Brendan Keegan CEO, Merchants Fleet
Brendan Keegan
Editor’s Desk
Changing Aspects ofLeadership
Inlasttwodecadestherehasbeenanevolutionin
thecharacteristicsofbusinessleadersandthe waytheythinkabouttheirorganizations,staffs, sectorsandeventhemselves.Ifonecomparesthe successjourneyofabusinessleadersjust10yearsago withwhatmakesthemsuccessfultoday,onewill easilynoticesomechanges.Belowaresomemajor characteristicswhichcanbeseenineverysuccessful leader’sleadershipandshouldbeacquiredbyevery leader-
AclearVision
Todayorganization’ssuccesscomprisesboth customersandemployees.ForaCEO,itisimportant touniteassociatesandinvestorswithaclear perspectivetoenergizethemtoworkforbusiness. Employeeswanttobepartofsomethinggreatand purposefulandwanttoseehowtheiractions contribute.
ACooperativeWorkCulture
Investinginworkcultureisakeywaytoattractand retaintherighttalent.Adecadeago,especiallywhen theeconomystammered,thewaymanyadministrators talkedabouttheirorganizations’teamswasalmostas ifpeoplehadnootheroptions.Inpresent,thescenario haschangedandnowemployeesarefreefortheir choices.It’sessentialthaneverfororganizationsto craftaworkculturethatappealstothetypeof employeewhowilldrivebusinessforward.
EmbracingOthers’Opinion
Aleadershouldembraceothersfeedbacknomatter goodorbadbecauseitdrivestransparency.Itsignals whereorganizationmayneedtofocusitsattention.An openenvironmentwhereeveryonecancelebratethe successesandlearnfromthefailuresisnecessaryfor personalgrowth.
ChallengingOwnPerspective
Tolearnsomethingneweverydayonemust surroundhim/herwithpeoplewhopushfor moreclarityandofferingdifferentpointofview. Thissourceofadviceshouldcomefromboth internalteamsandfellowoutsidethecompany.
UnderstandtheBusiness
Topexecutivesarenolongerlimitedtotheir boardmeetingsandcompany’ssuccessevents. Thebusinessarenahasbeenchanged,onehasto bepreparedwitheveryinformationanddata aboutthebusiness,boardandleadershipteams aswell.
AsuccessfulCEO’sroleisstilltoofferboldand strategicdecisions.Butleadershaveto understandaboutthesignificanceofguidance andtokeepupwiththedata-drivencompetition. CEOswhobelieveinunilateraldecisionmaking withlittleaccountabilitywillfailintoday’s workplaceandeconomy.OfcourseasaCEO theirprimaryresponsibilityistobethechief strategicdecision-makerbutitshouldinvolve othersopinion,supportandparticipation. Inthisissue,wehavesuccessstoriesofsome exceptionalbusinessleaderswhohave acceleratedbusinessprocessesandshowntheir efficiencyduringuniquetimes.
Also,whileflippingthepages,don’tforgettogo throughthearticlesandCXOswrittenbyourinhouseeditorialteamandindustryexperts respectively.
HappyReading!
rohit.chaturvedi@insightssuccess.com
Christopher
Feras El Hajjar An Ingenious Leader in Digital Transformation and Business Management
Gary
Protecting People and Business Through the use of Artificial Intelligence
Karsten Boehrs Revolutionizing Education and Communication through Simple Accessible Resources
Managing
Co-designer
Senior
Marketing
Sales Executives
David,
Business
Steve,
SME-SMO
Circulation
FeaturedPerson
CompanyName
BrendanKeegan ChiefExecutiveOfficer
MerchantsFleet merchantsfleet.com
Brief
ThecompanyactsasyourFleetTechpartner,connectingyou withtheclientservice,technologyplatforms,andproductsyour fleetneedsinawaythatdeliversthehighestvaluepossible.
