Loud Thinking

Posts Tagged ‘My Views’

Work-Life Balance Through Interval Training..!

Link:- http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/06/work-life-balance-through-interval-training/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+harvardbusiness%2Fweekly-hotlist+%28HBR+Blog+Network+Newsletter+Feed+-+Weekly+Hotlist%29&cm_ite=WeeklyHotlist-060614+%281%29&cm_lm=sp%3Anayyar51%40hotmail.com&cm_ven=Spop-Email

The true cost of hiring yet another manager..!

Link:- http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/06/the-true-cost-of-hiring-yet-another-manager/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+harvardbusiness%2Fweekly-hotlist+%28HBR+Blog+Network+Newsletter+Feed+-+Weekly+Hotlist%29&cm_ite=WeeklyHotlist-060614+%281%29&cm_lm=sp%3Anayyar51%40hotmail.com&cm_ven=Spop-Email

“Never be afraid to act. You never know how far away you are from your goal — sometimes just reaching out and putting in a little bit of effort can be enough. And, even if it’s not — you tried, and that’s far better than just sitting and waiting for a chance to present itself. If you want to achieve something you have to act, you have to take risks and you have to believe in yourself.”

— Author Unknown

How Great Firms Motivate Employees

Research shows that workers who are actively disengaged outnumber their more motivated colleagues by 2 to 1. The good news is that the companies that defy this trend do similar things – which you can use to build a more spirited workforce.
Hire stellar HR people. The best HR people have a gift for influencing, teaching, and holding executives accountable. They’re crucial guides for leaders and managers trying to develop employees.
Use straightforward performance management systems. Companies with the highest engagement levels use recognition to develop employees and encourage them to reach their highest potential.
Don’t pursue engagement for its own sake. It’s increasingly possible to measure and track engagement, but don’t start “managing to the metric.” Keep your eyes on the business goals that greater engagement can help you achieve.

Adapted by HBR from “ Seven Things Great Employers Do (That Others Don’t)” by Peter Flade, James Harter and Jim Asplund.

“I like people with depth, I like people with emotion, I like people with a strong mind, an interesting mind, a twisted mind, and also someone who can make me smile.”

— Abbey Lee Kershaw

Organizational change drives innovation and business value, but change initiatives often fail because of poor leadership. Your ability to be a change leader is essential to your company, and your career.

Harvard Business Review (HBR).

“A person may break your heart and damage your pride, but never ever give them the power to break your spirit.”

— Susan Gale

@nayyarahmad: Mian Nawaz Sharif Sahab kindly step in to stop the loot and plunder of parents by the private schools…! Enough… http://t.co/nQR04NLHNQ

My letter published today by the “Frontier Post”.

An urgent appeal to the PM

Posted on 2014-06-07 05:05:12

“An urgent appeal to the PM”

For the glory and projection of Pakistan’s soft image, kindly issue immediate necessary orders, for display of banners in the entire Brazil (particularly airports) and at all football stadiums, saying “Made in Pakistan footballs welcomes you to the World Cup”.

Such opportunities to build the image of our motherland only comes in decades and must not
be missed.

Moreover, Pakistani coloured shirts which should have written (Pakistan the bronze medal winners of the street children football World Cup2014) should also be distributed free in Brazil.

Syed Nayyar Uddin Ahmad
Lahore

Mian Nawaz Sharif Sahab kindly step in to stop the loot and plunder of parents by the private schools…!

Enough is enough.

Kids asked to bring Rs6000 for parents’ day, Rs3000 for sports gala

A “Pakistan Observer” news.

Friday, June 06, 2014 – Islamabad

—What will be your reaction as parent of four or five kids all studying at private school(s), when each of them comes to you and demands Rs6000 as Parents Day charges. Still more, how will you digest hard (and of course bitter) pill when you come to know that delay of a week or two in payment of your kids’ fee has cost you Rs5000 extra? Most of the ‘high profile’ private schools turning a deaf ear to the murmurs of protest by the parents keep raising fees under various heads.

Besides charging annual tuition fees, they keep demanding huge amounts under one pretext or the other and there is no one to check them. Perhaps, those who can fix it enjoy fee relaxation or their kids study abroad. Thus entire burden is shifted to common families. Pakistan Observer in a survey grabbed a number of summer vacations fee slips/receipts of the junior class students of some of the high-profile schools. Interestingly in the fee receipts of June-Aug 2014, (usually schools are closed these months due to summer vacations) “generator charges” have been included.

Talking to Pakistan Observer a number of mothers complained against the private schools’ unfair arbitrary decisions of raising fees and including extra charges in the regular bills. Fee raise has become an everyday matter, said one of the distraught mother of a class 2 boy. They (the private schools) have already charged three-month (June-Aug 2014) tuition fee that varies from Rs 45,000 to Rs 50,000. However, in the same receipts besides exorbitant tuition fees and unfair “generator charges,” various heads are given under which huge amount s are charged. These are: Advance Tax: Rs8000, Parents Day: Rs6000, Generator Charges: 900 and many similar expenses, she said. Another interesting addition is that of “Miscellaneous.” One can ask what is left in this head to charge from the already drained charge, she said. About the stationery charges she said a school of very famous nomenclature has strictly asked the students to return the books to them after they move over to new grade. “We have asked them again and again why our kids need to return the books to them despite the fact we have paid stationery charges. However they have no reply to this,” said she.

“We have to pay a total of around Rs55,000 to Rs60,000 fee every three months,” said the distraught mother. Most of the parents with limited means, drain away all their savings on excessive school charges, said another mother. “I know a number of families where mother of a private school going child has to work along with her husband only to be able to share the financial burden,” she said.

However, the situation worsens when some families have two or more kids, said a lady teacher. “Many couples that live in Islamabad have to work day and night without thinking of their own rest or respite. They are chasing one dream, one goal i.e. to give their children the “best” education,” said the lady teacher who teaches at a famous private school of the federal capital.

She admitted the private schools are more of business houses than centres of learning and excellence. According to her, every teacher in the private school she teaches— from principal to the staff members—is directed by the administration to impose maximum fine on students. “We are compelled to carry out the orders,” she said adding “when some of us resisted they were plainly told that they could lose their jobs.”

Pakistan Observer when tried to contact principal of a private school, she assigned the “duty” to her vice-principal (VP). When this scribe inquired of the VP why heavy fees under bizarre heads were being charged from students, she said Advance Tax was refundable while the Parents Day is a mega event of colourful activities. Usually, we hold various stalls and arrange food for the guests as well as the students and teachers on this occasion. It is therefore we have to charge some amount from students as well to meet our expenses, she said. When she was asked why the school did not look for other sources of income rather than putting burden on already financially-pressed parents, she refused to speak further saying she had to attend a meeting.

On the other hand, officials of the Ministry of CADD and Federal Directorate of Education are least bothered about the private schools’ affairs. An office-bearer of the Association of Private Schools of Islamabad on condition of anonymity said the association receives huge funds as support from these private schools. This makes us obliged to them and you cannot expect from us to move against our benefactors, he said.

According to a senior retired teacher, giving best education to children is every parent’s top most priority. Even middle class families’ first choice is some English-medium private school of repute. Until a few years ago, even the low-income families could afford to send their boys or girls to some prestigious English-medium school. However, the situation has entirely changed for last couple of years. Now even well-off families are not able to afford the school (private) fees, he said.