the country; and where rather than lowering the national flag and pride, our sons sacrifice their lives.

Hence, the PCB and not the players…. needs a turn around..!

We should not be so naive to expect production of a Mercedes car from the manufacturing plant of a motorcycle.

Moreover, as Albert Einstein defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”

As such, we must not expect miracles by sending players to army institutions, for some rigorous training. If that was the case, why armed forces sports teams world over and in Pakistan, are NOT the number one teams, in all the sports they participate?

Nowadays, like the management, sports is a science and the role of the amateur handlers is over. Only QUALIFIED professionals can train sportsmen, for producing world beaters.

Until and unless, PCB itself is turned upside down, our cricketing standards will keep on sliding into the abyss.

The culture of taking work from the qualified professionals can NOT be handed over to the existing SENIOR staff of the PCB, who can’t even develop a multi-media presentation.

Everyone knows how many managers and above, in the PCB, can truly handle the computers, beyond the emails reading?

It is suggested that PCB must be totally revamped (with a vision statement of BETTER THAN THE BEST) from the top to the bottom, to make it function like a top class world level organisation, with zero tolerance for old amateurish and bureaucratic style of working, which breeds intellectual, moral and financial corruption, nepotism and favouritism, in each and every sphere of its operations.

Right now, PCB has become the last and final resting place of the great nincompoops of Pakistan.

However, the greatest harm the PCB is doing to the nation is that it is being run on a system, which is doing double damage; in the shape of production of mediocre run of the mill players; and at the same time, talented players (like Awais Zia) are facing hurdles, in coming into the lime light.

If the PCB wants to survive in the fast changing world of competition, it must change its old habits and rebuild itself, inside out.

PCB must know that a professional organisation is “of and for professional people”
For the inside out rebuilding, the PCB must come out in a crystal clear manner that “how it want to be thought of” and then consider every thing that the PCB “say and do.”

Every PCB department must also be converted into a “cost center” responsible for its revenues and expenses.

Side by side, the PCB must also shun its CULTURE of politics and self serving policies. This is absolutely necessary, because culture of an organisation is the environment under which all it’s employes perform their duties.

What is needed by the PCB is to create a culture of team work, which stimulates the employees for working with absolute honesty and recognises and rewards employee efforts and permeates the entire organisation.

While chaos, politics and leg pulling is rampant in the rank and file employees of the PCB, how it can be expected to produce players, who will not be equally, if not more, afflicted by these malaise? As they say in the IT jargon, garbage in garbage out, or output can not be more than the input.

However, the top notches of the government and the PCB, must know very clearly that the PCB can not be turned out into a first class world level organisation, by just transfers, postings, change of designations, hiring or firing of employees.

In fact, such steps breeds even more discontent and ill will, among the employees and the general masses.

To achieve the desired results, PCB needs a total and complete overhaul, disregarding any political or other pressures for serving any vested interest(s), examples of which (running the organisation on an absolutely 100% merit basis) can be seen in many Pakistani organisations like LUMS, SKMCH & RC, IBA, NUST and the GIK etc.

Till such time, the PCB itself is turned into a center of excellence, it can’t produce a bunch of players, who can be the world beaters, on a consistent level.

In any team game, a team do not need champions like Don Bradman or David Beckham to be the world beaters. But, greats like Don Bradman and David Beckham in any team, can not excel, without the cooperation of other team members.

For our players to consistently excel at the international arena, PCB coaches need to repeatedly hammer into the minds of the players, the following famous quote of Aristotle.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.”

Now, world over competitive sports is not considered just a past time hobby or entertainment and fitness activity. Rather, sports activities are considered and handled as a science.

As such, the PCB must shun business as usual, decades old approach. Moreover, the PCB think tank must “PLAN FOR SUCCESS” with clear and measurable objectives.

The PCB must also not forget that the world’s best and most expensive coaches are NOT the recipe for the success. If this notion was true, rich countries like the USA and the Saudi Arabia, would have been the world champions, in many sports like football etc.

The recipe for success mostly lies in the smooth working of a well defined system, lead for which must come from none other than the PCB chairman.

Gone are the old decadent ways of assembling players for a camp, just before the tour to show their fitness and playing abilities. It must be the specified duty of the think tank and the selectors to devise a plan to monitor 24/7 the health, eating habits, general behaviour and performance of the CONTRACTED players, in a scientific manner. These contracted players must not be allowed to have a free reign, even during the off days, as they are almost like paid employees of the PCB.

Moreover, the FINE TUNING and grooming of the marked pool of all the talented and upcoming players (non-contracted) should be the SPECIFIC responsibility of the NCA staff, who must constantly produce, highest calibre five players, for each position of the game, both for the men and the ladies teams.

As such, rather than hiring a foreign coach for the national team, we need to hire an experienced and QUALIFIED foreign expert, who has the experience of running the sports academy on professional lines, may be from Australia. This expert should be assigned the task to turn NCA, into a center of excellence, second to none in the world.

