Mudassir Iqbal

Perform Under Pressure “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” We’re all familiar with this saying, and many people believe that they are better off under pressure. But in the 18-plus years of my career, I never felt that. Let’s get this straight: No one performs their best under pressure. There are situations that bring the best out in you, but that’s completely dependent on your surroundings and the methodology you follow. I may not able to comment on your surroundings, but I hope the following tips will work for you in most cases… 1. Think of high-pressure moments as a challenge instead of a threat. Many employees see pressure situations as threatening. which makes them under-perform at work. Considering pressure as a threat damages your self-confidence and provokes fear of failure. It’s a great idea to shift your thoughts. Instead of seeing it as a risky situation, see it a challenge. When you see pressure as your challenge, you are enthused to give the atte...

Many business owners think that getting peak performance from employees is simple—just tie cash rewards to goals. This technique is a mistake. One size doesn’t fit all, as every human being is at a different stage of their life and will be motivated by different rewards and recognition. The biggest challenge in creating the right initiatives can be the human resource department, which may suggest this kind of scheme simply to match its KPIs. Here are some reasons why monetary rewards are not the answer for inspiring motivation: 1. They’re shortsighted. A reward may give a short-term boost in productivity to achieve the desired target, but employees may tend to overlook their other responsibilities (and the reason they are getting paid in the first place). A  recent paper  by the Incentive Research Foundation notes that “There is growing academic evidence that investments in non-cash rewards can elicit equal levels of performance for less cost than cash.” 2. Intrinsi...

In today’s world where we are experiencing massive changes in all facets of life (the largest ever after the third industrial revolution), project management has become quite pervasive. In this era of Industry 4.0, the methodologies we learn in this field are being used in almost every other industry around the world. It’s thought-provoking to consider the upcoming demand for project management—and in turn, project managers—in this fast-changing world where: innovation cycles are becoming shorter and shorter AI and robotics are threatening many jobs (or at least functions within a job) job roles are becoming more competitive and have started to encompass functions that are/were not directly part of the position outsourcing is threatening job functions that are not value added With my current assignment, I am experiencing outsourced project management, with some of the project managers’ usual functions handed over to operations teams.\ Let’s have a look at the future of ...

Strengthening professional networks inside the workplace is as important as the networks you build outside your professional life. Building long-lasting professional relationships require you demonstrate sound business ethics and principles, and that you validate considerations expected of an excellent employee. Help Employees Navigate the Organization Every employee has a certain position in the hierarchy of the organization, however, that doesn’t mean that anyone should feel inferior or demoralized. Every leader must understand the operations within the organization. The company’s culture sets the precedent for the professional personalities it hires. You should help employees to understand why they were hired and why they are the best fit for the particular role eventually leading to overall project success. Invest in Employee Networks and Loyalty Are you confident that your employees feel they can trust you? Do you empower and provide them with tools essential to boost the i...

Business Analysis Core Concept Model (BACCM) Creating the BACCM -  By Julian Sammy, EBA, IIBA The Business Analyst Core Concept Model (BACCM) comprises of six fundamental concepts that are interrelated through a dynamic theoretical system. Undeniably, this is a powerful tool for a systematic understanding of controlled organizational change. This defines the framework for the business analysis profession. Let’s explore the six critical components of the model. Change: It refers to a controlled transformation of a business. The aim is to promote favourable change and avert the downsides. It transforms the organization to improve its value. A change can be achieved by initiating a project or a program. These changes can be managed as consistent improvement initiatives. In terms of its relations with other model components, a change will involve various stakeholders in different ways. Also, it may be revolved otherwise in different contexts. Stakeholder and Need: An ind...

Communication is an essential part of our daily life, and even more crucial to the success of any project. Although all Project Managers agree that success of a project largely depends on effective communication; regular, concise, clear and most importantly sufficient communication has become a rare commodity. Yes! It’s an art, but one can definitely learn that with right training and approach. Project Teams members usually complain about lack of communication during an ongoing project. Failure of effective communication is mostly from the top-down, but it can also be from bottom-up. For an example: The top management fails to convey the vision and purpose of projects clearly hence to motivate the team, or The Project Manager fails to communicate project success as a ‘business success’ in the proper business terminologies and instead dives deep into the technical details, therefore, losing the business support for the project altogether. Interestingly, everybody understands ...

We all know that the world is changing very fast, same is the case with the education field. Both trainers and students have to face a different kind of challenges every day than they used to about 5-10 years back. Following is my take on online Study. Convenience You can attend these courses at your own pace. Most courses are self-paced and can be done during your spare time. If you are a fast learner, you can complete early. If you need a little more time, you are free to go through the details ‘one last time', it’s your choice. Comfortable Only internet access is required. The courses can be attended in the comfort of home, during office lunchtime, the gym or even when lying down before going to sleep. Ease of Communication Or I would say a new and more complex type of communication. Assuming that you already have a Facebook account or a Quora account, collaboration with other students and professionals around the world is just one click away. A Skype call (or similar)...