Creativity leads to better management

Find out how a creative person can excel in management with Omar Alwi, the Country Manager of American Express in Oman and Yemen

Life is unpredictable. I did my bachelor’s degree in commercial arts from the UK but instead of charting out a career in a creative filed, I ended up in customer and marketing management, selling a financial product in different markets! But I have no regrets. I have enjoyed every bit of my career with the American Express ever since I joined the company way back in 1992, moving away from handling reservations with Alitalia.

At American Express, I initially joined in the credit assessment function and later took upon the role of a territory manager in the eastern region in Saudi Arabia. In October 1999, I was posted to Oman to handle the market here, besides taking care of the Yemen market, which happens to be my homeland.

I have been monitoring Oman’s economy from close quarters. Take my word, the market here is booming and gearing up for a much higher scale of development in the near future. Think of any sector -- tourism, real estate, stock market, banking or education -- Oman is headed for a major upswing. I am excited by the new business opportunities created by the market expansion in the recent times. This is perhaps the best time for a manager to prove his mettle and take his company’s performance to new heights.

Team Performance
In the changing market dynamics, the manager’s role of setting up the requisite infrastructure and managing the team effectively becomes very crucial. I strongly believe that the key to achieve business goals and management objectives is to make the team perform at the optimum level. To make the team click, I think, a manager can follow two different strategies. One is to adopt a hard approach and use an autocratic style. I don’t believe in this method. This kind of approach might deliver results in the short run but in the longer run it might prove to be counter-productive to the company.

I prefer the second approach, which is based on treating the team members in a gentler manner. I try to understand their problems and strive to solve them. I boost their morale by encouraging and motivating them to achieve their individual goals by offering valuable tips. I strongly believe that if a manager can take his team along with him successfully, the task of achieving the desired results becomes that much more easier. The staff members are the real assets, which can make or break a company.

Work Experience
We see many a management graduates come in straightaway as managers, leading a team without any real time work experience. In comparison, I think managers who have gone through the grind themselves make better managers. Take my case. I have come up the rungs in a hard way by working in different positions in different functions across markets. I readily connect with the duties and problems of my team members as I have experienced all that myself. At American Express, my superiors treated me very nicely. And I treat my staff in similar way. So this kind of healthy work atmosphere spreads across the organization. I know from my experience that if I treat my team nicely, they will perform better.

I have been working on creating the perfect team in Oman. We aim to take American Express to the new emerging markets like Sohar, Sur and Salalah. With the rapid growth in economy, people are shifting their allegiance to plastic money. This gives us an enormous opportunity for business expansion.

I have seen many individuals who spend so much time on their professional lives that they start losing on the personal front. I believe that one should maintain a healthy balance between the professional and personal lives. That’s why, despite my busy schedule, I do make it a point to spend quality time with my four kids. I regularly take them out on weekends.

Only a good, healthy body can take care of the rigours of a tough professional life. So I work out at a gymnasium, and do walking, jogging and swimming regularly, to keep myself fit and in perfect shape. – As told to Akshay Bhatnagar