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Syed Saqlain Raza F2019376021

Life and Learning (C-5)

Assignment 1

Profiling high achiever

• Introduction

The person I have chosen for our assignment is Salim Ghauri. Salim Ghauri, being a pioneer in
Pakistan’s Software and IT industry, is often regarded as the Bill Gates of Pakistan. He was born
in Bahawalpur and brought up in Lahore, however, he realized his interest in Computers when
he moved to Romania on a scholarship for higher studies. Being a restless child, he explored and
expanded things beyond his knowledge. It was 1995 when arrived from Romania and founded
Netsol with a small office yet bigger dreams. At that time, technology and IT were not among
the booming industries of Pakistan. He did what most people told him is risky and impossible. It
was his vision that made Netsol a leading software company that was the first to be listed on
Karachi Stock Exchange and secure CMMI Level 5. Salim Ghauri is the President of TiE Lahore
Chapter and President of the American Business Forum as well. He has also served as First
Chairperson of Corporate Advisory Council (CAC) of NUST Institute of Information
Technology.

Criteria for selection

The main reason why I chose this person for our assignment is because he has experienced many
things in his life and most of us can relate to him at different phases of our life. Some of us can
relate to him in their struggling days and some of us can relate to him when they feel that they
have wasted the opportunity of being successful because Salim Ghauri has also experienced this
same feeling in his life not even once but twice. So, the story of his life is a lesson for all of us
that I can always get better in our life and I can change things in our favor by simply believing in
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ourself. He is an optimistic person who sees positivity in everything which is a good quality
because this can boost your confidence and can help you move forward in your life.

What, why, and how did he Achieved success

Salim Ghauri was born in Bahawalpur and brought up in Lahore, however, he realized his
interest in Computers when he moved to Romania on a scholarship for higher studies. He was a
quick learner and he wanted to learn about the new technology and at that time he became one of
the youngest MCSE (Microsoft certified systems engineer).
“Salim Ghauri started in 1996 with a small team to first customize, and later develop software
for Mercedes-Benz. This engagement enabled him to introduce the latest trends in IT and quality
standards in his Pakistan based company. Convinced of the talent and potential of his local team,
he made dedicated efforts to overtake international competitors. During these twelve years, these
efforts led to explosive growth and shaped into a successful, world-class organization. This
organization was publicly awarded by the achievement of CMMI Level 5 certification and by the
international recognition of NetSol’s software product. The rise of NetSol put Pakistan on the
global IT map. Salim Ghauri can be considered a visionary entrepreneur and a role model of a
CEO in the same way as his company, NetSol, is an inspiration for IT companies in developing
economies.”
What, why, and How many Failures
Salim Ghauri has faced many setbacks in his life not even once but twice. When he went
Australia, he stared working in an IT company known as MIS technologies. He worked there as
a senior system and security consultant. His childhood dream was to become successful in life
and run his own business. His company was performing brilliantly in the market until 2008. The
market crashed in 2008 and his company was not able to survive that period. Eventually, his
company collapsed.
He went to Malaysia. He did not give up and continued his journey towards success by
launching another company in the very next year in 2009. After some time, his bank statement
was good so he applied for a bank loan. His loan was approved so he started doing business with
the bank’s money. Slowly his business started to go down and after some time he eventually
became bank corrupt. He was heartbroken but still he did not give up because he was an
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optimistic person who looks at a brighter picture. NetSol went through some trying times during
a downturn in the Pakistani economy; many IT companies closed down. Salim stayed on, and
did not abandon NetSol, did not let go of his people and probably took some hits financially just
to get through the rough spot. Not only that, NetSol continued to pursue excellence and achieved
unprecedented successes such as CMMI Level 5 certification, one of the first in the country.
This is testament to Salim's tenacity as a professional and his commitment as a leader in the
industry.

Resources Values, Ethics, Habits, Ways, Means

Salim Ghauri reason behind success is that he always believes in himself. He thinks that there is
noting that you cannot achieve if you are really interested and focused in life. He tells people
that there are no shortcuts of success. Everything will happen when it’s meant to happen you
cannot look for a shortcut in life. When his business failed in 2008, he was heartbroken. His
father used to teach him about Islam and then slowly he became religious and he started to
understand things better after that. When he graduated, he used his resources Ill; which was the
interest in computers and ability to learn new things. He always wanted to do something big in
life. He never settled for less. When he was doing a job in IT company, he was not happy
because his life goal was to do something big and be successful. He always tells people to dream
big so you can one day achieve something big because if you think that I am doing good right
now and I don’t want more than you can never convince yourself to do something bigger. That’s
why setting big goals are important in life.

Lessons & Critical Review

There are a lot of things that I can learn from Salim Ghauri life story. People who are confused
and do not know how to pursue their career can look up to him as their mentor. He has done
tremendous amount of work for the betterment of the youth and provided them with best
facilities. One of the main things that I can learn from him is that I should always look at the
brighter picture. I all will face hardships and defeats in our life. Some people may face them
earlier in their career and some may face them later on in their career but one thing that I must
understand is that I will not give up no matter what. I must know that there are no shortcuts in
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life. Everyone who is successful in life has worked very hard in their life and there is a complete
process behind it. I should set our short- and long-term goals in our life. Goal setting will help us
develop a positive mindset because then I will know that I have to achieve this goal so I will
start working for our goals. Another thing that I should know is that after every failure comes
success and happiness. So, if I quit after facing the failure then I will not be able to achieve
success in life therefore, In order to achieve your goal or to do something big in life; I must face
our failure with dignity and with full confidence. I can also learn the value of self-reflection
from Salim Ghauri because when he failed, he started to think what he did wrong in the past
then he corrected those mistakes. So, I should also think about our past experiences and try to
correct them.