Professor Sherif Kamel is the Dean of School of business and also teaches at the American university in Cairo.  He acquired both his bachelor and Masters Degrees from AUC and then his PhD in Management of IT transfer to Developing Nations from London school of economics.  His background is in the intersection of IT and management. For 15 years he worked at the IDSC and as a part-time visiting professor at AUC until the mid 90s.  He then moved to Ritsec for 4 years, and then in 2000 became a full time professor at AUC.  In 2002 he was chosen the management center director at AUC and currently he is the Dean of School of Business.

I happened to see an interview conducted with Dr. Sherif by Ms. Monda Mahmoud from ITWorx, for the company’s quarterly magazine Insight.  Seeing the interview I decided, this is one true leader and I must share some of the lessons learnt from his speech with my readers.

These are only 10 minutes out of a whole hour interview.

Dr. Sherif gave us a valuable lesson in the qualities of true leaders just by listing what he does and what he believes in.  In the few lines below I will list some of those points:

1. “No body succeeds alone; it is a team work”, this is what Dr. Sherif said in a comment about his achievements.  A true leader believes that without a qualified hardworking team, he will never achieve his goals.  Once you believe that all the success and all the achievements are because of you only and your efforts alone without the help of your team, then this is the beginning of your failure.  This is the lesson we get hearing him say this statement. This also shows that true leaders create leaders not followers, because definitely if you want to succeed and achieve you’ll make sure your team is capable and will produce future leaders.
2. Dr. Sherif stressed in his interview about the importance of having a strategy in everything you do, even simple matters. He even mentioned that short, medium and long term strategies are needed, especially in today’s fast moving world.  A true leader has to have a strategy. And with technology advancing everyday and altering the way businesses are run, then a leader must have a vision.  Having only a short term strategy will render obsolete very fast, this is why true leaders must always have a strategy for tomorrow and consider all the “what ifs”.
3. No one can manage and lead these days without being fully aware of the latest technology.  “You have to have a strategy that has IT as an integral part of it”, Dr. Sherif said.  He added that people in IT are the ones who can make a difference using technology.  One of the examples he mentioned was ERPs and how they can transform the way non-technical people work and convince them of the magnificent results that can come out of using IT.  So what we learn from him is that a true leader must have his eye always on the latest in technology.
4. A leader must always be ready to adopt to change. Dr. Sherif said that one must broaden his spectrum of knowledge and focus on number of different areas and not only his field of focus. This way he trains his mind to think out of the box and he helps ignite his creativity and ability to deal with change.
5. A true leader never stops reading.  Dr. Sherif highlighted that everyday something new comes up, and if you are not a constant reader your knowledge will become out of date after a while.  He added that even if you acquire a PhD, after 2 or 3 years your research will be obsolete.  I like to put it this way: If you want to lead you have to read.  He also said that it is not only reading, but attending courses, seminars and workshops is important as well because you always need to stimulate your brain.
6. Once you believe that you know everything and that you don’t need to learn anymore because no one knows as much as you do, then know that you have failed and you’ll never be a true leader. A true leader believes that he will never stop learning.  This is exactly what Dr. Sherif believes in, and this why he is currently studying to acquire a Masters degree.  After all those years and working experience and after all what he achieved and his PhD and being the Dean of school of business, yet he goes and attends classes to acquire a Masters degree.  The amazing thing is that this degree is in Islamic art and architecture. It has nothing to do with his field of work, but the way he sees it, it is a hobby that “broadens his spectrum of knowledge” (his exact words) and helps refreshes and stimulates his mind.  He said that after learning some things about the art and architecture of different parts of the world he was encouraged to visit some of the countries he studied, like Turkey and Jordan.  This helped him gain more knowledge and learn about new nations, which in itself is a tool of igniting his innovative and creative abilities.
7. A true leader has self-confidence.  A couple of the students attending Islamic art and architecture classes with Dr. Sherif are his actual students at the school of business.  He sits next to them in class, just like a regular classmate.  And this point is not causing him any embracement or any trouble, as he says “I don’t care because I am there for the knowledge”.  This is a man who has self-confidence and this is why he is a role model and a true leader.
8. Dr. Sherif believes that you need to learn from other people’s experiences as well as yours.  A true leader stays in connection with the industry and shares experiences with others in the field. This is why Dr. Sherif is always keen to attend events organized by the AUC for alumni to communicate with other people and share experiences.  He also attends an event organized by London school of economics every two years.  It is a leadership forum where nearly 3000 people from around the world travel to London to attend and share knowledge and experiences.  It is critical to stay connected and be always open to learning new skills and new methods.  Never isolate yourself or be happy with what you know, or else you will fail to lead.

