Pakistan’s Steve Jobs!
By Syed JamranHashmi
Westfield, IN
Ever wonder what made Steve Jobs, the most celebrated Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Apple, Steve Jobs ? He was neither a scientist nor a mathematician, nor engineer or telecommunication expert. He did not even have a college degree. Then, why was he so successful? Instead of traditional university degrees, his talent rested in the power of his imagination, his ability to peep into the future and of course, his aesthetics, a gift that could not have been taught in a conventional university course.
So how big an impact did he make? In a way, the world we live in today is the world that Steve Jobs had once envisioned for us, a planet interconnected with iPhones, iPods, iPads loaded with iMessages, iPhotos, iTunes and iBooks. Each device, though portable, fragile and lightweight, can carry the load of our lifetime: music collection, electronic library, movies, work schedule, bank accounts, financial statements, sticky notes, phone numbers, and photo albums. Which is why we must see him as a phenomenon, an era of business entrepreneurship and not as an individual, a mortal human being who got ill and passed away. Once his strengths are identified, it will be easy to make comparisons, draw some basic conclusions and analyze how other people across the globe have seized success.
With that in mind, I think every nation, including Pakistan, has produced some version of its own Steve Jobs; not as impressive or influential, but may be as brilliant and as successful locally as the former CEO of Apple. Now tell me among all the business icons who do you think best describes Pakistan’s Steve Jobs? Hold your horses and do not answer just yet; let me clarify some misconceptions before you jump.
First about appearances: Do you imagine a Pakistani man, tall, lean and bearded wearing a black turtle neck sweatshirt and a blue jeans standing on the stage introducing his new product? If so, you are mistaken. Remember Pakistan is not the US. Each country’s Steve Jobs represents the ethos of his own society. If simplicity, elegance, and assertiveness defined American norms, then pomposity, piety and philanthropy, will define ours, which means our candidate will be a little loud, a bit uncouth and slightly haughty boasting about the number of people he fed last week or the hospital that he built for poor and needy.
Second: Are you thinking of a college dropout in this race? If your responded in a nod, then again you miscalculated. Remember not every genius fails college! Pakistanis enjoy various ways to pass their tests without ever showing up in the class and obtain the degree with flying colors. The bottomline is that bare minimum in education will do just fine while the Oxford degrees can be overrated.
Third: what language should he speak? Mr Jobs spoke English because English was the official language of his country. Our businessman, therefore will speak one of the dialects, or at best may impress us with his fluency in the national language, Urdu, with a thick accent. But do not pay too much attention to his accent. Just notice if he uses religious phrases while speaking or not. To be a good Pakistani, we must use Inshah Allah, Masha Allah and other Arabic terms frequently and the more we insert them in our sentences, the better Muslims we will be considered to be.
Fourth: Are you looking for ‘Mr Clean’ in here? A person who does not know to push a file from one desk to the next? It is just not possible in Pakistan. Honestly, the way the government system has been set up, only a miracle can bring a favorable outcome if he followed all the rules. These rules here are framed only to be broken in order to help the government officials to live an extraordinary life, their kids driving BMWs, their spouses flying to Dubai for shopping, minds crammed with designer stuff.
Fifth: Do you think he would be recognized internationally from day one? Nope. Even Mr Jobs’ popularity transcended beyond borders very late in his life. In our case, nationwide appreciation already exists, if his company’s new projects succeed, worldwide fame will be knocking at his door step, without any doubt.
The last: What is the biggest barrier to become Steve Jobs? It is to have a powerful opponent, an established company that already rules the market. While it can be a hindrance for some but for a confident innovator it is an opportunity. In case of Apple, that powerful opponent was Microsoft. For Mac to break the hegemony of Windows, it had to work in collaboration with its rival to avoid a bitter conflict on the one hand, while on the other, it has to build its own reputation as a better, more reliable, virus-free alternative. I think Pakistani Steve Jobs faced a similar challenge and yes, he worked hand in hand with his business competitor.
Now tell me who do you think fits in this picture? Yes, you got it right! No other than the property Mogul and the Chairman of Bahria Town, Malik Riaz, can be pitted against Steve Jobs in Pakistan, the only entrepreneur who embarked on a journey of real estate development to compete with the Defense Housing Authority (DHA), an organization backed by the Pakistani military, that holds the footprints in every major city. And the key to his success? He follows the golden principle that Michael Corleone in Godfather once laid out: “ Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.”
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