Lessons Learned ?

We all knew that it will be an up-hill battle, a learning opportunity. We have all experience and witnessed learning curves before. We usually bear the consequences of the mistakes  made along the road to enlightenment and we often get to enjoy the fruits of the experience. However, when an entire nation is leaning how to engage into politics and survive within a democratic environment, the stakes are much higher. Again, we are all learning and we have no one to show us the way. Unfortunately it will be our children who will bear the results of our forte into democracy. 

Before I venture further I would like to iterate my position. I have never supported this so called revolution. I believe that the events were instigated to simply ouster the old regime and introduce anarchy. The true objective was to replace Aldo be Shahin, to have a specific party/individual in power. Yet the aim of this post is not to explain my point of view on the revolution. I simply wished to reiterate what I have been saying all long, as I did not want to be accused of flip-flopping. Whether I supported the revolution or not is besides the point. At the end we are all Egyptians, we should work together for the betterment of the country and of society. This is why I choose to participate - as much as I can - in this political awakening. I must admit that now, 18 months after all hell broke loose, I am able to have a more objective point of view. Maybe because I no longer leave in Egypt - so my livelihood is not contingent on what happens within the country, or simply because I have come to terms with the death of My Egypt. We all have to acknowledge that the Egypt we know, The Egypt we grew up with is long gone and it is not coming back. We must move forward, towards the future. Although the journey ahead is full of turmoil and it'll change course as much as the stairs at Hogwarts, we must preserve and keep course. 

In my attempt to move ahead, I will summarize the lessons learned (or are they?) during the past year and half. This is from my perspective, similarly I encourage everyone to do the same. Together - as one nation - we must learn to face our failures before we celebrate our victories. Most importantly, WE must LEARN from our mistakes.

1. Lets take a moment to get our heads out of our assess and confess that we know shit about shit ! I apologize for the profanity, but I think it is called for. Enough is enough. If we want to be vocal about politics, economics, religion, history . . etc, we have to first possess some knowledge (any knowledge) about these topics. If not, then at least lets agree that we are operating on an uneducated bunch or point of view, and not facts.
2. Every right comes with responsibilities. If we want democracy (as our basic right) then we have the responsibility to participate in the democratic process. If we want changes, then we have the responsibility to start with our selves. If we choose to passively stand on the sidelines, then we forfeit the right to complain, comment, or protest.
3. Fel Et-had Kowa is not just a mantra or slogan, it has to become a way of life. In order to unit segregated entities we need clear objectives and goals. If we examine the 25 Jan Revolution, the only thing uniting the people in Tahrir square at the time was the objective of getting rid of Mubarak. Unfortunately, if this was a true revolution, getting rid of Mubarak should have been a mean and not a cause. Once that ultimate objective was met, the people in the square started to move into different groups, disagreeing on almost everything. Some pseudo-leaders emerged, such as Hamdeen El Sahaby. Yet they were not able to rally enough support to guarantee a spot in the 2nd round of presidential elections. I personally believe that if Abu El Fotouh, El Sabahy, El Aow, and Khaled Aly formed a united coalition, they would have created a powerful unit strong enough to overtake the Muslim Brotherhood in the 2nd round. ma3lesh 7'era fe 3'erha, hopefully the lesson is learned (or not?) and we can rectify this mistake in the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections.
4. Furthermore, objectives don't only unit people but they also provide a cause, a purpose, a reason to be patient and withstand the hardship and keep the course. Objectives renew people's hope when all seems gone. Enough with empty slogans, kefaya she3arat. It is easy to point fingers at the old regime and governments, blaming them for everything. We should demand from the newly elected President, who is backed by a political party, and people's assembly,to set forth concise road-maps, objectives, and measures for achieving their promises. It will be our responsibility to hold them accountable for these results.
5. Last but not least, we must acknowledge that this is only the beginning and it is going to get much worse before it gets better.

To Infinity and Beyond

I do not envy the future elected president of Egypt. He will face many challenges, the hardest of which will be reigning in and managing the expectations of the Egyptian people. It will be a thankless job, dammed if he does and dammed if he doesn't. There will always be those who oppose some of his actions, or all of his actions. There will always be those who call him a traitor, felol or puppet to foreign powers. Only someone with a strong convection will be able to  withstand the abuse of our divided nation. Only someone who seeks no glory - for there will be none - can persevere against the tireless forces betting on the country's demise. No, I do not envy this person one bit, nor do I have any advice for him.

There are many issues that need to be addressed and changed in Egypt. I believe that there are two very important and fundamental sectors that have been neglected for the past decade, or five, namely the education and health services. No more needs to be said. I doubt there is any Egyptian who would argue against the dire state of these two sectors. Most presidential candidates have been addressing these issues in their campaigns,  yet, based on what I have heard so far, I feel that what is being promoted is no more than void slogans; been said before but never done.  I am yet to hear a single program that promises progress in either aspect. I believe that education and health services are major pillars in building Egypt 2.0. These services directly impact the caliber of Egyptians who will continue to sustain the country's future development.

