Book launch: Lessons on how to lead a company

Enthusiastic authors and intelligent audience reflect a deep willingness to succeed.

ISLAMABAD: Business development and team building were the focus at the launch of “Leadership Insight”, a book co-authored by Amer Qureshi and Qaiser Abbas that features insight from some of Pakistan’s leading entrepreneurs.

Experts featured in the book include Nestle Chairperson Syed Babar Ali, Dawood Foundation CEO Sarfaraz Rehman, Gillette Pakistan CEO Saad Amanullah Khan, Habib Metropolitan Bank CEO Sirajuddin Aziz and former Mobilink President Zouhair Khaliq.

Both authors have worked with about 200 organisations of varying scales and are currently affiliated with Possibilities, an international management training and consulting company headquartered in Pakistan.

The inspirational address led by Abbas, who pushed the audience to “embrace possibilities and be the best they can be”, was complemented by Qureshi’s pragmatic talk. Both spoke enthusiastically, sharing anecdotes and stories and kept the audience thoughtfully engaged.

The audience appreciated the book but also posited critical questions to the authors, such as why the book did not include anecdotes of successful women. The authors responded regretfully, stating that a certain criteria of success has been unmatched by women, while also citing the deadline as a reason for  the non-inclusion.

Prominent human rights activist Nighat Rizvi pointed out that due to the higher obstacles faced by women, “it may be unfair to have their success measured against the same yardstick as that of men”. Abbas agreed with her statement adding that the feudal structure had been discussed in the book for that very reason. Both Qureshi and Abbas stated that women’s success stories will be included in the second edition of the book.

Fielding another question on an Urdu translated copy of the book, Abbas said that though many people who could potentially benefit from this may not be fluent in English, both authors were more fluent in English over Urdu. Qureshi added that the book was offered to the government for translation free of cost, but the government showed no interest. “I fear that this book will be published in Arabic before Urdu,” he lamented.

When an audience member asked why the book only included successful businesses and ignored how young people short on resources can succeed, Qureshi said he lacked the resources to include that in the book. “Given the opportunity, I would love nothing more than to work with the youth and help them be successful,” he said, adding with the current resources available to him, it was not possible to write strategies for a currently un-established sector.

Qureshi and Abbas have previously authored books independently; Qureshi published “A to Z of Healthy Small Business” and “Making Money in Small Business” with John Wiley and Sons, Australia. Abbas’s prior publications include “Outclass Teams”, “Tick Tick Dollar”, and “Shabash Tum Kar Saktay Ho” (Yes, you can do it).

Though the two didn’t promise that the book is a handbook to success, it is a tool to help entrepreneurs excel in what they do or want to do. Judging by the enthusiasm of the authors combined by the audience’s ability to intelligently tackle the business world, there is an apparent willingness towards success.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 11^th, 2012.