People come first
Nasser Said al Bahantah is a firm believer in the primacy of human resources for the growth of any company. Mayank Singh reports

A Business Administration graduate from Yarmouk University, Jordan, Nasser Said al Bahantah, deputy general manager, chief human resources manager, NBO took up a career in human resources (HR) as he sees it as the most challenging part of any organisation. Though HR is usually seen as the soft side of business, while financial and fiscal (property, machines) matters are considered the hard side, Nasser says, “It is the only part of the organisation that makes a difference. You can have all the machinery and money, but if you do not have the qualified staff a company is bound to fail. Management is the process of combining human, financial and fiscal resources to produce the goals of the company.”

Starting his career with BankMuscat in June 1990, Nasser went on to work with Shell, Schlumberger in Abu Dhabi, Omantel and Bank Al Jazeera in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A good HR manager should have the knowledge of HR functions like recruitment, selection etc, but more than that he should understand the nature of the business and its strategy. “To build credibility it is important to have execution capability, when you say something , it needs to be backed by delivery,” says Nasser.

As people get retrenched all over the world in the wake of the financial crisis, the credo about people being the most important part of any organisation seems to have a hollow ring. With people’s costs being the biggest cost in any organisation, the first instinct of any organisation in the face of a crisis is to cut people’s cost. Says Nasser, “There are better ways of managing costs, world-wide companies have managed to reduce costs without large lay-offs, by taking an innovative approach like allowing people to work from home, giving them unpaid leave etc. Unfortunately we see leaders in financial institutions across the globe being driven by short term results rather than taking a long term view.”

Leisure time
Conscious about his health, Nasser walks for an hour on the Intercontinental beach. “I have 90 per cent success,” he says in jest. An occasional game of tennis and swimming are the other sports that he pursues. A modest eater, Nasser tries to stick to an organised diet. Apart from sports he likes reading during his free time. Books on management and economy being his first choice. He is currently reading Jim Collins, From Good to Great.

A nature lover, he likes camping outdoors with his friends and family. “Oman has so many beautiful beaches and wadis,” he says. When it comes to travelling overseas he is partial to Africa and Asia. “As I have travelled extensively in the US and Europe on work, it is too familiar, going to other places gives the feel of a holiday.” Malaysia remains an abiding favourite due to its rich culture. “I went to China last year and found it to be different and exciting.” Weekends are spent in the company of his three children either watching movies, dining out or driving out of Muscat to places like Nakhal, Rustaq, Nizwa, Sohar etc. “Weekends are for the family and I would not go to work unless there is something urgent,” he avers.

Looking back at the influences that have shaped him he says, “The greatest lesson that I learnt from my father, Sheikh Sayyid was to treat people fairly, respect them, help others and to work hard.” Nasser has not just imbibed these but has turned out to be a inspiring example of these values.
 

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