No matter how long it’s been, there are times harder to breathe – Unknown.
When I went back to work on Tuesday, Ron popped in my office and said can we have coffee in my office, Mir. I said just give me a minute or two as I needed to use the facility.
When I got in his office, he was waiting for me with a cup of coffee for me.
I said what’s up?
He said yesterday I had a meeting with Chris on some other subject and at the end of the meeting he asked me if I had thought about getting Mir to work on the operational planning as soon as he completed strategic planning.
Ron asked if I had any conversation with Chris on the subject lately.
I said initially when I was meeting with Chris regularly I had mentioned to him more than once that having just strategic planning done and putting it on the shelf is not going to do any good unless you have done operational planning for implementing each identified strategic opportunity. If you remember we had discussed this matter in one of our initial presentations.
Ron said yes, now I remember that. He said in any case, Chris wanted me to allocate some funds for the next phase of your consulting assignment with us.
I said I am flattered but I need to focus on completing the current assignment first.
He said I agree with you.
When I briefly discussed this conversation with Lynda that night after supper, she said you don’t seem to be excited about the prospect of continuing the contract. Is there any reason for that?
I was astounded with Lynda’s ability to detect the essence of the conversation and question the validity of the statement.
I said the politics in the bank were starting to get a bit intolerable.
She said explain to me. I don’t understand it.
I said I had lunch with Chris last week. He never stopped talking about Ron. I didn’t feel comfortable listening to his grumbling about Ron, and I didn’t think that it was my place to comment about any statement he was making.
I know Ron’s not the brightest light in the harbour but he’s willing to learn and to try doing a better job all the time. That is a unique quality. Nonetheless, Chris all of a sudden started playing politics and I have a feeling that he would like to get rid of Ron
Lynda said I wonder why he’s discussing Ron’s weaknesses with you knowing that your contract is with Ron, not with Chris.
I am afraid that he is using me to put Ron down, which isn’t fair.
She said what do you mean?
I said several times he compared Ron with me to make his point, but that is not fair either. I believe everybody has their strengths and weaknesses and Ron’s no exception. I tried to tell Chris that some of the things I do are the result of my being trained for them. I gave him an example: that I was responsible for 24-hour computer operations for several years with multiple employers. I used to get a telephone call for troubleshooting in the middle of the night and I had to decide what needed to be done to rectify the situation within a minute or two. Otherwise the impact on the overall schedule, as well as on the bottom line, could have been alarming.
Lynda said is he trying to offer you a job with the bank?
I said he tried that route, too. But I told him that I had no plans to go back to working for an organization.
Lynda said where do you think this is going to lead?
I said I am committed to finishing the current contract. It’s logical for me to do the next contract to help them with the Operational Planning, but I may have to look for a different opportunity somewhere else.
She said that makes sense. Let’s sleep on it.
As promised, I heard from my advisor on Friday.
As soon as I answered the phone at home around 6:00 PM on Friday, he said can I speak to Dr. Ali, please. I said don’t tell me that the committee has come up with their decision. He said, indeed, and it’s my pleasure to let you know that you’re now a Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Computer Information Science, with emphasis on Artificial Intelligence.
I said what a mouthful.
He said you deserve it, my friend.
I said where we can go from here. He said that’s what I need to talk to you about.
I said I am all ears.
He said he had an opportunity to discuss my idea of exploring the possibility of going into an AI consulting business with the emphasis on “Indigenous Medical Diagnostic System”. The objective would be to define their ways of figuring out the nature of a disease and prescribing the necessary cure/medicine for it. He continued: initially you would seek ways to secure some funds either from the provincial or federal government to conduct a feasibility study. He said everybody was thoroughly captivated with the approach and your way of thinking.
I said I am glad that they understood it. However, I had no idea how I was going to go about it.
He said you would find a way, knowing your ability to deal with complex situations. You have demonstrated it again and again.
I said thanks for the confidence but I need to finish what I am doing right now before I start following my dream. He said he totally understood that.
I thought our conversation was over as I knew that Lynda was waiting with Adam to go out for supper.
He said I have another matter to discuss with you. I said shoot.
The committee had also recommended offering you an honorary professorship in our institution.
I said I don’t even know what that means.
He said we don’t necessarily offer this to everyone who secures a Ph.D. with us.
I said please explain to me.
He said the committee thought that even though you don’t have any practical experience in the field of AI at this stage of the game; once you feel comfortable enough you could come and teach classes occasionally. He continued, I don’t think we can afford to offer you any compensation for that, except that we will cover your expenses.