CharlesBrindamour ChiefExecutiveOfficer
ChristopherCarter Founder&CEO
DrAnilPillai ChiefExecutiveOfficer
EileenKiernan
EstherPoulsen FounderandCEO
FerasElHajjarFounder& ChairmanofInfosysta| Founder&CEOof App4Legal
GaryOlson Founder&CEO
GeoffGarrett ChiefExecutiveOfficer
IntactFinancial Corporation intactfc.com
Approyo www.approyo.com
JohanJemdahl ChiefExecutiveOfficer
AirolinkGroup airolinkgroup.com
UMWorldwide umww.com
RaareSolutions raaresolutions.com
Infosysta&App4Legal app4legal.com
GTDigitalLtd gtdigitalltd.com
Syspro syspro.com
Greencarrier greencarrier.com
ApproyoprovidesfullSAPservicetechnologywithextensive capabilitiesinhostingandmanagedservices,upgrades,and migrationsforitscustomers,runninganySAPsupportedcore functionality.
Airolinkfocusesonawiderangefrompre-construction servicestocompleteturn-keyconstructionprojects.
UMisastrategicmediaplanningandbuyingagencythat leveragesBetterSciencetocreateBetterArtthatdrivesBetter Outcomesforits clients.
RaareSolutionsisanaward-winningOperationalCRMAgency specializinginthedesign,executionandsupportofCRMand MarketingPlatforms,CampaignOrchestration,Email ExecutionandAnalytics.
App4Legalisacompletepracticemanagement softwareforalllegalpractitioners.
Cognitveintelligencecorrelatesvideoanddatafromanysource &anyformattoidentifypotentialthreatstolivesandproperty.
TheGreencarrierGroupofferssustainablelogisticsandsupply chainmanagementsolutionsworldwide.
FeaturedPerson
CompanyName
KarstenBoehrs Co-investor&CEO
Simpleshow simpleshow.com/us-en/
Brief
WithSimpleshowonecanexplainanycomplextopicina simpleandengagingway.Ittransformsmessageintoa convincingexplainervideooraninteractiveexperience-with thehelpofits SaaSsolution.
KatherineColombino ChiefExecutiveOfficer
Software&Services ConsultingSRL ssc.com.py
LyndaEllis President,CEO,Owner
CapitolConcierge capitolconcierge.com
CapitolConciergeisaCertifiedWoman-OwnedBusiness Enterprise.
MohammadShaheen Chairman&CEO
EgyptExpress egyptexpress.com.eg
MosesBaiden ChiefExecutiveOfficer
Marginsgroup marginsgroup.com
RobLeslie CEO&Founder
Sedicii sedicii.com
ShanazRamzi ChiefExecutiveOfficer
StarLinks starlink.com
MarginsGroupisalimitedliabilitycompanyincorporatedin Ghanaonthe13thDayofDecember1990–proudlymajority Ghanaianowned.
Sediciiisdevelopingadvancedcryptographythatprovidesa singleplatformwhichenablesorganisationstobenefitfrom worldclasssolutionstodeliver.
Starlinkisontheleadingedgeofon-orbitdebrismitigation, meetingorexceedingallregulatoryandindustrystandards.
ShelleySullivan ChiefExecutiveOfficer
ModelCo modelco.com
StefanoRomano CEO
NextFuel nextfuel.com
Withthegoalofbelievable,achievablebeauty,itlaunchedits first-to-marketheatedeyelashcurlerin2002,followedbyits innovativeworld-firstTanAirbrushinACanwhichcreatedan entirenewglobalbeautycategoryandforeverchangedtheway womenself-tanned.
NextFuelABoffersinnovativeandhighlyscalableindustrial technologyforconvertingfastgrowinggrassesandothertypes ofinexpensiveandabundantbiomassintoacleancopyofcoal.
VanessaOgle President&CEO
Enseo enseo.com
Enseo,aprivately-held,woman,Latina-ownedbusiness,isone ofthefastestgrowingtechnologycompaniesintheU.S.
