Rejoicing the Song of Life

By: Saleh Abdullah Alkhamyasi

Over the years I have formed a habit of watching the birds orchestrating the song of life at the Muttrah Corniche. Watching them in full spirit of extreme joy and happiness is a real soul elevating scene. You see them celebrating the gift of life flying with agility and freedom across the blue sky of Muttrah.

This scene is a daily joy for those who are fortunate to enjoy a walk along the corniche . Their testimony will certainly speak loud to invite you all to spare a few moments to appreciate this magnificently breath taking scene. A scene, which  restores ones happiness and proves beyond doubt that there is more to life than being trapped in our daily routine.

The chirping of the birds attracts the attention of all the visitors of the traditional Souq in Muttrah. As if it is welcoming them to enjoy the serenity of the oasis of peace.

Their joy is elevated to climax of joy and lucidly expressed when flying with speed spreading their wing to the fullest momentum.

They fly in flock as if they are in a racing mood. You see them exhibit their skills with a sense of pride and proficiency and send out their chirping to add a flavor to the fantastic atmosphere around them. Every now and then they take some timeout to rest. They land on the shore and some even land on the wall of the fence that separates the shore from the land. You hear them chirping as if they are singing the song of life. Seeing them gathered in one spot and dancing in circles at the shore is so mesmerizing.

Some choose to sit at the surface of the sea water as if they are meditating and recollecting their thoughts. They are fascinated with the beauty of the place around them. You see them rocking back and forth as if they are in groove just like the boats around them.

Over the years an unmatched affinity developed between them and certain people who admire serving them food. Many of these admirers come to see the birds either early in the morning or in the evening. Their relations became an odyssey that can be narrated over the years between many generations.

You see these people carrying bags of bread to feed the birds.  Each has his own style of feeding. Some of them like to throw at them small pieces of bread while others throw slices. Their presence behind the wall noticed and diligently observed by the bird. Once the bread is thrown at them, you see them follow its direction. Their movement in search of the pieces of bread is fast and focused. They race each other perseveringly to win a piece and fly away to eat it peacefully away from the rest of the competitors. Such a zeal and self motivation makes you wonder what if we the human being embrace such a positive attitude. You do not see them bicker with each other rather their team spirit is vivid and alive.

Sitting in one of the benches that are scattered along the side of the Muttrah corniche with a touch of breeze blowing  at your face is  so sensational. It brings pleasure and delight to your heart and makes you so fascinated with the beauty of nature.

It makes you think how lucky we all are to have such heaven that is sought and visited by tourists from all walks of life. They all arrive to enjoy the mystery of our beloved Oman. You could literally see them stunned with the beauty of the place and the birds salute them by orchestrating the song of life. They cannot help focusing their cameras to take as much photos as they can. You see them chatting with each other with broad smiles and the Qahwa (coffee) vendor Salim serves them a cup of his delicate Omani Qahwa welcoming them with a hospitable touch.

Watching the birds rejoicing the song of life, rejuvenating the atmosphere around them makes my young boy so attracted to them. He points his little fingers at each scene that attracts his attention. When we go back to our house walking on the corniche he narrates his reflections about the birds and cannot help draw the birds to share with his school mates the next time he meets them.

 Life as short as it is ought to be explored, enjoyed and celebrated. We all should watch these beautiful birds flying, dancing, chirping and rejuvenate our spirit with a glimmer of hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Let us all be positive, motivated and passionate towards life.

A Trainer with a Captivating Style

Interviewed by: Saleh Abdullah Alkhamyasi

Chris Schiller

Our guest was recently in Oman to conduct a four days training program on “Managing learning and Development” as part of the collaboration between Oman Telecommunications and Chartered Institute of Personnel Development.

Chris Schiller was born in Liverpool, England. He has been working as an international training consultant for the last 14 years. He is specializing in leadership, performance & management development, recruitment and selection and trainer training. When he is not working he enjoys rock climbing and spending time with the family.

What is your impression of Oman?

My impression of Oman is that people are warm, genuine and friendly. They go out of their way to greet you and they will do whatever they can to make you feel welcome. There is a real sense of excitement about the future and a passion for learning.

Can you give us some highlights about CIPD?

The Chartered Institute of Personnel Development -CIPD is world renowned for providing the highest quality of HR advice, guidance and training in the people development arena. They operate at a level that all other vendors aspire to achieve. They select only the best trainers for projects and get hundreds of applications each year from consultants wanting to be a CIPD trainer.

What differentiates CIPD programs from others?

The CIPD programs are interactive, dynamic, and powerful and focus on the needs of the learner as well as the organization. Power point supplements key learning points. Courses are not lectures and delegates work on live issues. 