I said I am absolutely honoured and I cannot thank you enough.
He said you don’t have to thank me as it wasn’t my decision. On that note, we said our goodbyes and hung up.
We went out to eat and without going through my telephone conversation, I remember saying to Adam and Lynda that I am now a Doctor of Philosophy. Both were happy to hear that.
When Adam went to bed and Lynda made some tea for us, she said am I going to sleep with a doctor tonight?
I said indeed my lady and thanks a million for supporting me all the way to get this degree. It may not be anything right now but one day it may work in our favour.
She said it was all your hard work and determination. But talk about what else you discussed on the phone when you were saying that you were totally grateful.
I said to her, I don’t know how to explain it to you. The committee had also decided to offer me an honorary professorship.
Lynda said what does that mean.
I said they want me to go back sometimes to teach a class or two.
Lynda said but you don’t have any practical experience yet in AI.
I said they know that but I had discussed with Herbert about what I was thinking to do with regards to AI.
Lynda said tell me about that, Doctor.
I said I wanted to explore the possibilities to secure some funds either from a provincial or federal government to conduct a feasibility study about capturing the ways Indigenous folks diagnose diseases and prescribe medicine.
She said how come I didn’t know anything about this?
I said it’s just a dream of mine. I don’t know too much about that but I am confident that the medicine men have been doing that for centuries. They have been transferring all that knowledge and wisdom for generations. I am not necessarily promoting going back to using their kind of medicine as the modern medicine has more to offer. Nevertheless, I am after their intelligence, prudence, and sagacity and I really believe that we can learn a lot. What I was thinking initially was that even though the Japanese AI model was tested again and again to perfect it, I feel that it would enrich the system if we learn and include how the medicine men determine the kind of disease their patients are suffering from.
I remember saying I am sorry to bore you about this babe, as I don’t exactly know what I am talking about. She said but Herbert bought that idea, didn’t he?
I said he’s just like Gord, babe. He’s a very smart guy but he gives me too much credit for anything I say. I don’t think I deserve that.
She said don’t be over modest. How about your bosses who thought you could walk on water?
They were too kind to me.
Let’s not forget the fact that Herbert picked you from more than 50 attendees in his seminar in San Francisco and he was absolutely right about you.
She said I know you and Gord always have respect for each other but he wasn’t the only one. Remember how Gerry Erber promoted you twice within a few months over his best friend because he thought you were clearly better qualified for that job.
I remember saying to Lynda that I am not arguing with you, my love. All I wanted to say was that I am not as smart as people think I am.
But you never disappointed any of your bosses including Mrs. Benda all throughout your career
I said let’s stop arguing now. I said the point is that I don’t know anything about securing funds in government environments and I don’t think I know anybody who will believe me like Herbert did. I believe partly due to the fact that not too many folks know anything about AI.
She said I agree with you wholeheartedly. The other day I was talking to one of my sorority sisters and mentioned to her that you are in the process of finalizing your thesis on the subject of AI. Do you want to know what she said about AI?
I said go right ahead.
She said my sorority sister thought I was talking about – Artificial Insemination. She thought you were going to be a medical doctor.
I said I rest my case.
I received my two degrees and a certificate for my honourary professorship by courier in the middle of July 1988. I called my advisor to let him know that I got everything as discussed on the phone. I thanked him again and promised to keep him posted with my progress.
I spent another month finalizing the strategic plan before I began working on operational planning.
In essence operational planning is the process of aligning action items with timelines and key milestones to execute the strategic plan, which was now finalized. It involves developing and implementing strategic goals and objectives to reach specific targets by:
- Creating actionable steps that need to be taken to meet the goals and objectives in the strategic plan; and
- Turning the strategic plan into a detailed map that outlines exactly what actions need to be taken on a weekly or daily basis, in order to produce the planned results.
The critical point of an operational plan is that it works best when an entire department buys in: assigning due dates for tasks, measuring goals for success, reporting on issues and collaborating effectively. It works even better when there’s a position like Project Manager, which facilitates communication across departments to ensure that the machine is running smoothly as each team reaches its benchmark.
My plan was to make a recommendation to create a senior position specifically to manage the whole plan. I always believed that consultants could do only so much to create a plan; constant and continuous efforts needed to be invested in order to provide in-house leadership and keep the plan current.
