What do you think of Dubai taxis? I had a different experience ...

Dubai taxis drivers are known to be smelly, angry and rude, reckless behind the wheel and cause most of the road accidents in the emirate. They are also grumpy and wouldn’t step out of their comfort zones, ironically know nothing about customer service, whereas their job is all about service.

All of this changed in my head, as I took the best taxi ride of my life; I was going to the airport, my fiancée stopped a taxi and asked him to follow us to the sandy parking lot and then drop me to the airport; Fareed, the clean and elegant driver nodded his head and with a gentle smile followed. As I have entered his car, I was surprised, that although it has 400000km on the dashboard, it was cleaner than new cars, with a fresh fruity scent. He initiated a conversation and asked if he might know where I was heading to, I have answered I am going to Lebanon, he then started to comment on the current growth in the financial situation of the country and to my surprise he was right in all that he said, his knowledge blew me off. As we were cruising I couldn’t but notice his great driving style, it was amazing; he was very respectful of other drivers, gentle on the accelerator and never had to suddenly break, which was unusual for a Dubai Taxi. He taught me some new cultural aspects of his native Pakistan and told me that he was an auto engineer and was not supposed to be a taxi driver, however since he is stuck with this job for visa reasons, he has decided to make the best of it, and that means that he wants to give every customer a beautiful and enjoyable ride. 

As a result of Fareed's behaviour in my airport ride I have doubled the fare as a tip, and I am sure you would have done the same.

The important lesson that I have learned from this taxi ride, is that whatever our job might be, we should enjoy what we do and exceed the expectations of our customers (whether internal or external customers). By giving an exceptional service, we don't only make an impact on others, but we also increase the chances of impacting ourselves.

So remember keep your smile and do what you are exactly supposed to do, no matter what you job is, and one day you can make an impression strong enough to change the world.  As Malcom Forbes puts it: “Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs”.

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The crisis is killing long term growth...all it takes is a paradigm shift

What do smart managers do in Economic downturns?

Yes you are right they start laying off their staff.

And how do they do it?

They look at the salary figures and start eliminating the high paid employees, then will look at any other large expenditure, all in the aim of rounding off their numbers.

However what organizations fail to do, is to downsize their operations, following the staff cut, by production cut.

This imbalance is nothing but the old concept of Production/Production capability (by Dr. Covey). What this means in simple terms, is that, whenever our delivery will start affecting our quality, we should decline new business ; each good manager should know where that break point is located in regards to their respective business.

To paint a clearer picture, I will share with you my worst dining experience; Last weekend I went with my friends for a very late lunch at Locatelli, the Italian restaurant of the famous Atlantis in Dubai. The restaurant seats 210 persons and looks very neat, with a good design and a welcoming atmosphere. We placed our order which was composed of salads, pizzas and pasta dishes. 45 minutes later the pasta was served and then the salads and some items on the menu were missing, although in those 45 minutes waiting time we called the waiters at least 10 times, 2 of which, the restaurant manager attended us, and where we made clear that we want the salads and the pizzas first as an appetizer and then the other dishes. The problem was that the restaurant is understaffed,orders were mixed, and the worst part is that waiters started blaming their colleagues in front of us.

I wouldn’t be writing this blog if this was a one off; As I was telling this story to my friends, I heard some similar comments on the same top class restaurant.

Staff lay off is a short term quick fix, however messing up with the P/PC equation is a long term damage, and its effects are most of the time irreparable. 

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Ask and you Shall Receive

And I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Luke 11:9

I have met a gentleman last week who has lost his job, as his company made more than half of the staff redundant.

“It is hard to find a job these days” he said “the market is crowded with job applicants and companies are getting rid of their existing staff” he adds.

So I asked: “Who did you talk to? And where did you apply?”

“There is no use even if I talk no one will listen in this tough period”

That reminded me of an old joke about a man who was complaining about never winning the lottery and when his friend asked him how many tickets has he bought in his life , he replies “none I never win so why buy”

We cannot expect good things to happen if we do not ask for them, it is just a question and there is no harm in asking a question. All it takes is just a simple question.

In Sales this question is called: asking for a referral, and a good sales person knows that the least that they expect to get out of a meeting is a referral, so if the client doesn’t need their product or service there is a large chance that they know someone who does.

Just two days ago, while an amazing mastermind session was being wrapped up, I said to the group “ I am going to Morocco in 2 weeks, do you guys know any one there?” and my good friend Reg www.regathwal.com jumped of his chair to grab a list of more than 30 business cards, whom I have emailed and got 2 scheduled meetings.

All I had to do is ask.

So my advice for you is to take control of your environment and choose your response to what is happening around you and never give in to the general negative mood.

For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks the door will be opened Luke 11:10

I close this blog by a small extract of Habit 1: Be proactive; by Dr. Stephen Covey

It is inspiring to realize that in choosing our response to circumstance, we powerfully affect our circumstance. When we change one part of the chemical formula, we change the nature of the results. Those who are proactive focus on what they can do, on what they can influence.

