November 17, 2005

Even though our belief structure repudiates any form of social delineation based on caste, colour and creed, it remains deeply rooted in our society, and can be considered a major impediment to capacity building and human resource development, writes Adil Ahmed

If there is one thing the recent earthquake has demonstrated in its aftermath it is our desperately lacking capacity to cope. It may be argued that the calamity was of unprecedented proportions, and even the rich and better-organized societies of the world buckle under the strain, as witnessed in New Orleans. What had been demonstrated there was the fat, flabby, and flawed side of a once dynamic society. Critics held cronyism in high places responsible for indecisiveness in times of crisis. The best people available for the job were not on the job.

In Pakistan we have a similar situation, and nepotism has compromised the system’s effectiveness in responding to crisis — big and small. It takes a jolt of Armageddon proportions to expose just how vulnerable we have become.

If our past lapses have permitted matters to degrade to such dismal levels of governance, then the present and future generations must redouble efforts to reclaim lost ground, and build upon it a magnificent edifice that make our forefathers proud. This can only be done through a focused development of handling capacity at all levels to better absorb the shocks delivered by both nature and the world at large.

While we hope and pray for a meaningful improvement of the reform process at the macro level (government), it is vital to address the micro core unit of the self, the individual at the citizen’s level. It is people who make for organizations and societies, not just bricks and mortar and machines. Capacity must, therefore, first be built within the individual before it can become effective at the organizational and societal levels.

Even though our belief structure repudiates any form of social delineation based on caste, colour and creed, it remains deeply rooted in our society, and can be considered a major impediment to capacity building and human resource development. While prayer by congregation goes a long way in accepting and proclaiming before the Lord the equality of man, and serves to inspire every individual towards a more glorious future, a low threshold of belief in the self persists in the majority of people, and often ensnares and enslaves them at levels way below their potential.

The coercive nature of our leadership mindset is geared to control, rather than develop and expedite. This malaise inhibits the pursuit of peace and prosperity, and becomes the system’s undoing in times of crisis.

So how does one go about developing capacity? It’s simpler than adding another room in the house you live in. Here the additional room needs to be built in the mind so that the mind can better prevail upon matter. It’s about consciously developing self-esteem and self-confidence to move that proverbial mountain of self-doubt and negativity that blocks the blossoming of self-belief.

Naturally onward and upward

Haider is an entrepreneur, and acknowledged for his grand vision by some pretty big names in trade, commerce and industry. A self-made man, capacity has developed within him over time as he has risen along the ladder of success, never losing sight of the big picture. Haider is a fine example of a firm commitment to life-long learning and self-development.

“Attending conferences and seminars at home and overseas keeps one abreast with cutting edge developments in the field, and provides for great learning experiences along with being a lot of fun, specially in Hawaii! For the last many decades western societies have gained a monopoly on the formulation of new knowledge, while we Muslims have remained stuck in our tirchi topis and aara pajamas!” For Haider it is now merely a case of continually enhancing physical capacity to do more, more often. n — A.A.

The criterion of Growth also implies a willingness to trust responsibility to people. It means that the person who is doing the enabling must possess the courage to take the risk of entrusting people. In the aftermath of Pakistan’s earthquake, Etsko’s philosophy takes on a special and urgent relevance in managing the affected and executing the monumental task of reconstruction.

A homegrown thinker and trainer in capacity building, teaches junior and senior levels in developing teams, strategy, and responsive decision-making. His search is for the optimum handling of crisis and conflict when dealing with tardiness, laziness, turnover, anger, and other common management nightmares that inhibit capacity building.

He is partial to the unique “Management-By-Coaching’ model that places emphasis on the three MCs –– Managing Culture by creating high trust, Managing Change by challenging set-piece learning loops, and Managing Commitment through inclusion, assertion and cooperation.

Sonia — a case of self-imposed limitations

She’s spent the past two decades and more raising a fine family of two girls and a boy, providing them and her sea-faring husband a secure and happy home. The children have been the recipients of a priceless education, with all of them pursuing higher academics overseas, funded by an unending series of voyages undertaken by the father. Sonia has achieved that stage in her life where she can rightfully claim rest and relaxation time, with the years of experience in running a tight ship at home paying dividends in the shape of a self-functioning household. That essentially means increased handling capacity within her.