I had to go back to the initial presentations for strategic planning when we were looking for overall support for the process.
The good news was that folks in all the functional areas were told again and again about the need for their support, when we were in the process of doing strategic planning. They had come a long way in providing that support.
I prepared a presentation to explain what we would be doing regarding operational planning, and what we expected in terms of their participation in each of the following functional areas:
- Finance;
- Marketing;
- R&D;
- Human Resources; and
- Innovations.
I also defined seven steps as part of the process:
- Mapping Business Processes and Workflows: What steps need to be taken at the operations level to accomplish long-term strategic goals?
- Setting Operational-level Goals: Describe what operational-level goals contribute to the achievement of larger strategic goals;
- Determining the Operational Timeline: Is there any time frame for the achievement of the operational plan?
- Defining Resource Requirements: Estimate what resources are needed for the execution of the operational plan;
- Estimating the Operational Budget: Based on the resource requirements, estimate costs and define an operational budget;
- Setting a Hiring plan: Are there any skill gaps that need to be filled in the organization?
- Setting Key Performance Indicators: Define metrics and performance tracking procedures to measure the team’s performance.
It should keep me busy for a while but I had no idea what I would be doing once I was finished with Citibank. I had to admit that this contract was really good for me. When I started working with small companies, I had to adjust myself significantly in order to be creative and productive at the same time. I had to learn their politics, which was a critical part of my survival. Needless to say, I was grateful that I had those contracts with small companies. They saved my bacon.
Things were going relatively smoothly. Lynda was still enjoying working and being part of her sorority. From time to time we used to get together with sorority sisters and their husbands. Lynda’s association with the sorority was unbelievably influential. She had never been timid or shy before, but it felt as if she came out of her shell and really started enjoying life. Her leadership skills became more manifest. She started taking a leadership role in sorority activities. She even became the chapter president.
We were eating out a little more. I didn’t want Lynda to come home and cook for the family all the time as she was working very hard in the store.
Mom used to come and stay with us only on the weekends as Lynda had decided not to work on the weekends. Occasionally Lynda would go to work for a few minutes on the weekends to see if everything was going okay in her department. She liked to work with the general manager, who respected Lynda’s opinion. He always consulted with Lynda before making any major decisions for the store.
If I remember correctly, in early October I got a call from a friend of mine who was working for the Saudi Electric Company in Jeddah. His name was Saleh.
What was funny about him was that we were classmates from kindergarten through primary school in India. Our paths separated and we went in different directions to complete our studies and secure degrees in different faculties. We used to bump into each other when I was still in India but never had any formal connections for decades. All of a sudden in Chicago we found out that we were classmates again, as we both were majoring in computer science.
To make a long story short, Saleh had visited me in Canada before he decided to go to Jeddah. His family was living there and he had a job offer from the Saudi Electric Company.
I had the pleasure of speaking to him on the phone a few times during the last 15 years, just barely keeping in touch with each other. I remember whenever I spoke to him I would tell him what I was doing in Canada and what I was working on. He always used to say – we could use your expertise here in Jeddah. I thought he was just being kind to me.
At any event, Saleh called me on that weekend in October. He said he had been talking to his boss about me on and off, nothing specific, about any opportunities they might have in their organization. He was surprised on Thursday when all of a sudden his boss asked him if his friend would be interested in coming to Saudi Arabia. His boss also said if he’s interested, would he send his latest resume?
I was flabbergasted with the news and didn’t know how to react.
Saleh said there’s always a possibility that nothing will come out of this. His boss goes through resumes on a regular basis trying to find a good match.
I said let me say this: at the risk of sounding unappreciative I haven’t had an opportunity to think about Saudi Arabia lately. I have been focusing on re-establishing myself to work in a banking environment. Nevertheless, I don’t want to miss an opportunity to go to Saudi Arabia.
Saleh said. You will have plenty time to think about whatever you would like to do. Sending your resume doesn’t guarantee that you will be offered a job or contract.
In that case, I said, give me your fax number and I will fax my resume to your boss ASAP. Please keep it in mind that I don’t want to complicate my current consulting contract with Citibank by giving any contact information. At the same time, I don’t have any problem if he would like to talk to my references in the bank in Alberta.
Saleh said, just one reference should be good enough. He also said that his boss is very fastidious. He’s not difficult but he’s very demanding. On top of everything, he’s not easily impressed.
I said why I don’t leave it for now until he gets a chance to browse my resume.