It will not be out of place to conclude, by mentioning the quotes of the three famous sports coaches, for the motivation of our players, who are under tremendous pressure to perform on a consistent level.

“Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster man. But sooner or later the man who wins, is the man who thinks he can.”
– Vince Lombardi

“When you’re playing against a stacked deck, compete even harder. Show the world how much you’ll fight for the winners circle. If you do, someday the cellophane will crackle off a fresh pack, one that belongs to you, and the cards will be stacked in your favor.”
– Pat Riley

I’ve never played for a draw in my life.

Alex Ferguson

In England, it’s a rare thing to see a player smoking but, all in all, I prefer that to an alcoholic. The relationship with alcohol is a real problem in English football and, in the short term, it’s much more harmful to a sportsman. It weakens the body, which becomes more susceptible to injury.

Alex Ferguson

I’m going to tell you the story about the geese which fly 5,000 miles from Canada to France. They fly in V-formation but the second ones don’t fly. They’re the subs for the first ones. And then the second ones take over – so it’s teamwork.

Alex Ferguson

The work of a team should always embrace a great player but the great player must always work.

Alex Ferguson

Can Pakistan produce one legend like Steve Jobs..?

Yes we can, we have not one, not two but three persons, who can deliver to the nation and the world even more than Steve Jobs, provided they are given the government patronage, proper atmosphere and opportunity for R&D in IT sector; and they are Mr. Umar Saif, world renowned IT genius guru and Chairman PITB, Mr. Salim Ghauri, another world renowned figure and CEO of NetSol and Mr. Jibran Asghar, an IT (software) genius of Pakistan, working for the last more than 10 years in Bern, Switzerland.

If we watch the Movie “Jobs” which is based on the story of Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Computer Inc., is a life story of how the Apple Computer Inc. came into being.

It is a story of a man driven by his brilliance. It was as if he knew his life was short and he was given this gift and ordered to fulfill it.

In that quest he failed to make friends, gave up old friends, did not amass wealth, lived a simple life, took some controversial actions that were wrongly interpreted. Yet, he managed to create an enterprise that was valued as the most valuable company in the world.

In that process he made thousands of Millionaires and lifted hundreds of families from abject poverty to a life of affluence.

His mantra was simple, give the people something that they have never used but be honest when you offer that. The net result was he generated an unparalleled following.

Apple sold less cell phones than most of the worlds brands, but made many times more revenue than any other cell phone company.

The reason, people trusted Apple to provide the best.

Then sacrificed (some even sold their body organs) to obtain their product at any price.

Apple delivered what it promised.

That is how legends are made.

Create Advocates for Your Brand

Often the most important people selling your product are not your sales and marketing teams, but your customers.

Here’s how to turn them into company advocates:

Let them interact.

Connect your customers to their peers — other people like themselves who deal with similar issues.

Bring them together through live events, in teleconferences, forums, and other networks so that they can exchange ideas and learn from each other.

Market their triumphs.

Prospects care about what they can accomplish with your products.

Tout your customers’

achievements in any white papers or case studies you publish as much, if not more, than your own.

Have them do the talking.

When you need someone to speak about your products or services in public forums or with the media, ask your PR person to take a back seat and give your customers the opportunity to speak on your behalf.

Adapted by Harvard Business Review from “How to Create True Customer Advocates,” by Bill Lee.

Try This Exercise to Clarify What Your Company Stands For

For your organization to be successful, you must be crystal clear about your brand essence – i.e. your brand’s essential, enduring value.

When what you stand for is clearly expressed and delivered in everything you do, every day, you leave an indelible mark on people’s hearts and minds.

If that’s not clear yet, ask yourself:

What was the brand’s biggest accomplishment?

What will it be remembered for? What did the brand leave unaccomplished?

Who would miss the brand if it was gone?

Why? What lessons can be learned from the brand’s life?

If the brand disappeared, what would take its place?

Adapted by HBR from “Write Your Brand’s Obituary” by Denise Lee Yohn.

Great Branding Takes More Than Advertising

As digital disrupts more marketplaces, brands become more important and valuable – not less.

They provide meaning and satisfy emotional needs. As consumers experience information overload, the tendency to gravitate toward what’s familiar increases.

At the same time, reliance on traditional tools, like advertising, corporate identity programs, and PR, to build brands is waning.

So how can companies strengthen their brands? Look at Apple: Since its “Think Different” ad campaign, it has withdrawn from image-building ads, kept a smaller marketing budget, and instead, focused brand efforts on creating a well-designed, holistic product experience.

Firms must be able to tell a meaningful story through actions and products, not words in ads or statements.

Products and services should encapsulate a brand and communicate value without an additional layer of advertising.

Make your brand more central and embed it across the customer value chain.

Adapted by Harvard Business Review from “ Brands Aren’t Dead, But Traditional Branding Tools Are Dying” by Jens Martin Skibsted and Rasmus Bech Hansen.

Some very nice and simple talk about Market Share, Mind Share and Heart Share:

Market share is the competitors’ share of the target market which may be calculated as Market Share = Firm’s Sales / Total Market Sales.