The million-dollar question is where will that additional capacity be deployed? Should she decide on pampering and indulging herself, and leading the high life of Pakistani begums. Nobody could fault her, since she has already achieved and far exceeded her mandate of mother and housewife. However, given Pakistan’s great paucity of educated human resource, the macro considerations of society may well disqualify such self-indulgence.

Naturally enough, as would be expected of a responsible and dutiful person, the spare time and effort is spent in the care of relatives and friends in need of a emotional crutch. That is time and effort well spent, and adds a qualitative dimension to life. There are other dimensions to life that preoccupy Sonia’s concern. The recklessness of public transport drivers is one. Getting out of the house and experience the excitement of the workplace, and bring home an extra income, is another thought occupying her mind. She can do it now with the children overseas.

Not having previously attempted anything outside the secure parameters of her home, Sonia is beset by the stress and worry of competing and succeeding in the big ‘bad’ world. Her fears are for the most part exaggerated and a product of an ill-founded self-doubt.

To activate her enhanced capacity what she needs is an external expression of confidence in her ability to engage. This is where the age-old institution of mentoring comes in. The empowered and dynamic people in society throttling back a bit, and spending time and effort mentoring their more tentative relatives, friends and neighbours, helping clear their self-doubts, and counselling them on the best options available for adding value to their already quite complete lives. n —A.A.

Another thinker and trainer has compiled her thoughts on ‘South Asian Development Issues’, and in terms of capacity building she identifies delegating, communicating, conflict resolution and working with difficult people as some of the supervisory fundamentals that enable a worker to make the grand leap to supervisor. “Leadership is an essential ingredient of management since it enables the gaining of commitment and cooperation from workers, and harness worker motivation to gain higher levels of productivity.”

Another human resource practitioner and expert in institutional capacity building and competency building whose thoughts on Enhancing Peak Performance for Administrative Professionals focus on administrative and support professionals to make them more pro-active players within their organizations, and how to build a positive service attitude and strengthen relationships as a means to capacity building.

Curse of the comfort zone

Ms K is a well-respected member of the media, and is good at what she does. She’s been doing it for the last 10 years or more, and appears to have fallen into a comfortable routine, driving to and from a prestigious address, with enough in the bank to meet her bills, and clout in civil society. But there is an air of restlessness about her. She craves to do more and make a bigger contribution to her environment and herself.

The comfort zone that her security blanket in the present job provides her, however, is hard to shed. One bird in hand is better than two in the bush is a thought that offers itself as a rationale for celebrating the status quo. Then another thought enters her mind – to reap the riches of the oceans one must first have the courage to lose sight of the shore. Ms K is presently suffering from the woes of a paralysis of analysis, awaiting a mentor. n — A.A.

“At the core of it all is becoming holistic people with a healthy self-image, having the capacity of turning one’s weaknesses into strengths, and always thinking positively,” says Rose-marie. “We need to live a balanced life, communicate effectively, and resolve interpersonal conflicts. The bottom line is the ability to work as a collaborative team.”

A chief sales officer of a corporate training firm, is busy developing capacity amongst sales people. “We are selling every day of our lives,” he says. “We are selling our ideas, our plans, our enthusiasms to those with whom we come in contact. So let’s get scientific about it, and train and strategize till we have the customer eating out of our hands!”

In an increasingly buyers’ market the job of the salesperson has become more and more difficult with the competition stiffening and often times acquiring cut-throat status. In such circumstances business ethics is known to take a hit with the moral dimensions of salesmanship becoming progressively blurred. No longer is it simply a case of matching supply and demand.

Here, capacity building alludes to the exercise of self-restraint, and avoids the temptation of demand arousal and conspicuous consumption just for the sake of clinching that one more deal. None of that ‘Dil Mangey Aur’ and ‘Khatey Jao! Khatey Jao!’ This is patently unethical, yielding a state of unsustainable development by nudging the consumer away from socially responsible spending in lieu of runaway consumerism. Building capacity is about wholesome cerebral activity that does not end in a paralysis of analysis that defies logic and rationality.

Pakistan’s dilemma is to fast track the development of its burgeoning population to a point where it not only becomes capable of standing on its own feet, but also develops the capacity for giving others, in the region, a shoulder to lean on.

The present dispensation had loudly proclaimed the breaking of the kashkol, and we could sense a visible lifting of the spirit within the masses. The earthquake has forcefully brought out the kashkol once again, and while we celebrate the humaneness of humanity in our hour of tremendous need, we mourn our inability to take care of our own.