The youth must take initiatives to solve social, global and business problems

I was just a fresh engineering graduate when I started my career at Bata Shoe Company. At that time I had observed that people with business degrees had white-collar positions. That was the first challenge of being an engineer. If an organization is finance or marketing-driven, engineers are not valued that much. Engineers and technical people do solve problems and drive projects yet they are not valued as expected. 

I was a bit of an introvert when I started my career. One of my bosses helped me a lot to cope with the situation. It is a great blessing to get a proper mentor during early career and I was lucky enough to get one. Another challenge I found is corporate politics, especially in multinational organizations. I have worked in four multinationals. There were some internal political issues in those organizations. High-performers tend to get involved in politics. When I realized that this is not my field, I quit that field. If the culture and eco-system of a particular field does not support me, I never stay in that field. 

I believe everyone should have or seek out a good mentor in every stage of his or her life. In most of the cases, my bosses were my mentors. I did not have the ego to not obey someone who is much younger than me. At ACI, my boss’s age is almost the same as mine and I am fine with that. While at Otobi, after NitunKundu’s departure, Mr. Animesh became my boss, who was much younger than me. Still, I was fine working with him under his leadership. Whoever happened to be my boss in my career helped me a lot and guided me well.

I always try to learn how to adapt and manage the issues in a social-ecosystem. This kind of adaptability is a must. I develop my skills a lot. I think starting from the bottom is obvious because you cannot always jump to the top from the beginning. You should know things from how to write a file or staple papers to maintaining accounting journal entry, settling an account in the system, writing a marketing plan, developing a business plan, and even achieving a sales target. These are the  small things that should be learned at an early age. When you are not on the top, people usually give you jobs and tasks. This is what you learn from and develop your skills. Once I became the CEO, I made sure to know almost every single detail of accounts, marketing, strategy, and engineering. So no one can influence me in an inappropriate manner. I can go to the depth of anything that my people are talking about. 

I strive to keep myself updated. Till 2017, I studied in the USA. I went to UC Barkley to learn Data Science. I also went to MIT to learn more about technology. I was at MIT for a one-year program. I became MIT’s alumni, and then I got the alumni status from UC Barkley. Currently, I am working as a mentor at MIT. Still, I am learning and trying to contribute to the institutions and society. It is another mantra of mine to always keep my skills updated. A specific suggestion for the youth is that as the 4th Industrial Revolution is approaching you should all learn programming and machine language. At our organization, we emphasize on learning programming languages. Even the people who are working at the operational level know how to program.

To the young generation, I would suggest that they should cultivate a process-orientated and problem- solving mindset. Sometimes, young people’s work turn out only mediocre because they often do not consciously practise such approach. Before joining any organization, they should learn about the core problems and issues of that organization. Young people should take initiatives to solve these core problems. Working while staying in the backstage won’t always get you the limelight. So, you should sell what you are good at. If you can sing well, you should start singing on stage. Similarly, in the corporate world, you should have a clear idea of what your CEO wants. You should keep your CEO always updated with your initiatives and thoughts. If you have a boss in between you and your CEO, you should inform your boss at first. Let him win first, he will make you win someday. 

Last but not least, be kind. Be good to people and it will finally pay off. If you try to reach the pinnacle ignoring the basics, you will not be able to survive as the journey will not sustain itself for long. Your basics and core beliefs should be as solid as a rock. Being social, behaving with proper manner will make your base strong. 

I see a glorious Bangladesh in the upcoming days. Since our economic index(s) are showing improvements, our social indexes will improve too. Society will take a new form. As this world has become a global village, we need to keep up with the global trends. Without keeping up with the value system, we cannot grow further. Today’s youth are prosperity-driven; they always want to see new things. So, aligning themselves with global values will give the youth an extra mileage. 

Sabbir Hasan Nasir

Executive Director, ACI Logistics Ltd. (Shwapno)

(Shwapno is a pioneer and one of the largest retail store companies in Bangladesh.)