A Visionary Business Leader, Who Inspires, and Leads to Success
BRENDAN KEEGAN
The 20 Most Successful CEO's to follow in 2020
Successstoriescanbetrulymotivationalformany. Somebody’sjourneytowardsexcellence,the hardshipstheyovercame,orhowtheyfinally achievedsuccess,becomeexamplesthatencourageusin achievingourgoals.
InsightsSuccess,initsupcomingedition“The20Most SuccessfulCEO’stofollowin2020,”isbringingthestories ofsomeexceptionalCEOswhoarefocused,dedicatedand persistenttowardstheirobjectives,andarebecominga sourceofendlessinspirationforeveryone.
CurrentlyservingastheChiefExecutiveOfficerat MerchantsFleet,BrendanKeeganisonesuchinspiring leader,whofacilitatesagreatexperienceforemployees, profoundservicefortheclients,andastrongreturnfor shareholders—throughacarefullyarticulatedandexecuted strategicdirectiontotransformthecompany’sbusiness model.
AccordingtoBrendan,hejoinedMerchantsFleetfortwo majorreasons—thepeopleandthepotential.Hewasableto gettoknowtheMerchantsteamasaclientandboard member.Asheknew,itwouldbeagreatexperiencetoget toworkwiththisgroupofpeopleeveryday,andthatis somethingthathasproventobemorethantrue,basedon hisfirsttwoandahalfyearsatthecompany.
ThesecondreasonhejoinedMerchantsFleetasCEOwas becauseofthegrowthpotential.Brendancouldseehowfast thecompanycouldgrow,ifsomekeyinitiativeswere kickedoff,led,supported,andsuperchargedtodrivethe futureofthecompany.Hesignedupforthatjob,andithas beenwildlymoresuccessfulthanhecouldhaveever pictured.
Infact,BainCapitalCreditalsoboughtintothestrategic direction,peopleandgrowthpotentialandbecame Merchantsgrowthfinancingpartner. OverBrendan’sterm asCEOthecompanyhaswonnumerousawardstoinclude beingnamedtotheInc5000fastest-growingcompanies list, Gold&BronzelevelStevie®Awardsin2020 AmericanBusinessAwards®for“FastestGrowing CompanyoftheYear”and“MostInnovativeCompanyof theYear”,respectively,forcompaniesupto2,500 employees;IMPACTInnovationAward,GreatPlaceto WorkCertified;BestPlacestoWorkHallofFame;Best& BrightestCompaniestoWorkForinBoston&Chicago; andmore.
TolearnmoreaboutBrendan’sandtheMerchantsFleet’s journey,letustakeapeekintothebelowinterviewbetween InsightsSuccessandBrendanKeegan.
Howdoyoudiversifyyourorganization’sofferingsto catertothetargetaudience?
MerchantsFleetisfocusedonprovidingthemostflexible, innovative,andcomprehensivesolutionsontheplanet.We havebeeninbusinesssince1962andhavestayedtrueto thecompany’scorevalues.Threeofthosevalues—service, flexibility,andinnovation—areatthecoreofwhatmakes ourofferingsuniqueinourindustry.
Wereallyseeourselvesasdisruptorsintheindustrythrough ourFleetTechprogram,ourabilitytobeflexible,and uniquecapabilities.Becauseofthis,wehavehadthe opportunitytoservicesomeofthelargestfleetsofvehicles intheworld.
Whatpeople,whatbooks,whatlifefactorshave influencedandimpactedyou?
Thefourpeoplewhohaveinfluencedmethemostaremy sisterBeth,myDad,myMom,andmywifeDana.Beth wasbornwithDown’ssyndrome;shewasthemost optimisticpersonwhoeverwalkedthefaceoftheworld.
Shetaughtmepositivity,selflessness,kindness,and gratitude.NextwasmyDad,whotaughtmeintegrity,work ethicandsystemsthinking.MyMomwasavolunteerand giverwhotaughtmegenerosity.Mywife,Dana,hastaught mepartnership,loveandbeinglimitless.Shehastaughtme howtobeabetterman,abetterhusbandandwehave taughteachotherhowtobethebestparentspossible.