What is the role of L&D in organizations?

 We need to remember that L&D supports the business, not the other way round.

Evolution of L&D and where is it heading?

Learning and development is becoming more strategic as HR aligns more closely with the business. Organizational goals, business plans, departmental targets and KPI’s are being used to inform the creation of training plans in addition to the traditional approach of using personal development plans that come out of appraisals. We are also seeing training courses being supported by other delivery mechanisms such as coaching, mentoring and e-learning.

How is L&D being affected by the new generation.?

Learning & development (L&D) appears to be moving even more towards individuals taking personal responsibility for their own development. Recent advancements in the World Wide Web means that people can access models, approaches and concepts much quicker and easier than before. Having said that there will always be a need for learning practical, managerial and social skills with others. For example if you want to learn how to conduct an interview you will definitely benefit from practicing in a safe environment, where mistakes do not matter and where you can get good quality instant feedback.

The makeup of a competent trainer from your perspective?

Personally I would rather be trained by an excellent trainer with just a bit more knowledge and skill than me than being trained by an expert with poor trainer skills. Trainers need to help people learn which is different to preaching at them. They need to remember that their job is to make learning easy. Good trainers understand how adults learn and can use accelerated learning techniques like providing a context, breaking the course down into bite sized chunks, keeping sessions short, giving plenty of practice, doing lots of short reviews and relating the training back to the workplace. All to often the only person who knows what is going on in the training room, where they are upto and what is coming next is the trainer. That’s not right.

Last word.....?

Learning & development is probably one of the most rewarding professions imaginable. For me it never feels like work. I’m one of the lucky few that loves their job. It has taken me to some great places around the world and I’ve met some truly wonderful and amazing people. Never stop exploring as they say....

ASHRAM-Oman: The Glimmer of Hope for HR Professionals

Interviewed by: Saleh Abdullah Alkhamyasi

Shabir Hussain
ASHRAM-Oman President

The seeds of ASHRM-Oman as a new impetus in the realm of Human Resources Management were sown in late 2010. Right from its inception it was warmly welcomed.  The HR professionals and business leaders received it positively. This organ is being sheltered and nourished under the umbrella of PDO which is its strategic sponsor. Within the short span of its existence ASHRM-Oman has bloomed and flourished to provide well structured and organized professional service. Recently “HR Fragrance” Met  Shabir Hussain, ASHRAM-Oman president and invited him to shed light on this professional HR Knowledge torch.  Our conversation proceeded on the following lines:    

How did the idea of ASHRM- Oman come to light?

Founded in 1991, the Arabian Society for Human Resource Management (ASHRM) is a society dedicated to the management and development of human resources and the exchange of information and expertise in this area. ASHRM is a nonprofit organization that serves the needs of the human resource management professional in the Arab World by providing the most essential and comprehensive set of resources available. In early 2010 a group of more than 35 HR managers in a number of major employers in Oman agreed to set up the ASHRM Chapter in Oman. Following this meeting a Oman ASHRM Board was nominated and approved and on this ASHRM-Oman was born! The Oman chapter is the 3^rd in the region with the first being in Saudi in partnership with ARAMCO and the second in Abu Dhabi in partnership with ADNOC. The chapter aims to register itself as an independent NGO, but until this is archived, the Chapter in Oman will be hosted in Oman by PDO as the main strategic sponsor. All ASHRM events conducted in Oman will be through direct invitations by PDO, using the PDO name and branding. This is an interim arrangement.

What is the mission of ASHRM –Oman?

ASHRM-Oman aims to be Oman’s leading society in promoting the development of HR Management in the Sultanate. By serving both its members as well as the profession itself, ASHRM-Oman provides HR professionals with comprehensive information and practice tools. In addition, the society provides opportunities for networking and the development of professional relationships.

Membership in ASHRM is open to all business and personnel management professionals, students pursuing a degree related to human resource management, and individuals whose interests conform to the objectives of the organization.

ASHRM organizes bi monthly dinner meetings every year. The meetings are open to both members and non-members so that Human resource professionals, executive educators, management consultants, share their thoughts and ideas with ASHRM members at these events. The Board issues an annual calendar of events and aims to address topics that concerns HR professionals in Oman in full partnership with the private and public sectors in Oman.

Can you shed light on the Board of Directors of ASHRM-OMAN and its respective committees?

ASHRM-Oman Board members were chosen from key players in the Sultanate and the majority are senior HR VPs in their own organizations, which range from Telecommunications to banks and Airports Mgt industry.

