My Books

Knowing Oneself!

(Or Rather – A Cry For Help!)

Pleased to inform you that my second Management Book titled A Cry For Help! is now finalized! Ready for sponsorship too – but on condition of no changes to my book contents!

Decades long time ago, at the times of competition between Video Beta and VHS formats, I had bought my first video machine – and with it my first video (beta) purchase. As a just recently married person you can imagine my happiness of ‘making it’ in the ‘jungle out there’ lives competition. Incidentally my first video I purchased was this one of ex Peter Sellers acting as a ‘wrongly invited’ guest to a party – and the film itself was called The Party. After demolishing by error a stage set, he was still yet invited to the Film Set Party – where with ‘birdie num num’ he orchestrated other disasters at the party. I know my classmates of Indian ancestry were very angry with me in that distant land when I mimicked Peter Sellers – and the other students thought that I was very funny and should consider being a comedian as a career move!

The part I liked best was when Peter Sellers as the Indian Actor (sorry I forgot the name!) was the hero in defending at the party a lady in distress from the affronts of her Producer boyfriend – and the man turns on Peter Sellers – and says to him – You keep out of this! Who do you think you are? To which not sober Peter Sellers as the Indian retorts – In India we do not think who we are! We know what we are! The man then confronts the woman and says – your career as an Actress is finished – and the poor lady cries – that was a short career indeed – accompanied by the comforting and consoling words to the lady by who else than Peter Sellers!

I have always remembered that statement to this day – whenever in my life someone had confronted me with – Who Do You Think You Are? – Whether from my Boss and Superiors, or others. Or they say – He has chips on his shoulder! The ironical tragic pathetic and sad part of it all was being told this by so-called ‘invited guests’ to my country and to me as a citizen of the land! If one cannot be allowed to make a stand and a point because it is different from yours as in charge – or he is not jumping up at all when you say Jump! – then what is the point in life and its aspirations? We cannot all be Yes-Men or be just like Dummies and Zombies in life per se!

Like I have said so many times before in this same column and in my books too (see www.alsuleimany.com I had just stumbled into writing after my consultancy bankruptcy  – it was not something that I had actually pinned or planned for myself before as a career or as a future. I had to feed my and my family rumbling stomachs – and God Had given me these talents, skills, innovation etc of writing which had remained much unused – with the exception of the odd notes to my bosses and others complaining of unethical, unprofessional, unfair and unjust treatment not only to myself but to others too. And this AFTER trying to talk, persuade, convince, advise, counsel first – as in the team – and as a Team Player! That is me  – that is how I am – take me as I am – or leave me just alone! There is no middle ground here – as far as I can tell!

After publication of my books, and which I had said clearly of my intentions, drive, focuses and ambitions cum aspirations – I have very candidly admitted that I had no intention to harm anyone – BUT to speak about the truths and realities overall with a focus, desire and objective to learn from each other as there is no one who can claim to be perfect and or knows everything. It is to redirect, correct and remedy, if not for now, but for sure for the future generations to come and for our development, progress and well-being. My sincere hopes were for development and improvement in the management spheres especially. I have strived to be as frank, open, forthright, honest, sincere and genuine as I possibly could be.

And is that my crime?  Or does everybody want to join the silent majority – pretenses and mirages of going quiet, unattached, uninterested  and uninvolved – like that cinder fire burning underneath heatedly until it bursts open – and then everyone will ask why the situation was not told or worse still – What happened? I have always said in this column and in my books too – there is nothing so beneath all of us than seeing wrong, unjust, unfair and unethical things being done with and to others – or as we see in the televisions and read in the newspapers and the internet – and we put our heads to the ground as if nothing is happening – or we have joined the large majority of not bothering, caring, feeling or involving ourselves in anymore – as being just as selfish, indifferent, dastardly and mean as we can be. It does not bother us – nor our guilt, conscience and us as human beings supposed to be the most intelligent species on the earth!

I had said – As we Arabs, work is worshipped as if it is in praying. Arabs are also brought up to be polite, courteous and decent (at least a majority of us). Abrupt, ugly, bad behaviours and attitudes, rudeness and distort are discouraged. Also it is not easy to say NO in us – as part of the culture, customs, traditions and heritage. So what has gone wrong here – especially in management circles? Why are we then behind the rest of the world, despite all our riches and resources?

The other day I had walked into one of the bookshops and was lucky to see one of the European ladies buying two of my books – so smiling and beaming poor me walked across to her and volunteered to her – would you like me to sign the books?  First she could not believe me in my Omani dress – but I have never seen a happier lady before in my life – and it made my day!

This brings me to the point I want to make here, once again. For how long this situation of ‘shoot first ask questions later’ would continue? And this quick perceptions, stereo typing, innuendos, double dealings, double and crude handlings – and everything else that is not right, correct, ethical, principled, just, fair and professional in the interfaces, relationships and inter-relationships?

And how long we as the citizens of the land will continue not valuing or not supporting our own – but just others outside? Or not supporting and assisting each other – and the innovations, entrepreneurships, ingenuity, enterprises, and human resources development – to people especially like us writing and in the language I am good at in English? Till when? Our neighbours are sending satellites to the moon – whilst we are still doing each other in – and rivalries, jealousies, competitions, undermining, polarization, envies predominate – and fighting over in-fights squabbles and minor minute things, particulars and details.

Let us not forget this main theme and thing – Those that want to conquer you – They Divide and Rule you!

Allah (God) Protect us all from His Anger and Fury – Amin (Amen)