Involvement and Commitment makes Leader: Faisal Mubin (COO-Shanfoods)

Faisal Mubin Ganatra has 15 years of experience with a very strong exposure in finance, strategy planning, HRM and marketing. He has previously worked with Pepsi Cola International, AES Lal Pir & Pak Gen, Anjum Asim Shahid Rahman and now with ShanFoods as Chief Operating Officer.

What do you think is the key to your success and career?

Involvement and Commitment are two keys to success because if you are involved and you have a  commitment then you will come up with new ideas and you will have a willingness to implement those ideas.

 Since you have been in the role of both a manager and a leader, in your opinion what  are the major differences between a manager and a leader?

Manager’s work is simply to manage things while a leader should have a dream and a vision and this should be accompanied by willingness to achieve that vision. He must have a long term strategies and the ability to convert those strategies into actions. Secondly he needs to take the whole organization as one should work on systems, support and process.   Lastly, leader should be competent enough to know when you have to go for which growth because every decision has a cost so you should know what the pay back is on which decision are take.

Which Leader inspires you the most and why?

The leader which inspires me the most is, Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H), because he is a role model and a true leader. His very first quality that inspires me the most is trust and commitment and his second quality was his habit “documenting everything” or “putting everything in writing”.

What are the things which you look for in an ideal candidate?

I see their ethical profile and value system, because no matter a person knows everything, it is crucial that he knows how to deliver it and get gelled in the system. Secondly and equally important is the relevant experience and education. Shan Foods looks for the combination of both these factors.

What is the most important leadership challenge that keeps you awake at night?

The single most leadership challenge is people, because every person has different mindset and commitment. It is easier to update the systems within an organization but changing person and their mindset is one of the hardest tasks which any leader has to perform.

In your opinion what are qualities that every leader must possesses?

Communication skills, analytical skills and presentation skills are must for a leader along with energy and passionto lead. If a leader can’t present himself and the company, he can’t be a leader! If he is not analytical strong, he can’t take decisions and can’t think about sustainability and growth. Hence, it’s very important for a leader to impress his team with the above mentioned qualities.

What advice you would give to youngsters if they want to be in the leadership position?

Go for the core, love your thing. Don’t consider your job as merely a job rather takes ownership and love it. In order to be a true leader, one much possesses positivity in his personality and secondly he should live for people!

Author: Shiraz Ahmed

The author would like to thanks (Ramla Baig, Mustafa Saifuddin and Maheen Yousuf) for their support in conducting and compiling interview.