Inmyprofessionalcareer,IoweanysuccessIhavebeen abletoachievetofiveindividualsandmentors–Val,Bill, John,GaryF.andGaryB.Theypushedmetothelimit, investedinmeasaperson,taughtmebusinesslessons beyondmyyearsandputmycareerinthefastlane,attimes whenIdidnotevenknowit.
Educationisfreedom,andIamthankfultoallmyteachers, facultyandadministratorsatSt.ChrisElementarySchool, BishopGuertinHighSchool,RensselaerPolytechnic Institute,andtheGeorgeWashingtonUniversity.
Whatisyourvisionforthecompanyforthenextfive years?
Have the COURAGE Fail& the FAITHto SUCCEED. to “ “
Ourvisionasacompanyistoenablethemovementof people,goods,andservicesfreely—providingthemost comprehensive,flexible,andinnovativeserviceonthe planet.Withthisasourloftyvision,wearefocusedon helpingourclientsbemoreefficient,savemoney,anddrive creativesolutionsfortheirfleetsofvehicles,aswellas creatinganexceptionalexperience.
Inthenextfiveyears,withthisfocus,wewillbethesixth largestinourindustry,drivingvalueformoreandmore companieseveryday.Overthenextfiveyearsweare focusedonservingourmarkets,seizingnewopportunities, andachievingourfourstrategicimperatives.
Asabusinessleader,whataresomeofthevital attributesthateveryleadershouldpossess?
Ihavehadtheopportunitytobothexperiencewhatitislike tolead,andthentoalsotrainandcoachothersonhowto lead.Ibelievethatitstartswithaleadersigninguptofulfill theultimatedefinitionofleadership:“Leadershipisthe willingnesstoacceptresponsibility,toorganizeagroupof peopletoachieveacommongoal.”
Oncealeaderunderstandsthatdefinitionofleadership,they canmovetowardsexemplifyingthe7keyattributesof leaders:vision,brand,productivity,communication, relationships,emotionalintelligenceandinfluence.These7 keyattributescanbelearnedanddevelopedover time—onceoneiswillingtotakeontheresponsibilityof beingaleader.
Howdoyoumaintainbalancebetweenyourprofessional &personallife?
Balanceformeisnotabouthoursworked,itisabout qualityoflife.Sure,asanactive,engagedCEOofahypergrowthcompanyIworkabunchofhours.Butasanequally engagedandactiveDad,husband,volunteer,and communitymemberIdonotmissout!Andthereinliesmy sincerehighqualityoflife,whichIdefineasthebenchmark andgoldstandardforbalance.Byhavinggreattime management,Ieffectivelyleadourcompanywhilealso strivingeverydaytobehighlyengagedwitheveryonein mylife.
Asadirectorandbusinessleader,describeachallenge youovercame.
AchallengeIhavehadtheopportunitytoovercomehas beenremovingfearfromemployees,clientsand shareholdersamidstacrisis.Duringmyfirstmajorcrisis asaCEO,IcreatedtheTOUGHTIMESPLAYBOOK.
Mostrecently,IpulledouttheplaybookduringtheCOVID19pandemic.Oncewesawthatbusinesseswerestartingto shutdown,weexecutedtheplaysandsuccessfully maintainedcompanyculture,businesscontinuity&growth duringacrisis.BelowaretheplaysfromtheToughTimes Playbook.
Ÿ Play1–Don’tHide,BeTransparent
Ÿ Play2–DevelopaClearActionPlan
Ÿ Play3–FocusonEmployeesFirst
Ÿ Play4–ContinuetoDeliverGreatClientService
Ÿ Play5–OpenAllChannelsofCommunication
Ÿ Play6–MarketsShift,BeFlexible
Ÿ Play7–ThinkLongTerm
Howdoyousustainyourcreativeleadershipspiritin thischangingtechnologicalera?