We hung up.
When I got back to our living room, Lynda was waiting for me to ask questions about my conversation with Saleh.
I said nothing exciting except that Saleh’s boss wanted to have a copy of my resume.
Lynda said what does that mean. I said nothing. Saleh had been talking to him about me for a while but he never expressed any interest in getting my resume before.
Lynda said it has been your desire to go there, but do you think it’s sensible to explore any possibilities for going to Saudi Arabia when you already have a pretty good contract with Citibank?
I said I am not rushing anywhere, babe. Nobody’s desperately looking for my skills enough to get excited and offer me a job or a contract. There’s always a possibility that it could turn out to be a fool’s errand.
In any case, I will go ahead and fax my resume as I promised Saleh but I will not hold my breath. I don’t have any direct experience working for an electric company and typically people prefer that relevant experience. Lynda said you know as well as I do that your skills are not industry-dependent. You can walk into an entirely different environment without having any relevant experience, and you still can troubleshoot and produce meaningful results that would ensure the productivity as well as the integrity of the operations.
I said – WOW! Where did you learn that kind of talk? She said I know I have never been to any university, but I am not totally stupid. I know why your bosses thought you could walk on water.
I said I am totally flattered but believe me we are wasting our energy talking about things that may never happen.
She said I have another issue on the subject to discuss. She said tell me why you think your friend’s so interested in getting you there, knowing that I am Jewish and it may not be a good fit for us in Saudi Arabia.
I said I remember discussing this issue with Saleh initially when he had brought up the subject. He knew that you’re Jewish and he thought that would not be an issue. But he could be wrong.
Lynda said perhaps another critical issue about going to Saudi Arabia is Adam’s education. She continued– I am not sure if they have adequate educational facilities. He’s now in high school and he wants to be a doctor.
I said perhaps another option for Adam could be a boarding school either here in Canada or in Europe. She said now you’re pushing your luck, my friend. Do you think I would let my baby go anywhere away from me when he’s only 14 years old?
Instead of answering her question, I said you definitely have valid points to discuss and resolve before we make any decisions. I think it’s premature to get excited about these issues without knowing whether they would be interested in my qualifications.
Lynda said let’s not mention anything about this to Adam yet. I agreed with her wholeheartedly.
I went back to work on Monday and got busy with all the initial activities to negotiate a schedule for making presentations to all five functional areas. Chris and Ron both were very helpful in lining up the user community. Now that I had a bit of credibility working with them, they were doing their best to cooperate with me.
At the end of the week Ron said can we have lunch today?
I said of course we can. I called my club to make a reservation for two.
As soon as I popped in Ron’s office to let him know that the reservation’s made, he said it’s too bad that they don’t accept my credit card to pay for the lunch. I said we have gone through this before, Ron. He said I know but I wanted to say how much I really appreciate this, Mir. I said you are always welcome.
During our lunch we just chatted about how the users were interested in proceeding with the plan for conducting presentations. We were laughing about some of the things that went wrong when we initiated this process for the strategic plan.
When we were having coffee, Ron said did Chris ever discuss with you anything about me.
I was shocked with the question. I had to be careful about saying anything on that political question.
I said whenever I had an opportunity to have lunch with Chris; he always discussed the process and brought up names mainly about the users. From time to time, he commented about almost everybody involved in the process.
Ron said you don’t have to be political with me, Mir.
I said yes, he talked to me about you frequently and his comments about you were not necessarily based on the facts. I don’t like to say anything more. I am just a consultant. I would like to stay away from bank politics.
Ron said I am so sorry, Mir. However, I do have another thing to discuss with you. I said shoot.
He said your current contract expires at the end of October, based on the plan that you would be able to complete your current assignment to finalize operational planning.
I said I remember that. What was your question?
He said do you want me to look into renewing your contract for another three months, Mir.
I said I think this will be the end of my contract with you folks, Ron.
Ron said do you have anything already lined up, Mir?
I said, no. I would like to take some time off. I really appreciate the opportunity that I had to work with you.
When we got back from our lunch, I had a couple of meetings that afternoon.
I got home around 6:00 PM and Lynda said my friend called from Saudi Arabia and he wanted me to call him back.
I said to Lynda did you have an opportunity to talk to Saleh?
She said I did and we chatted for a couple of minutes but he didn’t mention why he was calling.
I said I don’t feel like talking to anybody tonight. How about if I call him back tomorrow. She said I don’t care.
