Over the years, Owais Dagra has developed a set of philosophies, fundamentals and driving principles, which have cultivated from lessons he has extracted from practical experiences. Owais has adapted these ingredients as a guide post for wise decision making.
These philosophies, fundamentals and driving principles play an integral part in his business approach. They will be part of his autobiography, Battles of Hope: My Ongoing Journey
Fundamentals For Success
Think Big
“There is nothing, which cannot be achieved, provided one has an open mind, the will, devotion, determination, enthusiasm and vision to achieve the seemingly impossible. If you think it can’t be done, then it will never be done.”
Distinction between Dreams and Visions
“There is an important distinction between visions and dreams. Dreams consist of desires for certain results and achievements, supported only by wishes and faith. On the other hand visions consist of special goals and objectives, calculated to produce an intended result that is supported by actions, strategies, initiatives and deeds.”
Long-Term Plan with Short Term Results
“Organizations need a long-term plan and strategic vision for growth, coupled with a short-term plan that emphasizes tangible results and benefits. On the other hand, if you focus only on the short term plan you will not anticipate or plan for many changes that are occurring in the overall business environment or in your industry or among your competitors or in the markets in which you do business.”
The Value of Strategic Alliances
“The role of strategic ally should be viewed as a mentor, valued friend and advisor that contributes significantly to the growth of the company and its ongoing development. In-house limitations should be outsourced on a prudent and cost effective basis, promoting a concept of external team working in conjunction with and supplementary to the internal team.”
Communication
“One should never have a hidden agenda in dealing with people. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Nothing is as transparent as duplicity, manipulation and selfishness. Always be upfront about your needs and expected benefits.”
Sense of Urgency
“Sense of urgency is intensity about everything you do. To miss an opportunity for as little as one day means that the competition is ahead of you. There is no such thing as a 40 hours work week. Weeks don’t count, days don’t count, every minute counts. That is the level of intensity that one should endeavor to sustain, day in and day out.”
Forward Thinking
“Emphasize and practice forward thinking. A business enterprise that is pursuing ambitious goals at an aggressive pace, may encounter hindrances and challenges. One should aspire to focus on creating and pursuing solutions and not whining about problems. It is important that you never feel sorry regarding the problems and that a high degree of focus is always maintained on finding and effectuating solutions.”
Learn From Mistakes
“One should have the courage to take risks and expect to make mistakes. However, the same level of courage needs to apply in quickly recognizing and admitting your mistakes and then examining and critiquing them. Some of the mistakes will be big ones. Never hesitate to take drastic actions to correct the mistakes even if it means that you go 180 degrees in the opposite direction.”
Education
“Emphasizing education does not mean formal academic education. Every activity and event can result in benefit if viewed with an eye toward educating oneself. Ambition without knowledge is like a boat on dry land.”
Knowledge About Business
“There are a lot of small businesses out there, that are very ambitious about their plans but they sometimes lack knowledge. Due to limited financial resources or lack of personal business management experience, entrepreneurs often find themselves operating with limitations with respect to knowledge and talent needed to run a successful growing organization in a highly competitive environment. To overcome these challenges the approach should be developing an external team of talented individuals representing various professional disciplines that can supplement the resources in management of the company.”
Creativity
“One needs to be creative, but it is not essential to be inventive. There is fine line between creative and being inventive. Much of success depends on thinking of creative applications for using concepts that already exist rather than inventing the new ones.”
Never Be Afraid Of Criticism
“One should be flexible enough to change strategies, goals, and approaches to meet the changing scenario constantly and accept criticism with a view of constructive feedback.”
“No one fundamental will be the basis of success as success is the result of several ingredients working in combination.”