Love one another..eliminate hatred

عن ابي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: " ان الله يقول يوم القيامة: أين المتحابون بجلالى. اليوم أظلهم في ظلي يوم لا ظل الا ظلي"

Narrated Abu Huraira may Allah be pleased with him: Allah’s Messenger peace be upon him said: Allah will say on the Day of Resurrection: Where are those who love one another for My glory’s sake. Today I will shelter them in My shade, today there is no shade but only My shade.

Sudden Death

A couple of weeks ago I was watching a soccer game live on TV and while a player was preparing to take a free kick near the opponents goal a teammate who is the main striker was getting ready to take advantage of the cross. So this striker took two steps forward and then without any contact with anyone he fell down inside the box. The first impression in such cases is that the striker was trying to trick the referee to give away a penalty but this was not the case here as it was announced minutes later that the player passed away. Yes he died on the spot without any warnings or physical contact with anyone. Sudden death broadcasted live on a satellite TV channel.
Death does not ask for permission and does not take into account whether it’s an appropriate time or not. People die in their sleep, during their work, while in school, on playgrounds, in battle fields, etc. Therefore, we need to get ready and alert that death may not give a chance to negotiate or prepare. Did we do enough good to present ourselves to the most Merciful Allah almighty? Did we carry out our obligations with sincerity?
We need to hold ourselves accountable and ask questions before we get asked at the time when nothing will be useful other than good deeds. May Allah guide us to the right path and grant us paradise in the hereafter.

Is MBA losing its spark?

It’s obvious to anyone that MBA over the past few years have been the course of choice for many university graduates regardless of profession but mainly business and management professionals. MBA gained popularity worldwide as a brand name for a business qualification that takes people to higher places at corporate level. Many people do MBA with the sole purpose of climbing up the managerial ladder regardless of the knowledge and skills they may or may not acquire from the course. Many business schools around the globe developed MBA programs that are similar in terms of content, structure, duration etc with variation in cost and value.
Does MBA really have the magic key to corporate managers’ success? The answer to this till recently would be an affirmative YES. Many people who seek an MBA have no experience in business so on completion of MBA they usually have some background in business administration topics such as accounting and marketing. I am not sure if a two year program or less would be sufficient to make a successful business manager or leader.
I recently read an article in the Economist magazine about the decline of MBA. There is change in the approach to gaining status in corporations. Many now are seeking the knowledge and skills that will equip them to be successful in their area of interest in business be it finance, human resource management, IT management, etc. MBA mostly was a brand name that gave you status but nor necessarily the right skills to be successful. MBA would probably earn you a promotion or pay raise. It is the trend now that professionals are seeking postgraduate programs that are specialized such as a M.Sc. in Marketing Management or a Master of Applied Finance and Banking or a Master of Human Resource Management. These types of masters programs provide students with a solid academic knowledge and practical researched approaches in specific disciplines of business management hence creates specialized business professionals. Many business schools today focus on promoting their specialized business master programs rather than a general MBA degree.
So do you want to do an MBA just because everyone else is doing it? Or do you want to study a program that will prepare you better to be successful in your area of interest and still give you the credentials to go up the corporate management levels? Did the MBA product enter its decline phase of the product life cycle?

No ink to print my driving license

I went to renew my driving license a few days so I had to go through the cycle of filling out a couple of forms and pay a good sum of money. The first step was the eye check which I passed flying colors without even having to do the test (the lady there just signed my form). Then I had to go meet a psychiatrist to check if am mentally fit to be driving around so she asked me how I was doing and I said am ok, do you suffer from any sickness?. Now if I want to get a license and I am not mentally or physically fit why will I tell her about my sickness and disapprove myself?
Anyway I went on to the next step of filling a form and getting it approved by an officer (queue) then made the payment (queue). I went on to the data entry counters (queue). I don’t know why I have to have me details entered in the system if they are already there. The final step was getting my photo taken after that I was told ok take your papers back and check with us after four days to pick up your license. Does it take four days to print my license? No but there is no ink. The headquarters of the traffic police does not have printer ink.

Adopting to Change

Naturally we are resistant to change no matter what it involves even if it was apparently good for us; we even resist simple changes to our daily routines or workplace. Today change is imperative for us to remain upbeat and competitive in this ever changing world; there are many factors of change including globalization enabled by advancing technology, telecommunication, free trade policies, etc. If we don’t have the ability to adopt to change then we will be left behind and eventually lose therefore; we need to be as adoptive as possible in order to not miss out. One of the key factors that can help us not only adopt change but also embrace it is knowledge. Knowledge is very powerful and it’s the real fortune that nobody can take away from us unlike money which comes and goes. We must realize that knowledge is limitless so no matter how much you learn and know you probably still have a lot to learn about. There is always someone more knowledgeable out there and so we need to engage in a continuous learning process. Continuous learning is known to be part of quality management practice and it was well initiated in Toyota Japan.
Next week Inshallah I start a new phase of my learning process by enrolling in a quality management program. I hope it will be beneficial.
The more you learn the thirstier you become for more knowledge. Keep learning keep raising the bar and stay competitive.