4 Business Lessons I Learned from My Children
By Imtisal Abbasi, an EO Karachi member and COO of IAL Saatchi & Saatchi.
Sometimes business lessons can come from the least likely of places. In my case, some of my greatest lessons learned occurred on the family front. I’m the father of two amazing boys: Raiyan, a 14-year-old, and Nimr, an 11-year-old. My wife, Onaissa, and I try to impress upon them our values, but I also recognize that if you let them, kids can be great teachers. Here are a few business lessons I’ve learned from my children:
On Creativity
A few months ago, Nimr was playing with a variety of action figures. I asked him what he was playing. He looked at me with a straight face and said, “Star Wars, Pirates, Aliens and Ninjas.” I said, “Well, where does the dinosaur fit into the game?” He quickly replied, “That’s not a dinosaur, daddy, it’s a pirate.” Upon closer examination, the Tyrannosaurus Rex (or T-Rex) clearly had an eye patch drawn on with a black marker. My son showed incredible creativity and the ability to improvise and realize his vision.