Whilemanypeoplefearchange,changeinspiresmeand drivesmycreativityevenmorethanstagnation.Becauseof thisvisionandwhatweseeforthefutureoftechnology,the premisethatthingsarechangingissimplyenoughtokeep mycreativeenergyflowing.Fromayoungage,Ihavehada passionfortechnology.IwenttoRensselaerPolytechnic Instituteandstudiedengineering.Ienjoyedfiguringout howthingsworkandhowtheyarepiecedtogether.
Additionally,IstartedacompanyoutinSiliconValleyjust whenthedot-comboomwasheatingupandwesolditjust attheperfecttime.MyCEOpositionpriortoMerchants waswithatechnologyservicescompanyandIstartedmy careeratEDS,ElectronicDataSystems—thetechnology giantofitstime—thatwasacquiredultimatelybyHewlettPackard.
So,Iwouldsaythatbesidesapassionforsports,something thatisexceedinglyhighonmylististechnology.Currently atMerchants,wehavebuiltaproprietarysoftwareplatform thatgivesourfleetclientsatotalviewintotheir fleet—henceitsnameTotalView.
Whatwouldbeyourfutureendeavorsandwheredoyou seeyourselfinthenearfuture?
Ihavealwaysstatedwhenmytwokids,KaylieandPatrick, graduatecollegeIwouldliketograduatelife.Kayliewill beahighschoolseniorthisyearandPatrickahighschool freshman,sothatputsmeontheclockfor8moreyearsof workingprofessionally.Iamcurrentlyonanextremely focusedandexcitingjourney,andthatisleadingMerchants FleetastheirCEO.
Iendvirtuallyeverycompanymeetingwith“Enjoythe JOURNEY”.Ourtransformationisunderway,andwehave becomethefastest-growingcompanyinourindustry.As mysonwouldgraduatecollegeinJune2028,Iplantostep downasanactiveCEOandmovetowardretirement,while continuingtomakeanimpactonyoungleaders.
Ihaveagoalofbuildingonemillionleaders,soeven thoughIwillnotbeanactiveCEO,Idoplantoassertively teach,coachandmentorleadershiptoanyonethatiswilling tolisten.Ialsoplantocontinuedevelopingtheseriesof booksIhavechartedoutoverthenextyears.OnceIslow down,Iwillhavethegreateropportunitytositonboards andhelpentrepreneurs,ownersandleadersachievetheir businessobjectivesthroughsharingsomeofmyexperience.
Whatadvicewouldyouliketogivetotheemerging businessleaders?
Manypeoplebelievethatleadersarebornandhavethe innatetraitsofbeingaleaderfromtheirbirthand upbringing.However,Idisagreewiththispoint.Ithinktoa
certainextent,ourDNAorourinnatecharactergetsus started.Butitisuptouswhatwedowithitfromthere.We canalllearntobecomeMADEleaders.
Ihaveseenthistimeandtimeagaininmyowncareer. LeadersIhadthechancetoworkwithwhomaynothave believedthattheycouldbeleadersatthestart,butonce theyreceivedsomecoachingandhadtheopportunityto learnfromandemulateothergreatleaders,theystartedto developthetraitsofleadersthemselves.
Leadershipisadailydecision.Itisagift,forsure,butitisa dailydecisiontoshowup,toworkatit,toleadpeople,to growandtodrivetowardsagrandervision.
The 20 Most Successful CEO's to follow in 2020
Haseeb Awan
Thedaysarelonggonewherethesecuritythreat
surroundedourcomputeronly.Modernproblems haveexpandedtoourpersonaldevices.Thebroad classificationofthesethreatswouldfallintofour categories:
1.Application-basedthreats;
2.Web-basedthreats;
3.Physicalthreats;
4.Network-basedthreats
Application-basedthreats: Privacy,informationsecurity, anddatasecurityareinseparable,dependentoneachother, aswellas,complimentary.
Web-applicationthreatsoccurwhentheapplication resemblesanauthenticapplication,butitisadisguiseand hastheabilitytoskimyourpreciousinformation.