So good luck on your new questions to be asked and if you need help you know who to write to: info@ideasgrp.com

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Now is the Time to Change.

On this edition of my bi-monthly blog I thought of sharing with you a story that reflects the current situation. As a friend of mine told me: “Human beings love to be victimized” and in the current downturn, people are blaming the crisis instead of taking action…. Well now is the time to decide what you would want to be doing next. To paint a clearer picture in your minds I would like to share with you an inspirational story. This story is extracted from the book “Notes from a Friend” by Anthony Robbins:

“Have you ever heard of a guy named Colonel Sanders? Of course you have. How did Colonel Sanders become such an unbelievable success? Was it because he was born wealthy? Was his family rich? Did they send him to a top university like Harvard? Maybe he was successful because he started his business when he was really young. Are any of these true?

The answer is no. Colonel Sanders didn't begin to fulfill his dream until he was 65 years old! What drove him to finally take action? He was broke and alone. He got his first social security cheque for $105, and he got mad but instead of blaming the society or just writing the American congress a nasty note, he started asking himself, "What could I do that would be valuable for other people? What could I give back?" He started thinking about what he had that was valuable to others.
His first answer was, "Well, I have this chicken, recipe, everyone seems to love! What if I sold my chicken recipe to restaurants? Could I make money doing that?" Then he immediately thought, "That's ridiculous. Selling my recipe won't even pay the rent." And he got a new idea: "What if I not only sold them my recipe but also showed them how to cook the chicken properly? What if the chicken was so good that it increased their business? If more people come to see them and they make more chicken sales, maybe they will give me a percentage of those additional sales."

Many people have great ideas. But Colonel Sanders was different. He was a man who didn't just think of great things to do. He put them into action. He went and started knocking on doors, telling each restaurant owner his story: "I have a great chicken recipe, and I think if you use it, it'll increase your sales. And I'd like to get a percentage of that increase."
Well, many people laughed in his face. They said, "Look, old man, get out of here. What are you wearing that stupid white suit for?" Did Colonel Sanders give up? Absolutely not. He had the #1 key to success; I call it personal power. Personal power means being persistent in taking action: Every time you do something, you learn from it, and you find a way to do it better next time. Colonel Sanders certainly used his personal power! Instead of feeling bad about the last restaurant that had rejected his idea, he immediately started focusing on how to tell his story more effectively and get better results from the next restaurant.


How many times do you think Colonel Sanders heard no before getting the answer he wanted? He was refused 1,009 times before he heard his first yes. He has spent two years driving across America in his old, beat-up car, sleeping in the back seat in his rumpled white suit, getting up each day eager to share his idea with someone new. Often, the only food he had was eating was bites from the samples he was preparing for perspective buyers. How many people do you think would have gone for 1,009 no's - two years of no's! - and kept on going? Very few. That's why there is only one Colonel Sanders, the founder of KFC. I think most people wouldn't get passed twenty no's, much less a hundred or a thousand! Yet this is sometimes what it takes to succeed.

If you look at any of the most successful people in history, you will find this common thread: They would not be denied. They would not accept no. They would not allow anything to stop them from making their vision, their goal, a reality. Did you know that Walt Disney was turned down 302 times before he got financing for his dream of creating "The Happiest Place on Earth"? All the banks thought he was crazy. He wasn't crazy; he was a visionary and, more important, he was committed to making that vision a reality. Today, millions of people have shared in "the joy of Disney", a world like no other, a world launched by the decision of one man.”

So have you ever asked yourself those 2 questions? What could I do that could be valuable to other people? What could I give back?

I add to Tony Robbins questions a third one: What do I love and enjoy to do? But watch out! it has to be something that others are willing to pay for otherwise it will become a hobby not a business or a method of making a living.

So good luck on your next journey and if you need help you know who to write to: info@ideasgrp.com

Gaining a Competitive Advantage

 In these tough times, where the decision making process is very slow, and companies are laying employees off and cutting their expenditures, the common mistake that corporate organizations fall into, is losing their momentum and give up to the general negative atmosphere.

 As a manager or head of department you have to keep your staff prepared for three reasons:

 1-    It has been proven that in down times, prepared companies gained market share and managed to add great value that turned into a competitive advantage in prosperous times.

 2-    Projects will not stay on hold forever, whenever financial institutions will resume their activities, the market will revive at a blink and again only prepared companies will be ready to absorb that sudden growth.

 3-    Engaged employees, turn into disengaged and actively disengaged employees because of the uncertainty of the markets, and that results in companies losing their top talents; the same talents that cost the company a fortune to attract in addition to the painful recruiting process.

 So try to keep your employees engaged and think about the future.