I first heard of the term "Human Capital" while studying the Balanced Scorecard management concept. I instantly fell in love with the expression. Ever since my first days of college, I detested labeling employees as "resources". Resources are tangible objects. They are scarce. They depreciate upon usage. Employees , on the other hand, are not materials that can be stored up for a rainy day.The more an employee is utilized, the more valuable he/she become to the organization and the entire national workforce. Employees (Citizens) do not represent bodies (i.e. headcount), they are the accumulated knowledge and competencies that make companies (countries) great. To that extent, they are as important , if not more so, as funding and capital. When money dries up, new investors can easily be found, the same cannot be said about qualified staff. Similarly, the prosperity of nations is contingent on the availability of a resilient economy and strong security, both needed to support great citizens. Without the people, money and power can only take a country so far, case in point are the Arabic Gulf countries.This is why I believe the future president and his government should focus their efforts on education and health services. We need citizens who are physically able to withstand hard labor and mentally competent to carryout smart labor.

I call upon all Egyptian experts, where ever you are, to come up with development programs. I call upon the presidential candidates to embrace these programs and vow to implement them, no matter the cost. I call upon the Egyptian people to be patient. Eradicating corruption and cleansing these two sectors from ailments will take time. We will not see improvements for years to come, but we must adhere to the plan, we have to get the ball running.

The first thing that might come to mind is how can we get immediate results. I do not believe in quick fixes. Shortcuts and Fahlawa is a big part of our problems. However, I believe that in order to achieve sustained progress we must start with younger generations. Educate mothers on the importance of proper nutrition, hygiene, and exercise to the well being of their children. Focusing our attention on curricula and extracurricular activities. These are all important steps towards advancing the quality of the Egyptian workforce, but what are we going to do for the next 20 - 25 years until the new batches of super students are ready. Furthermore, how are we going to guarantee quality education for the next generations when those supervising, administering, and facilitating the learning process do not meet the minimum requirements needed to influence future professionals. These are imperative issues which need to be resolved. I image that all presidential candidates will discuss these topics accordingly, and purpose development programs to enhance educations, while propagating their ideologies and political agenda. Again, I do not envy the next president one bit.

So, until we discover the magic formula to churning out top notch doctors, engineers, lawyer . . . etc., how can the country move forward with the sub par skills and qualifications of current and future crops of workers. Again, there is no silver bullet that will make all our problems magically disappear. Yet, I believe there is a simple solution to most issues. In my opinion, the new government should prompt the study of "Life Skills" across all faculties at university level. These are competencies and skills we all use everyday, such as communication, negotiation, project & time management, accounting, statistics and  decision making , to name a few. These topics might be addressed in business school syllabi, however they are looked upon as course fillers. Anyone exposed to a corporate environment, knows that these soft skills are imperative to the success of any employee. Empowering all graduates with these skills and knowledge will allow them to move across professions. It will prepared them with enough qualifications to work in various industries, regardless of their academic background. I actually advocate starting such studies at a high school level, thus ensuring that fresh graduates being induced into the employment market are equipped with diversified skills enabling them to perform a magnitude of tasks across disciplines.

This is not a silver bullet, it is just the beginning of a long tiresome journey. Most of us will not make it to the finish line, but those who do will be strong enough to keep on going to Infinity and Beyond !

El beda walla el Farkha: The relationship between a country's president and its constitution

Much debate has been going on over the chronological order of electing a president and establishing a constitution. This is a chicken-and-egg argument where the mass opinion is divided into two groups. There are those who advocate the establishment of the constitution first and foremost. They believe that without a new and improved constitution, any ruling body will be a different version of the old establishment. On the other hand we have those who lobby for electing the president first. They believe that a leader - chosen by the people - is imperative in uniting the diverse local forces to work together on founding the new-era constitution. Again, this is a chick-and-egg debate, which should precede the other is an endless discussion. Partaking in such a discussion will get us no where, except maybe realizing why the chicken crossed the road - to get out of the discussion !

As a long-time pragmatic, I couldn't help but wonder why should there be a correlation between the president and the constitution, more precisely between electing a president and establishing a constitution. By definition, a constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed (copied from Wikipedia). Most probably the constitution specifies the qualifications of presidential candidates and the process by which they are nominated and elected. So I understand that there is an inherit relationship. However, we need to formulate,  agree upon, and publish the constitution before it can be enforced. Now, this argument might appear to advocate that the constitution should be established before electing a president, again chicken-and-egg. Nevertheless, until these governing principles are in place, what is going to happen to the country? Can Egypt just stay on the sidelines of world politics and economy, declining to participate until  clear rules of engagement are defined? I do not think this is possible. It's not like this is a video game where we can press the reset button and just start over. We have to remain an active player to ensure border security and economic stability, even more so as we rely heavily on imports for our day-to-day needs. So the option of putting the country on hold until the constitution is established does not seem to be plausible. So what is the alternative? Those of the "constitution first" mindset have suggested appointing a ruling party/group consisting of prominent politicians representing most of the country's different political temperaments. Yet, why would this group of people lawfully rule the country without an integrated constitution in place, while an elected individual can not? Isn't this the main reason they argue that the constitution must come first. Some people say that having a group of people ruling the country is better, as group members will keep each other honest. Maybe, or maybe not.