I loved the interview, Dr. Sherif was speaking very simply, talking about himself, his experience and his beliefs but just listening to him speaking opens a broad spectrum of knowledge.  He is a rare figure these days, you always find people with his status and experience so conceited and acting so busy and important to the extent that they could have declined doing the interview with Ms. Monda.  But this man is different, he is a model that we are trying to build and I hope that this article of mine would shed the light on some of the important lessons we need to learn to become true leaders.

I believe that he is a role model and a true leader and his students must know how lucky they are to have him and hope that they can learn from him to become future leaders.

As I mentioned in my previous post, the book “The Rules of Management” – by Richard Templar is divided into two main sections; managing yourself and managing your team.  Last time I wrote a few of the points mentioned in managing your team section.  Today I will list some of the points mentioned in managing yourself:

1- Set an Example / standards:

You have got to be what you want them to be.  If you come to office on time and even early and finish your work on time and finish it properly with high quality, and if customers love dealing with you, expect that your team will strive to be like you.  But if you come to office late and delay tasks and lose your temper on customers, don’t expect that your team will be any better. You have to be a role model. Whether you like it or not this is the way it works, your team will be affected and inspired by what you do not what you say.  So, if you try to preach what you don’t really practice, it will never work.  I liked the quotation he used “You’ve got to give your staff something to aspire to.”

2- Have principles and Stick to them:

“There has to be a line beyond which you will not go. You have to know where that line is drawn.” Some people won’t stop at anything to get a job done or reach their objective, no matter what the cost is.  But it is very true that when you have principles, when you have a line that you’ll never cross it really pays back.  Stick to your principles and learn to say NO and you will see that it will pay back.

3- Seek feedback on your performance:

Always seek evaluation of your performance, from your managers, your team, your peers and your customers.  Assess yourself and compare your results with the assessment of others to you.  See where you went wrong and learn from your mistakes.  See the performance of your team and know it is a reflection of your own performance.  Believe that you can be wrong and do things the wrong way sometimes, but learn from your mistakes.  Be thankful to anyone who tells you where you went wrong.  Always remember to seek FEEDBACK not PRAISE.

This is book is a nice guide to people who are aware of what it takes to be true leaders and successful managers, but people who think they are always right will not benefit from it.  This is not because the book is bad but because these people don’t listen except for themselves.

I am currently reading a book titled “The Rules of Management” – by Richard Templar.  It is really a group of hints and tips and pieces of advice on how to be a good manager.  I talks about how to manage your team from one side and yourself from another side.  I will summarize a couple of the points mentioned in the book (The ones that I like and believe that MOST managers lack!)

1- Make your team better than you

This means you have to trust them, get them the best resources, train them, give them your experience, encourage innovation, give them space to be creative.  To be able to do this you have to have  a lot of self-confidence.  Many managers don’t like their team to be better because they are afraid one of them will jump to take his position.  I personally see this as sick.  You are a leader ONLY if you create leaders.

2- Let them make mistakes

I liked this point.  In the book, the author used an old Chinese proverb that says ” Tell me and I’ll remember for an hour; Show me and I’ll remember for a day; But Let me do it and I’ll remember forever.”  You as a manager have to give your employees space and be ready to fix their mistakes, this is the only way they will learn.  It is like raising your child, at first you let him spill food and drinks on himself and the floor when he first learns how to eat on his own.  Gradually he learns how to eat on his own without spilling.  But if you keep feeding him yourself, he will never learn.  If you don’t leave room for your team to make mistakes and learn from them, they will always be dependent on you and you will never have an effective, productive team.

3- Create a good atmoshpere

This is not easy and it is one of the things we lack much.  A manager has to be polite, friendly and kind.  He has to respect his team if he wants them to respect him.  Treat them in a civilized manner even if you are in the process of issuing a penalty for someone who made a mistake.  Be cheerful and helpful to motivate them and encourage to come to work everyday and do their best.  I like the quotation he used in the book “Without them you are nothing. with them you are a team.”

4- Don’t always have to have the last word!

This is something that is really crucial. Some managers think that being a manager then he has to dominate and he has to have the last word and force everyone to do what he thinks and says! well not true! You have to use your ears. Listen to what your team members have to say, don’t rush into speaking, just listen.  If you listen well and understand and postpone speaking and getting angry, you might be amazed by what you hear.  Some good ideas can come out of your team.  Encourage them to speak out and contribute with their feedback.  And in the end you can judge reasonably whether they have something of value or not.  But be reasonable and don’t always just listen to yourself.

I’ll keep reading the book and I’ll write again if I find something else interesting as well.