For more info on how we can assist your organization gain and sustain a competitive edge from a human capital perspective drop us a line at info@ideaspr.com 

2009 a phenomenal year...the best year of my life

People are starting 2009 as if it would be the worse year since 1929, some people even told me that it is even worse than the great depression and all I could hear is " We need 5 years to get out of this mess" or "I just know that we will never go back to where we were" and the usual miserable gossip about “This was nothing, the crisis is yet to come”.

 

As a commitment of focusing my energy to only where I could get results, I have decided to play a little game with my best friend who owns a trading company. The game’s title was “2009 is a phenomenal year and the best year of my life”.

 

Rules are simple, all we had to do is imagine that nothing happened in September 2008 and continue business as usual with the same growth figures…. And guess what happened 13 days later ( of which 7 were still holidays): we have closed respectively in our businesses what we usually close in 3 months, and deals are still coming in. We were just unbelievably laughing as we were sipping our espressos this afternoon, while all the other professionals are focusing their energies on the crisis.

 

We say crisis shmisis and remember “Energy flows where attention goes” so focus your attention on what you can do and you will beat that crisis with no doubt.

Top 7 moments of 2008

7- Ingrid Betancourd freed

3 years held hostage in the Colombian jungle, ex-political candidate half-French Ingrid Betancourt was freed from the FARC guerilla along with other kidnapped foreigners by the military. The freeing mission, which was a great blow to the FARC, was  superbly executed by the military who convinced leaders of the guerilla that they in fact were an independent aid organization simply offering their helicopters to assists in transferring Betancourt and other prisoners from on hide-out to the next. When Betancourt were lifted into the helicopter, men from the military dressed as the guerilla delivered the good news – “You are free!”

6- The Fall of the Last Remaining Communist

For decades he has ruled the Caribbean island in true communism decadence. Claimed to be the last true leader of the political old times, Fidel Castro in 2008 suddenly retreated his position as Cuban President to younger brother Raul Castro.

5- Sep11 strikes back, this time in India

Terrorism has gone global. In North America, Europe and now Asia. As India suffered one of the worst terrorism attacks, hitting the financial metropolis Mumbai during three horrific days, 26-29 November, the world was once more reminded that terrorism still is a major threat to national as international security. What was described by official sources to be a band of 10 armed men, targeted the city’s finest hotels, as if to take a blow at the growing tourism industry in India, together with a large number of killed civilians. Shortly after the attack Indian Prime Minister went out to suggest the direct involvement of neighboring country Pakistan.

4- Captain Jack Sparrow really exists...in Somalia

Outside the coast of Somalia, piracy has for long been a common occurrence. Being a popular shipping route, bands of pirates have made it a custom to regularly hijack large shippings on African waters. Then came the biggest hijacking of Saudi-owned supertank SiriusStar, with a booty worth over $100 million in crude oil. Pirates were no longer something in the movies. For the first time, the world turned their eyes to discover that piracy had been terrorizing East Africa for years.

3- President Bush’s Term comes to an end…in Style

AFP- “A journalist hurled two shoes at President George W. Bush on his farewell visit to Iraq, highlighting hostility still felt toward the outgoing US leader who acknowledged that the war is still not won.

Muntazer al-Zaidi jumped up as Bush held a press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, shouted "It is the farewell kiss, you dog" and threw his footwear. ”

 The funny thing is that bids started over buying the shoe for sums ranging between $2 and $4M. Customers in Iraq ordered 120,000 pairs of "Model 271"  the week after the incident from the Turkish company that manufactures it and some Iraqis offered to set up distribution companies for the shoe.

1-Readers Choice

 

As for number one I didn’t know which of the below two moments deserved to be number 1 so it’s up to you to decide which of those two moments deserves the top spot

Another September hits the world….

We all remember the events of Sep 11, 2001, When the US was hit by the world’s worst terrorist attack, and subsequently these events changed the whole world, everyone was affected by the results of this day. Exactly 7 years and 2 days later, the US was hit another time by the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Quoting the New York Times: “In one of the most dramatic days in Wall Street’s history, Merrill Lynch agreed to sell itself on Sunday to Bank of America for roughly $50 billion to avert a deepening financial crisis, while another prominent securities firm, Lehman Brothers, filed for bankruptcy protection and hurtled toward liquidation after it failed to find a buyer.” Again this event didn’t hit only Wall street, but its reach was so huge that companies were liquidated around the worlds and jobs were cut from Iceland to India, Detroit to Dubai. The two primary industries affected were Real Estate and Banking. 2009 is a challenging year for all corporate who will be struggling to survive the financial downtimes.

 

Kennedy for president? Even better….

After an intense race for president candidacy, Hawaii born, Chicago native and African-American senator Barack Obama, with his family, spoke to the nation in Chicago central park as the new President of United States of America. The journey had been long, the whole world watching, and for the first time in a long time the American people could exhale in relief, looking to a future filled with hope and, as promised, change. Yes he could, yes he did and yes he will.

In 2009, we will all be watching how the Obama administration will deal with two very important issues: 1-The War against terrorism and 2- The Financial Crisis.