Theprimeexamplesincludemalwareandspywarewhere yourpersonalinformationisatstake.
Web-basedthreats:Assubtleinnature,theseweb-based threatsremainunnoticedbecausevisitorsvisitmalicious websitesthatarebetterfromtheirfront-endbutinreality, theyareskimmingyourinformationbydownloading maliciouscontentonyourdevice.
Physicalthreats:Thisoccurswhenyouloseyourmobile phoneorifithasbeenstolen.Thisisastrongcasefor hackerstoloopintoyourpersonalinformationviayour device(astheyhavedirectaccesstothehardwarewhereall yourpersonalinformationisresting).
Network-basedthreats:Thisiswherecybercriminalsare activelylookingtoencryptyourdatawiththeuseofpublic Wi-Finetworks.
Theadvancedmobilethreatscomprisesof:
a.Phishingattacks;
b.Dataleakage;
c.UnsecureWi-Fi(particularlypublicWi-Fi)connection;
d.SimSwap
Phishingattacks:Aphishingattackisanonlinetheftattack thatgainsyourpersonalinformationsuchasusername, password,andevenyourfinancialinformation.Phishing educationismandatorytomitigatetheriskofthisthreatto anacceptablelevel.Itisincumbenttolearnthatphishingis differentfromconventionalscams.Thethwartingways woulddifferdependingontheleveloffraudcommittedand whoisthevictim(corporationorindividuals).
HaseebAwan
Forcorporationsitwouldbe:
1.Designpoliciesinplaceandthecommunicationshould bestrong,
2.Thereshouldbeacontroldesignedtoensurethe legitimacyofanemailanditshouldbecommunicatedto loyalcustomers(aswellasothers),
3.Scantheinternetforlikelyphishingsites,
4.Implementaqualityanti-virus,anti-spam,andcontent filteringatthegateway.
Forindividualsitissimple:
1.Blockmaliciousorfraudulentemailpromptly,
2.Detectanddeletemalicioussoftwareimmediately,
3.Blockthesensitiveinformationdeliverytothirdparties automatically,
4.Applyskepticismwherevernecessary.
DataLeakage:Dataleakageoccurswherethereisa compromiseinthe(information)confidentialitybreach. Thisreferstoanunauthorizedleakageorpossibledata transmissionwithinanorganizationtoathirdparty.Thelost dataiseitherprivate,sensitive,orconfidentialinnature. Thedatacouldbelostduetoasystemcrashorevena deliberatedeletion.
Ÿ Safeguards-
1.Quarantineyouroutgoinginformation(whichisprivate, sensitive,oreitherconfidentialinnature)fromyour organizationnetwork.
2.Archivesuspiciousfiles.
3.QuarantinesensitivefilestobecopiedintoUSBor smartphones.
4.Blockprintjobsthatcontainprivateinformation.
5.Discoverconfidentialinformationthatisstoredon databases,organizationallaptops,andworkstations.
UnsecuredPublicWi-Fi:PublicWi-Finetworksoffer potentialprivacyrisksandinvitesecurityissues.Peopleare temptedtopursuepublicWiFiwhichiscontrolledbya hacker.ItinvigoratestheMITMattack.
Ÿ Safeguards–
1.Thenetworkshouldbeverified.Hackersaresmartbut usersaresmarter,itisbettertoplaysmart.
2.UsingaVPN(VirtualPrivateNetwork)whichisthemost securesurfingoptiononpublicnetworks.
3.UseAntivirusandkeeptheFirewallEnabled.
SimSwap:Afraudsterbeautifullyimpersonatesyouand managestogetvictimsSimdeactivated.Thereisa replacementactivationwithouttheknowledgeofthevictim (Marimuthu,V.,2019).
Thisisasurplusforhackerswheretheycanresetvictims' onlineaccounts.EFANIwasdesignedtomitigatesuch happeningswitha100%money-backguaranteefor60days.