I read this article “Three Questions Executives Should Ask for the New Year” by Melissa Raffoni on Harvard Business Review

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/01/three_questions_executives_sho.html

It summarizes beautifully the traits of true leaders and executives.  People who deliver results share those qualities and people who don’t lack them.  I agree with her and I think it would be a good start for the new for every manager, executive and Leader to read this article and evaluate himself.

I totally agree with this article, your customer service experience is more important than offering a cheaper price.

http://econsultancy.com/blog/5039-customer-service-is-more-important-than-the-cheapest-price

It is an interesting topic to start thinking and listing all the reasons why an employee would hate his or her manager.  What do you think? For me I would hate my boss if:

1- He never recognized my achievements and never showed appreciation.

2- No fair evaluation of work.

3- If he always makes decisions without consulting with the team.

4- Shows no respect for his team and treats them like machines.

What is your reason for hating your boss? please contribute by saying your reasons…

Here is a very interesting article about the 25 most hated CEOs in America with a statement from some employees on why they hate them:

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-25-most-hated-ceos-in-america-2009-11#24-bill-nuti-ncr-2

I see this article as enlightening to any CEO, Director, manager… anyone who manages a group of people should read this article and learn from it what to avoid in his practices.

The article is full of big names in Huge organizations and you will find it astonishing to see what employees think of their CEOs.

Today I am presenting to you a success story.  I wanted to write down this case so that we can study it and learn how leaders act and drive their organizations to success.

Faucet Queen is an organization established in 1935 and quickly became the leader in the American market in the field of home hardware solutions. Following WWII, Faucet Queen launched the Helping Hand® brand to expand the business and hence creating the broadest line of home hardware products within the industry.

In 1999, the business was sold to Masco Corporation and at this stage the brand and product line got some sort of a set back due to lack of investment and strategic focus. and in 2009, they decided a major change has to be introduced and this is when they decided to hire Mike Linn as new president and CEO.  They wanted to regain their market share and give the company the boost it needs.

Mike was this boost, he adopted a new strategy to the extent that they are expecting double digit growth in 2010.

“Mike’s successful track record in creating lasting retail partnerships and driving substantial growth initiatives is what drew us to him as the ultimate choice for Faucet Queen’s President and CEO,” said Wali Bacdayan, Partner at PNC Equity Partners, majority owners of Faucet Queen.

I was lucky enough to be able to conduct an interview with Mr.Mike Linn, as I wanted to highlight the lessons learnt from his experience.  and I decided to write this post to share with you the knowledge so that we can all know what it takes to reshape a business.

In this post I will list the main points I want to highlight.  For the full interview, please download it here:

http://www.designrific.com/misc/mike_linn_interview.pdf

His main goals when he first joined were to stop the sales decline and quickly implement a growth plan.  Among the things he focused on was :

1. “Empowered people to make significant decisions” – This point i liked so much.  Making your employees able to make decisions is certainly one of the keys to success.  If they are afraid or discouraged or always waiting for you to take decisions, your organization will never go anywhere.  You have to create leaders if you want to lead.
2. “Celebrated failures” – As strange as this sounds, it is important.  The point is you need to learn from your mistakes.  So if someone fails but recovers fast, you need to highlight the experience and learn from it to avoid it later.  The important point here is to recover.  If you fail in something and keep stressing on it and focusing on punishing whoever caused it, you will overlook the lessons behind it.  i am not saying of course to reward whoever makes mistakes, but you have to create the culture of fast recovery and learning from the experience for the good of the business.
3. Delivering exceptional customer service. I do not need to explain how important this is.  If your service is not appreciated by your customers then all efforts for growth will go down the drain.
4. Reorganized the organizational structure and hired new talents. Plus better utilizing existing talents.  This is one thing that every leader must be able to do, bringing the best out of his people and putting the right qualifications in the right place for better productivity and quality.
5. “Focus on change”.  He said that management need to make ‘constant change’ a part of their everyday culture.  that is to say, as a good management practice you need to innovate and always think of new and better ways to run your business.

when I asked him, if he wanted to give some hints and tips to anyone in his position, trying to leverage the performance of his company or give it a boost after a set-back, what would those be, he focused on:

• Studying the company history to see what was done good to continue doing it and what was done bad to get rid of it
• Obsess with the consumer.  i liked the expression “obsess” very much. It is crucial to always keep your customer in mind.  Ask yourself why he likes this and why he does not like that.  Why he buys this and not that.  Putting yourself in the shoes of the customer will make you always able to make the right decisions. and allow me here to take a quotation from his press release: “Manufacturers remain largely unfocused on providing solutions specifically designed for women, despite the fact that our research shows 57 percent of women state the feel of the tool in the hand is one of the most important purchase attributes,” said Linn. “Our team has done a tremendous job in identifying these needs, listening to the consumer, and creating a product that has already won a design award from the International Housewares Association.”
• “be ready, willing and able to fail regularly and to learn quickly from those failures – the leadership team needs to embrace and have the edge to make unpopular, sometimes wildly unpopular, decisions.” – This i think we highly need here in Egypt.  We are always afraid of taking the right decisions because of one reason or another.  I want to be popular, I don’t want this person to hate me, I ….. Leaders have to do what is best for the business even if the decision is not going to be popular.  As long as of course you study your decisions very well and take them based on facts.