Mind share is calculated by the percentage of consumers who identified the competitor when responding to a question asking them to name the first company they think of when thinking of a specific industry.

Heart share is calculated by the percentage of consumers who identified the competitor when responding to a question asking them to name a company from whom they would prefer to buy a product.

Analyzing the relationship between these three measures can assist a company in focusing on weak areas for improvement and strong areas for leverage.

Amarjeet Singh
Marketing Executive

Heart Share – first thing that you can relate to or prefer over number of given options or choices.

Totally based on personal experience and can vary from person to person.

For example – Whenever there is a new born – many individuals prefer Johnson n Johnson over any other baby care product – its because of their personal experience attached to it.

Mind Share – Its more to do with Brand Recall – efforts made by Agency or Brand itself to have its impact on customers – For example – here in Pakistan we associate Rooh-e-Afza as a Ramadan Drink – This is because of efforts made by agency or brand itself to position itself this way.

Market Share – now this is an entire reflection of Heart Share + Mind Share in terms of Revenue it generates.

For example – Honda Motor Cycle – amazing branding and amazing heart share 🙂 you can see its revenues

Munir Sharif
Senior Brand Manager

Racist ICC & FIFA..?

An eye opening letter published today by the daily “Daily Times”

ICC and Palestine
August 05, 2014
Comment

Sir: The International Cricket Council (ICC) took swift action against Moeen Ali who was wearing a wristband in support of Palestine against the apartheid of Israel. ICC argued that no one should bring politics into the game.

Well, ostensibly it looks like the ICC has no leniency against code breaking. But if we leaf through the pages of history this is not the case.

For instance, in 2003 it took ‘no action’ against the former English coach Andy Flower and his Zimbabwe team mate Henry Olonga when they wore armbands against Mugabe. Then why is Moeen Ali banned?

The same is the case with Malaysian cyclist Azizulhasni Awang.

Likewise, in football, FIFA took stern action against Lazio (an Italian top club) when the spectators demonstrated against Jews in a match against Tottenham Hotspur. Lazio fans also unfurled a ‘free Palestine’ banner.

As a result FIFA punished the club by forcing it to play in an empty stadium.

However, it did not take action against David Villa (a Barcelona player) when he ridiculed Islam in a match between Barcelona and Real Madrid.

It means players are free to abuse Islam and anti-west governments but cannot support innocent Palestinians.

Israel butchered over 1,700 people in Gaza and demolished over 3,000 homes and is constantly violating international law without stirring the conscience of the world leaders and here we have the ICC taking abrupt action against Moeen.

What kind of world are we living in? In a nutshell, there seems to be a total control of the Jewish lobby not only in politics but in every walk of life.

The west claims to be the champion of human rights, but perhaps Muslims are not humans in their eyes.

Muhammad Wajid Munir
Islamabad

“Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.”

— Pope John Paul II

Change the Way You Start Your Day

What’s the first thing you do when you get to your desk? Check email and listen to voicemails? This is the worst way to start the workday. Instead of automatically going into reactive mode and focusing on other people’s priorities, begin your day with a brief planning session about what you need to get done. The moment you sit down, ask yourself: The day is over and I am leaving the office with a tremendous sense of accomplishment. What have I achieved? Thinking this through will help you distinguish truly important tasks from those that only feel urgent. Determine what to focus on, and then break down these tasks into specific actions and goals. Think about how to prioritize your list, and try starting your day with tasks that require the most mental energy.

Adapted by HBR from ” How to Spend the First 10 Minutes of Your Day” by Ron Friedman.

Dear Mr. Mohammad Zubair,

Minister of State and chairman Privatisation Commission.

Dear Sir,

As you have written on the fb that only 19 election disputes are left to be resolved. May be in these 19 cases the big wigs of PMLN are affected in the sensitive constituencies. But, then why the NADRA chief was removed and why the latest NADRA opening of bags with CCTV cameras shut down? What the government wants to hide from the public? Is there some thing black in the pulse or the whole pulse is black?

Mr. Zubair, things are not so simple, as you are pretending.

And remember, people are mostly fed up with the government because this government is providing electricity, even less, than provided by the PPP govt. (despite paying the circular debt), but the rates have been doubled.

With gas the situation is even worse; it is being provided in much less quantity, with double the rates.

Each and every items rate has been increased with a minimum of 100%.

All the taxes, specially car token tax has been increased by 100%.

Actually, PMLN is behaving with the people, as if they are their slaves, not voters.

The biggest failure has been on the economic front, where it has been ruined by taking huge loans (even at 8.25%) and increase of rates of utilities and taxes.

Sir, this is the WORST way of economic governance. If I was the PM, the finance minister would have been sacked at the earliest. But who cares about the public, in front of own close relative.

The biggest down fall reason of Nawaz Sharif is the conflict of interest in running of the government through the relatives, whom you can’t sack even if you want and this is a classic example of the conflict of interest.

So now please don’t expect any mercy from the public after you party disconnected it self completely from the interests of the masses.