Currently the Oman Board members are:

·         Mr. Shabir Hussain (Policy & L&D Manager at PDO) – President

·         Dr. Ghalib Al Hosni (CT /Vice President , Human Resource, Omantel) – Vice President

·         Ms. Wahab Al Jadidi (Events Mgt – Oman Drydocks) - Director of Programmes and Events

·         Mr. Abdul Majeed Al Belushi (HR & Admin manager - Oman Shipping) - Media and PR Director

·         Mr. Ali M Al Abri (Head of HR, HSBC) – Treasurer

·         Mr. Majid Al Rawahi (Training Officer – OAMC) - Membership Director           

·         Mr. Mundhir Al Barwani (HR Director, PDO) – Director at Large

·         Ms. Samira Fadhlani (HR Mgr, BP) - Director at Large

 What is your assessment of last year’s achievements?

2011 was a great year. We started off the year with two dinner events on Talent management, Performance management, succession planning and change management. We then paused our events given the unfortunate unrest in the country in Feb-May and most of us were in the forefront of this unrest and working hard to contain and as such we did not pick any activities until in December when we delivered our annual events which was a mega success with over 220 participants and eight top speakers and twelve CEO attending. The event was under the auspices of Her Highness Muna bint Fahad Mahmoud Al Said, Assistant V.C. for External Cooperation at Sultan Qaboos University.

What Does ASHRAM – Oman have in store for the HR professional s and business leaders in 2012?

We have a calendar of events that we will share with our members over the next few days. The society also aims to deliver a charity event this year – this is an exciting event for us and one that we have not carried out before.

What are some of the challenges ASHRAM- Oman is facing at the moment?

It is really the availability of time. We are a group of volunteers with an extremely busy work schedule and yet we work together to deliver such a challenging agenda. We need to tap into the resource s of the members to help us and contribute and this is on our plan for 2012.  

What is your advice for the HR students and budding HR professional?

Its best summarized in three words:

·         Passion for the fraternity, you must be passionate about people and the impact of your role on people development and progress.

·         Understanding the business, any HR professional is a sound business partner, one should understand the technical business he operates in to succeed and earn his place at the bigger table.

·         HR requires thick skin i.e. you will not be thanked as often and will be accused for many things –get used to it!

Tell us about Shabir the human being?  And what is the best advice you have got that has shaped your career progress in life?

I’m not an HR graduate by background, my first degree was in English Literature and at some point I doubted whether I can do HR, but one of my mentors who believed in me asked me ”do you have common sense”? And I replied “yes”. He replied, and then you can do HR! After 18 years this advice remains valid.

A Last word ?

It is always good to see you. I wish you all the best in your blog initiative and hope to connect with you time and time again.

An HR professional with a Sound Mission

Interviewed by:  Saleh Abdullah Alkhamyasi



Rashid Al-Nasri
HR Manager
Qalhat LNG



His Smile and humble personality gives you an assurance that you have known him for a long time. Mr. Rashid Al-Nasri is an HR professional with more than 18 years of experience. He initiated his career in  the Central Bank of Oman(CBO)where he was destined to work in different positions for 11years. Currently, he is an HR Manager with Qalhat LNG since 2006.  He is one of the founders of ASHRM chapter in Oman. Recently he was among the speakers in a conference entitled “Managing the Human Asset: The Role of HR” Organized by Fleming Gulf Conferences in 30th & 31st of January 2011. His Presentation Focused on “Growing the Employer Brand: Employer of Choice QLNG Perspective”.

“HR Fragrance” approached him to share his feedback on the conference in general and then delved more specifically in the issue Employer Branding. Our conversation resulted in the following:

1) Your opinion about this conference.

It was a good venue which made it possible for many HR Professional, Business Leaders and Trainers to gather under one roof to share their knowledge about current and persisting HR and organizational topics.

2) What are the benefits of participating in such events?

The benefits are many but to shed light on few, one can safely say that the participants can learn about current best practices from HR professionals, networking and real life examples from companies in Oman and abroad. It is an opportunity to brainstorm and see things from different angles.

3) Your presentation was on employer brand and can you highlight what this term means?

Simply stated, it is an attempt to build more satisfying & effective organizations by attracting, retaining and motivating staff through inculcating sound image about factors such as reputation, development opportunities, and work environment including facilities, work arrangements, recognition, reward and leadership. It is a straight forward formula in which the more you give to staff, the more empowering to you become to get them achieve business results.  It is taking the horse to where the water is and inducing the horse to drink willingly so to speak through such assuring and motivating initiatives.

4) Can you shed light on the QLNG experience in positioning its employer brand and what are some initiatives that were introduced?