To conclude, I want to say that this is an experience that we have to learn from.  Mike focused on both the human factor and the non-human.  He balanced his efforts between the people and the strategy and this is why he achieved remarkable success.

Download the full interview here:

http://www.designrific.com/misc/mike_linn_interview.pdf

those be?

This is a new survey that I created out of my forever concern for the level of customer support companies in Egypt offer to their customers.  This time I am comparing Vodafone, Mobinil and Etisalat in terms of their customer support services.

Please take 5 minutes out of your time to contribute in the survey and tell me what you think of your customer support center.

http://surveys.polldaddy.com/s/EF6138BBB11CA70F/

It would be great if i get considerable number of answers, so please answer the questions and be kind enough to forward to all your friends.

Thanks and appreciate your giving this survey some of your time.

Can you be that decisive? Bill Hawkin’s , only 3 months after being a CEO for Medtronics, he learnt that one of his company’s key products might be endangering lives.  Here’s how he handled it:

http://www.bnet.com/2436-13058_23-348860.html?promo=713&tag=nl.e713

How many managers or CEOs can admit they have a faulty product or that they are offering a bad service?  most people tend to lie and try to convince their customers that it is their misuse of the product that is causing the problems.  But this is the story of a true leader who was honest enough to admit their fault.  Yes, his company lost financially a bit and lost some market share but it was not as hard as he thought it would be because people respected their honesty.  I am sure they will make up the losses real soon because customers always respect honesty.

Read the story and learn from a true leader!

http://www.bnet.com/2436-13058_23-348860.html?promo=713&tag=nl.e713

http://www.bnet.com/2403-13058_23-348863.html

Many a times did we hear this saying “Those who fail to plan, Plan to fail” and it is very true.  A lot of managers these days claim that detailed planning is not needed and that concentrating on a plan is not important.  They base their claim on the fact that plenty of projects nowadays go over budget or completely fail.

This is true, a lot of projects now run over budget and many managers fail to execute the plan as designed.  But this does not mean that we omit planning all together.  The problem is we forget that besides putting the plan there are other factors that need to be considered to ensure the success of the plan.

Any project manager after putting the plan has to make sure he chooses the right team to implement it.  Communication skills are crucially important to make sure that the implementing team is communicating effectively to eventually succeed.  The manager himself has to have leadership skills to be able to coach the team and communicate effectively and induce the team spirit.  The minute you want to have everything in your hands and the minute you make decisions on your own without communicating, the minute you fail.

Along with the plan as well you have to put into consideration contingency plans.  You have to put onto the table all the possible “what ifs” and plan ahead for actions to be taken.

So it is extremely stupid to say we have to stop planning since we can’t stick to the plan most of the time.  The wise thing to say is we have to plan right and make sure that we are executing the plan in the right way using the right team and the right tools.

Many a times did we hear this saying “Those who fail to plan, Plan to fail” and it is very true.  A lot of managers these days claim that detailed planning is not needed and that concentrating on a plan is not important.  They base their claim on the fact that plenty of projects nowadays go over budget or completely fail.

This is true, a lot of projects now run over budget and many managers fail to execute the plan as designed.  But this does not mean that we omit planning all together.  The problem is we forget that besides putting the plan there are other factors that need to be considered to ensure the success of the plan.

Any project manager after putting the plan has to make sure he chooses the right team to implement it.  Communication skills are crucially important to make sure that the implementing team is communicating effectively to eventually succeed.  The manager himself has to have leadership skills to be able to coach the team and communicate effectively and induce the team spirit.  The minute you want to have everything in your hands and the minute you make decisions on your own without communicating, the minute you fail.

Along with the plan as well you have to put into consideration contingency plans.  You have to put onto the table all the possible “what ifs” and plan ahead for actions to be taken.

So it is extremely stupid to say we have to stop planning since we can’t stick to the plan most of the time.  The wise thing to say is we have to plan right and make sure that we are executing the plan in the right way using the right team and the right tools.