The truth of the matter is, no one can predict the outcome of this political experiment. Who among us has participated in or even witness the founding of a constitution ! We are all learning how to live with and partake in the political process. Unfortunately the price of this learning curve is the mistakes that will be made in the pursuit of democracy. Moreover, the next president will have a unique role unlike any other ruler from the past or the future. While heads of states have the responsibility of overseeing governments' efforts in maintaining a firm position within the worldwide arena as they secure the well being of their citizens, our next president will have the burden of shepherding Egypt into the Future. This will be a thankless job, an impossible task of uniting a fragmented society in order to work together tirelessly on an endeavor from which they will not have an immediate gain. This person will not form the new constitution, his role will be to foster an environment where different - and often opposing - points of views can come together for a greater good, albeit while maintaining Egypt's position in the worldwide arena as he secures the well being of the Egyptian people. So whether the constitution should comes first or the presidential elections is a mute discussion. At the end heya kolaha weg-het nazar (a matter of opinion).

The Dichotomy of Mediocre Performance

For years now I have been noticing a general decline in work (performance) done by Egyptian employees. Grant you that my observations are based on my personal interactions and stories relayed to me by friends and acquaintances.   Upon further reflection, I started to realize that this phenomenon has spread to all aspects of our lives.

Without proper investigation and root-cause analysis, it will be impossible to pinpoint the exact reasons behind this issue.  

 However, I believe that the “Me Too” effect (more precisely “Eshma3na Ana”) has a lot to do with it. The perpetuation of mediocrity throughout our lives has led quite many Egyptians to wonder why should they give a damn when everyone else doesn’t give a hoot. Why should they care about doing a good job, when all around them people are getting away with doing lousy work? Of course these people justify mediocre performance by saying (and in due time believing) that the smart thing to do would be to exert the most minimum amount of effort while maintain a mediocre enough quality of work as not to get any salary deductions. This must be smart. This is street smart “Fahlawa”! Only an idiot would do more effort than necessary, when they can do less and get paid the same.

This has been going on for years, but when it first started, I imagine it wasn’t as wide spread as it is now. In the beginning people were just a few minutes late coming into work. Why should they be on time? Most companies have a 10 – 15 minutes grace period for attendance – just in case employees run into some traffic or any other issues that would delay them. In fact it’s not only justifiable to be late, it would actually be wasteful  to arrive on time and not use those 10 minutes allowance ;) look at Mohamed, for example, every day he comes in at 9:15, yet nothing is deducted from his salary. Then why should May be on time? Besides, we really can’t control traffic. There is nothing we can do to guarantee that we arrive every morning at exactly 9:00 am. What happens when we come in at 8:55? The company doesn’t pay us for those extra 5 minutes. It’s just plain stupid to not take advantage of those late minutes.  What harm would come from being a couple of minutes late each day?  Of course if organizations accept and expect their employees to be late coming into work, then “logically” the same concept applies to deadline and delivery dates. Duh! Companies simply cannot expect their employees to hand in their work and meet deadlines on time. Come on, we all know that management always factors in delays. We don’t control the universe. Stuff happens! Look at Tawfik, he’s always late for meetings. Why should I be on time? Besides I’ll only be a few minutes late. I’ll just be getting a cup of coffee.

Throughout those years, employee’s performance decline started to slowly but steadily creep into the Egyptian work place. With every few late minutes, or missing pounds, employees justified poor performance with “everyone’s doing it“ and “who is it harming?” notions. Now imagine an entire generation that was exposed to these levels of mediocrity throughout their lives. Teachers at schools skipping lessons because there won’t be included in the final exam or these lessons are for gifted students. Who needs math anyway? Bus drivers who run through red lights and cut other vehicle off the road because everyone else is doing it and the people who abide by traffic laws and fasten their seat belts are actually bad drivers. At home, they hear their dad brag about making a huge commission because he overpriced an offer and the customer was too stupid to notice the high margin. By the time these kids become a part of the workforce, they don’t even need to justify mediocre performance to themselves. For this generation, doing the bare minimum is normal. To them, it is the right way of doing things.

Unfortunately the current and future batch of Egyptian college graduates is a result of our mediocre performance lifestyle. It is going to take a tremendous amount of effort and perseverance to shift their paradigm of “Acceptable Performance”. This is one task where good enough will not be good enough.