Right from the beginning, Qalhat LNG kept the issue of employer branding at heart. Its dedicated efforts brought home many prestigious awards such as “The Asia’s Best Employer Brand Award” in Singapore awarded by the Employer Branding Institute, “Best Company in Omanisation” 2009 & 2010 by Ministry of Manpower, Oman, “Most Admired Company in Human Capital Management” award at the 2nd GCC Human Resources Excellence Awards

No doubt such wide recognitions became tangible reality as a result of initiatives such as company ceremony etc. culture & visionary leadership,  robust recruitment & retention, engaging our talents ,caring, trusting  & respecting our staff ,effective communication, development opportunity & growth, effective reward & recognition, sound performance management, safe social environment & work life balance, enjoyable  workplace, challenging business activities ,management engagement,  consistent innovation & best practices and many others initiatives  that have  inculcated  an urge for staff commitment and loyalty to their company.

5) Challenges the company faced in the process?

In every endeavor in life there will be challenges. It is the attitude that makes a difference. In our case the challenges were viewed and subsequently transformed into opportunities. In all our projects we visualized the good and effective results and made it a point to work hard in achieving them.    

6) What are your key take from this conference?

 Of course there are many but to highlight few examples I would say it was an opportunity for to be abreast with best practices and a chance for nourishing my reservoirs of network. 

7) Last word.

 I congratulate you for your HR blog initiative and thanks for the invitation. I am looking forward for a year full of achievements and greatness to all. I hope to connect with you in the days to come. keep up the creative work.

Managing The Human Asset: The Need for HR

In today’s world people are not considered mere workers, they are viewed as valuable assets that can make or break organizations.

The knowledge based economy has presented challenges which dictated certain competency frame on the part of the human element in the factors of production.

Managing Human Asset: the need for HR is a conference which Muscat will embrace for three days. The conference will commence on January 30th, 2012 and will continue through January 31st before concluding on February 1st, 2012.

The conference is organized by Fleming Gulf Conferences, one of the leading names in the business intelligence industry with a rich history of producing high quality, industry specific business events around the world.

Among the topics which will be discussed in the conference are the following:

• Nationalization: an Opportunity, not liability - Practical and Sustainable solutions to challenges
• THE TALENT MASTERPLAN
• Employee Value Proposition for talent retention and employee engagement – PDO‘s journey
• Talent Master plan & Knowledge Management model at Central Bank of Iran
• PEOPLE, PERFORMANCE AND REWARDS
• Understanding and Developing a Competency framework  Innovating your Compensations and Benefits Program
• Succession Planning in times of change
• Mergers and Acquisitions - Role of the HR Function
• Restructuring and Organization Design changes- the challenges
• Productivity – The HR contribution to bottom line
• Engaging People to Achieve Strategy
• Labor Unions- Developing smooth and efficient partnerships between employers and employees
• Learning - the key to Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation for Sustainable Development
• Linking organisational performance to people outcomes: the role of HRM
• Women in the workforce - Role and responsibilities of HR
• Leadership Development through Emotional Intelligence and Values

I was honored to be among the advisory panel for organizing the conference agenda. It was a real opportunity to share my ideas among the rest of the advisors and brainstorm with the rest of the team the best scope that suites the theme of the conference.

Subsequently I was also selected to be a moderator for a panel discussion on "Labor Unions- Developing smooth and efficient partnerships between employers and employees". The panelist in this discussion will include the following:

·        Salah Faqir Murad Al Raisi, National Bank of Oman, Head of Staff Relations & Services

·        Shahzad Sadan, Al Hassan Group, General Manager, Organization Development

 The conference with its juicy agenda will provide plenty of food for thoughts for the participating HR professionals and other business leaders. It will also be an ideal place for networking and hopefully will be thought provoking, eye opening and supporting in furnishing the participants with some answers for their questions and end up satisfying their thirst for knowledge.

I wish the gathering a grand success.

Thanks a million Fleming Gulf Conferences for providing me with such a golden opportunity to be among a beehive of HR professionals and business leaders. I am certainly looking forward to it.

Let us Hone That Curriculum Vitae

Curriculum Vitae or Resume is nothing but a statement of fact that sheds light to recruiters about a particular applicant. It’s a tool through which an applicant presents his or her current status in terms of personal, educational and work related experience. Having said that, there are certain tips that need to be taken into consideration to make the CV stand out amongst the heaps of CVs that the Human Resources departments sift through in search of the ideal candidate that best suits the identified position specifications.

There are  hundreds of job seekers who  are following vacancy announcements published in news papers, organization websites and various social networking means however their CV should not be written in a hasty manner rather it should be designed to meet the requirements and attract the attention of the end users.