Ÿ Safeguards–
1.Bewareofphishing-asitpenetratessimswapping incidents.Thesesketchyemailsandbogusloginscanget thehackertherequiredinformationandthesekeydatacan spawnasimswapoccurrence.
2.Peopleshouldrelylessononlinespace,theyshould reducethepersonalinformationtobestoredonline.Social engineeringisaninitialsimswappingstage,wherethe hackercollectsasmuchinformationastheywant. Keep compromisinginformationlow-keysuchasyourdigits, dateofbirth,mailingaddressoffyouraccount.
3.ProtectyouraccountsorcryptospaceusingYubikey, frequentlychangingthePIN,multi-factorauthentication. PleasedonottrustSMS-based2FA.
Rewardsandrecognitionattheworkplacekeepthe
employeesgoing.Theyneedtoknowthattheyare valuedandappreciatedfortheirwork.The employerswillbethehighlybenefitedpartybydoingso.It isimportantforcompaniestokeeppacewiththecurrent trendsinHumanResourcetokeeptheemployeessatisfied. Keepingtheemployeesengagedisataskthatevery companyshouldconsider.
Itiscrucialforbusinessgrowththattheemployeesremain engaged.AccordingtoareportbytheHarvardBusiness Review,recognitionforhighperformerswasthekeydriver foremployeeengagement.Apartfromtherewardstothe business,theindividualsalsofeelrespectedwhentheyare recognized.Theyfeeltheyareimportanttothecompany, andtokeepthatimpressiontheyperformevenbetterthan before.Thereareseveralbenefitsthatasolidrecognition programcanbringtoabusiness.
TopDriverforEngagement
Companiesthathavearecognitionprograminplacetendto keeptheiremployeesengaged.Employeerecognition overwhelminglyshowspositiveeffectsontheoverall employeeexperience.Thiskeepstheemployeesmotivated andtheurgetodomoreisactive.Theoldtraditionalways ofrecognitionlikegivingoutwatches,coffeemugs,etc.is stillinpicturebutinasmallerquantity.Themodernways ofrecognitionareseenasappreciationmailsorletters, tokenofappreciation,bonus,etc.
IncreaseinProductivity
Theemployeesfeelvaluedwhentheirworkisrecognized. Thisleadstoincreaseinproductivity.Whentheyare unhappyabouttheirworkplaceorworkingconditions,they tendtowastetimeandnotworkwhole-heartedly. Workplacerecognitionalsocurbsthewastageofresources andincreasestheproductivityofthebusiness.Thefeeling ofbeingnoticedandsupportedisadrivingfactorfor everyone.
AMerryWorkplace
Happyemployeesmakeahappyworkplace,andahappy workplacebringsouthappierresults.Appreciatingthesmall thingsthatemployeesdobringsasmileontheirfaceand
canmaketheirday.Thebigthingsaswell,bringthema greatsenseofpride,notonlyforthemselvesbutfor workingwiththecompany.Asignificantrewardfora particularemployeecanbringmorehappinessthanonecan imagine.
EffortsMattertoo
Therearetimeswhenemployeesworkharddayandnight tocompletetheirtasksortargets.Theirtasksmightnotbe bigormightnotleadtotheendtoaproject,buttheirefforts needtobeappreciated.Withouthardworkandeffortsfrom eachmemberoftheteam,aprojectcannotbecompleted.At times,evenaftersomanyeffortsbyeveryone,theproject canendupindrains.Successshouldnotbetheonly eligibilitycriteriaforrewardsandrecognition.By rewardingtheeffortsofemployeesitmightevenimprove thecompanyculture.
RecognitionfromPeers
Everyprojectorworkneedsmorethanonepersontobe complete.Theemployeesworkinteamsandgetthings done.Thesepeoplearetheoneswhoworktogetherona dailybasisandarethebestjudges.Thepeersshouldbe givenanopportunitytonominateeachotherforrewards. Thiswaythereisalwaysahealthycompetitiongoingon, andthiskeepsthemontheirfeetallthetime.Peer recognitionsmeanalotmorethandirectemployer recognitionsasthereareemotionsattachedhere. Fromallofthiswecanonlyconcludethatallcompanies, small,mediumandbig,shouldhaverewardsand recognitionprogram.Suchthingsnotonlymotivatethemto performwellandgivetheirbest,italsogivestheman objectivetoreach.Thecultureandenvironmentofthe workplaceprovestobehealthywithsuchschemesinplace.
The 20 Most Successful CEO's to follow
“My parting words -- Never fear competition; help others to succeed, forge partnerships, and success will be yours.”
fiveforeignstudents,andover250localparticipants takingpartintheconference,whichprovidedboarding andlodgingtoalltheforeigners,aswellastoover60 localdelegatesintheinteriorofSindh–incustom-made, eco-friendlyresorts–aswellasinKarachi,themost challengingpartoftheeventwasnotthelogisticsorthe conferenceitself,butthefactthatthepresidentof Pakistanandhisentourageattendedtheopeningday.The nightmareofmeetingtheprotocolrequirementsand securitymeasuresmadeeverythingelsepaleinto insignificance,butthefactthatthecompanymanagedto pullitofftoravereviewsbyoneandall,wasafeatthey areallveryproudof.
AnadviceforTriumphinTech-orientedWorld
greatestlifeachievement–hermarriageoffortyyearsto herchildhoodsweetheart;hertwobeautifulchildren;her book,FoodPrintspublishedbyOUP,thefirstofitskind inPakistan;orhertwointernationalawardsreceived soonafterestablishinghercompanyforStart-upofthe Year,andBestCEOoftheWorld.Shestates,perhaps,in retrospect,inapostCovid-19worlditissimplystaying healthyandbeingintouchwithherchildhoodfriendsall acrosstheglobedigitally.
Havingsaidthat,shewouldliketoaddherethatthere aretwoprojectsthatsheconsidershergreatestwork achievementtodate,whichshewouldliketospecifically mention.Thefirstisthelaunchofthebiggestmallin SouthAsia,LuckyOneMall,whichsheandherteam wereentrustedwithintheveryfirstyearofher company’sexistence.Itwashumblingenoughthatthe companylandedthemammothprojectinthefaceofstiff, andfarmoreexperiencedcompetition,butwhatwas evenmoreover-whelmingwasthatitlandedup extendingitslaunchactivitiesfromthreedaystothirteen fulldays,withherteamstayingatthemalldayand night,inordertoensurefootfall,formostimportant shopshadnotopenedupontime.
Shealsostatesthatthesecondprojectwasathree-day internationalconferenceforINTBAUPakistan— InternationalNetworkforTraditionalBuilding, ArchitectureandUrbanism–thatsheandherteam carriedoutlastNovember.With30foreigndelegates,
Shanazfindsherworkextremelychallengingandthe timesweliveinconstantlyevolving,andfeelsonemust begratefultothisever-changingtechnologicalera.She statesthatsheislearningsomethingnewfromheryoung colleaguesdaily,andwhilethereistheoccasionaltime whenshemissesthewayitusedtobe,byandlargeshe isgratefulforthechangesforitdoesmakeconnectivity, gatheringinformation,keepingrecordsandsomuch more,aloteasierandquicker.Onehastolearntomove withthetimes,andratherthanbeingdauntedbythe head-spinningtechnology,shefinditexhilaratingand exciting.
Shealsostatesthefactthattherearemanyemerging entrepreneursintheirindustryasithasbeengrowing rapidlythispastdecade,butmanyofthemareonepersonshowswithnooverheads,nolegalstanding,and arenotregisteredastaxpayers.Heradvicetoallthese youngstersisthattherearenoshortcutsinlife–ifthey wanttotrulysucceedandmaketheirmark,theyneedto goaboutittherightaway,evenifitmeansmakinga substantialinvestmentintotheirbusiness.