To ensure that impression is created and the CV becomes marketable we should consider the following:

·        Research the organization you are applying to: Applicants should spend time to collect adequate data that will enable them to know about the organization, its structure, nature of business in order to align their credentials to suit the positions they are applying to. This step will also help them at the interview if their CV is shortlisted.

·        Make it Appealing: Packaging is one of the four Ps of marketing. Therefore designing an appealing CV will attract the attention and tempt the recruiters to read it and recommend it.

·        Make it Precise and Concise: Sometimes people have the tendency to exaggerate and elaborate their CVs to an extent that they become a term paper rather than a summarized statement. Hence applicants should avoid falling in this trap and make their CV limited to two to four pages at the maximum. The objectives ought to be precise to give an impression that the applicants know what they are looking for.

·        Presentation: Data should not be presented in a haphazard manner. It should be structured in a chronological order preferably taking a descending direction so that the assessor goes from the current state downward.

·        Language: The CV should be written in a lucid language using suitable words and should be refined by taking a moment to edit it before it is sent.

The applicants should be responsible for the data which he or she includes in their CVs. Even if they resort to an outside help that does not justify their ignorance about what is being written in the CV. Recruiters are likely to throw some questions from the content of the CV. As a result the applicant should know what he or she has furnished and is not caught unawares during the interview.

I am sure if these tips are put in use they will add that magic touch to your CV to make it attention grabbing and hopefully lead to a surprise call inviting you to appear for an interview. 

Personality

 (An interview with me published in Commercial Magazine, in April. 2010.)

v Career background:

I began my career in the public sector, as a fresh of graduate of Business Administration from the USA. In 1989, I joined Diwan of Royal Court where I was destined to climb the ladder by virtue of my hard work and discipline. I had the privilege to hold several managerial positions such as Director of Administration & finance in several Directorate General within the organization, the last of which was the Director of planning &Studies. During my  tenure  there I had the opportunity to get an insight into the nature of the public sector and mechanism of   coordination between the various public administration and underwent training in areas such as human resources strategic management communication and other soft skills as well as enhancing my it skills.

In 2007,  I felt that I needed to test my abilities and skills in a different sphere particularly that I had two master degrees by then. My entry into the private sector was marked by taking up the assignment as a group HR manager in al hasher group in April 2007. Thereafter I joined The Wave Muscat in October 2008 as the company HR manager.

v Strength and weakness

The ability to communicate and adapt are of a paramount  importance besides sound technical knowledge in one profession inculcating the trust which in turn yield favorable results. Everyone should make it appoint to adopt a strategy for continuous improvement.

v Leadership style

I believe in leading by example. I always make it a team effort and all would thrive and excel if we harness the real power of team work  a win / win is the ultimate concern always but there are moments where decisiveness is the secret to success. I make it my undeterred responsibility to groom, empower and motivate my subordinates and play a vital role in assisting them to  see their aspirations come true.

v Key to success

Clarity of purpose, consistency, prioritizing  and ability to deal  with people  effectively

v How you handle difficult moments?

Handling such moments certainly requires the ability to focus your attention on the root cause and approach it with patience. Being receptive  to new ideas can be a highly  practical means to find solutions.

v What you achieved from the present position?

 I am   actually a we   man .The achievement of The Wave Muscat as a  project  speaks  louder than words . As the days pass by, The Wave Muscat   proves that it is the new heart of Muscat. From all Individual perspective, I  have  gained great  confidence in working with  a multi – cultural  organization and learned that  productivity is a matter of a personal  effectiveness   .

v Turning point in life :

Turning points are many but  to touch  upon  an example , leaving behind  secure job in the public  sector in a prestigious organization with  less working  hours meant  a real challenge to me. Such a step  required  a paradigm shift and  effectively  managing one’s own self the decision  is worth  taken  and it is an enriching experience.

v The boundary line between official and personal life :

I do not   believe in mixing business with pleasure. I devote my efforts to shoulder the tasks I am   entrusted to perform in a disciplined and pro fissional manner.  Prioritizing and challenging the vice of procrastination is the name of the game. Once I call it off  for  the day , it is  time to leave the  office  behind  to attend  to my  personal and family  concerns .

 

v  About life in Oman

Life in Oman is marvelous  and beyond description  .it is my beloved country  and  I have  an everlasting  affinity  with each nook  and corner  of it .it is a land  of peace, hospitality and pried.

v How you spend leisure time?

Actually working in the private sector has reduced the available leisure time   but I like  to spend  quality time with my family , read and write and stay in touch with my friends.