A theme that is very important to me; a theme that I hammer at least once a month since I launched this blog:
“no matter how good you might be at your job, no matter what that job may be, do not fall into the trap of thinking you are more important than you really are.”
In this blog, over the past 6 months, I have used myself and my past as the ultimate example of the “super bitch” …. with the purpose of trying to get all readers (even those that do not work at naseba) to reflect on themselves so to become better.
As stated many times throughout this blog - there is no way I would be where I am today if it was not for Marcus Evans.
During the time I worked for that company, there were things that I did not like or I did not agree with, however, upon reflection…Marcus obviously knows what he is doing - and nearly, everything I disagreed with, I realize today Marcus was right.
Furthermore, M.E. gave me opportunities that no other company gives to non experienced young people.
Upon reflection, during the 3 years I worked there: I was paid a big basic salary,commissions, override, bonus’ — a ridiculous amount of money….but there is no way I was worth the money I was paid. NO WAY.
I traveled the world with the company and lived and managed in different countries…. there is no other company that I know of that would have given me, at the time, a non experienced GM the chance to be a General Manager in 7 different countries/international cities at such a young age.
I had direct access to my Chairman (someone who is worth several 100 million euros)…..there is no other company (at least very few) where such a sucessful business man gives so much time to his mid level employees.
I took it all forgranted.
In the end, my arrogance pushed me off the proverbial mountain that I was climbing… I became a super bitch who was never happy. I thought I knew more than my boss.
Readers: There is absolutely no way I would have achieved what I have today - and what I will achieve tomorrow - if I had not reflected on myself, my mistakes, assumed responsibilty for my failures and made a serious change in my person.
…. I could have spent the rest of my life bitching about M.E. and being a “victim” (esp. since I discovered when I left that the I.T. department read my personal emails and stole my credit card numbers and charged over 20,000 euros) — but I decided to take the road less traveled…. and reflect and change.
I had lunch with Liam Findlay and Sophie yesterday in Dubai and we discussed the “super bitch syndrome” …. why does this industry creates so many “super bitches”…..?
Just an example….
I have been told that there is a following of ex naseba staff in Dubai from the Indian subcontinent who work at the “greener grass” that are loyal readers to this blog … Several of the readers, without question, naseba, the naseba culture and Fabien Faure had a life changing impact on them.
A few years ago, Sophie was in Mumbai on a business trip and my PA in Dubai at the time organized for his best friend — a sharp, good looking young man from Mumbai named Imran and his friends to meet Sophie and show her around the city.
Sophie was very impressed with my PA’s best friend so she suggested Fabien recruit him to Dubai.
Because of naseba, this person, Imran Kahn went from waiting tables and parking cars in Mumbai to working at naseba in Dubai. He worked for us for 4 months and was pretty good, but he had a big problem with honesty and loyalty…
He was the second one to quit to go work for another conference company, the “greener grass….” (I have tremendous respect for IQPC so my comments that might be perceived as negative have nothing to do with this company)
Currently, Imran’s job is telemarketing….to “follow up” with people who have expressed an interest in attending a $1,595 conference.
Apparently, because he went from waiting tables in Mumbai … to being able close $1,595 on the phone …. he thinks he is “the next Lakshimi.”
Jassim told me how Imran calls him every single saturday and bitches about naseba and this blog.
(The next Lakshim has mentioned to Jassim that he reads the blog every day)
Note: No one at naseba ever stole from him. No one at naseba ever let him down….. he just found “greener grass.”
I do not understand the point of being consumed with bitterness like an old girl friend?
I know from an old friend who works for the same company as “The next Lakshimi….” that he is not even in the top 5 in his Dubai office in sales…. yet each week “The next Lakshimi” calls Jassim to give his input on how badly naseba is doing
Furthermore….
Fabien told me that Imran Kahn said that he will do anything he can to hurt naseba and Scott Ragsdale …. apparently, this punk said he will “spit” in my face when he sees me. (I sincerely look forward this)
“The next Lakshimi….” You are excitedly telling people that you will do anything to try and hurt me and naseba? Bring it on…
I challenge in front of all the readers…let’s see how tough you are — come and spit in my face on Monday. (Although I do not remember what this punk looks like)
But I remind Imran Kahn - and the readers…..that he was waiting tables before Sophie and Fabien sponsored him out of India to Dubai….trainned and supported him. Whatever success he has achieved today and where he is today is in large part because of Sophie and Fabien - naseba.
Although I am very pleased with his great success at IQPC (I am dissapointed he is not in the top 5 best sales people - he should be)
I do not understand……. why someone who is so venomously bitter towards naseba is such a loyal reader of this blog?
WAKE UP … you think because you can “follow up” (this is not selling) with clients that have emailed in expressing interest in booking on board a $1,595 conference that you know more about management than Jassim who leads a team of 14 and is in charge of a 4.8 million euro division at naseba?
I say this for your benefit Imran (Lakshimi)- not to hurt your feelings …. but WAKE UP.
If you do not wake up and reflect, you will never climb higher.
The truth: in the business world you are a fucking nobody.
….Back to being positive with this entry:
Although my success at my previous employer was on a completely different level to Imran’s at IQPC …. I was once very similar to him …
I thought because I was the best at selling sponsorships on the phone that I was more important than I really was … I thought I knew more than my boss….
Justin and Sophie will tell me that they do not like todays blog because I waste the readers time mentioning a “nobody” delegate sales executive at another company …. but the theme of today’s blog is very important to me.
Surely, there are readers out there who are just like the old Scott at M.E. …
I was a good guy at heart and loyal to my chairman, but success gave me a big head and made me believe I was more important than I really was….
Some readers (esp. my old friends at the “greener grass”) will take this blog the wrong way and focus on the negatives….but I had to highlight the negatives to purify the positives for todays focus.
Without question, there is a reader out there who will take this blog positively, and reflect on themselves and change…
…stop letting “the super bitch syndrome” get in their way of where they want to go.
8 Responses to “ode to Marcus Evans III….”
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April 6th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
Real satirical humour and I enjoyed the cleverly peppered sarcasm too.
The fact is “Anyone and everyone is expendable” in an organisation where they contribute in a team environment
So the Lakshmi’s of the world go easy take your baby steps before thinking of leaps and bounds.
April 7th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
Awesome blog today. you’re correct, imran is a nobody.
(please I suggest you do a blog comparing “greener grass” people, and their careers since they found greener grass to the careers of Saleem, LP, Jassim, Shavina and Sidd and mention rami (the best sales person i have ever met) as well.
Compare like for like.
big green grass’s career (the 1st guy that quit and then head hunted your staff) vs. Saleem’s career who is the general manager of an office that i hear has 3 floors and over 100 employees. Robin is the sales director of an office in cape town. jassim leads, what? 10-15 people and your biggest divisions. Shavina expanded and re-developed your TNT division. Please tell us about the greener grass and their careers vs. the key people mentioned above. how has the greener grass developed as leaders? does big green grass manage 100+ people? (I dont think so) does he run the biggest division within his company? does he travel the world and has he developed like the woman running your tnt division? scott - you change people lives and challenge us to be and become the best we can. it is unbelievable the disrespect losers like Imran and the green grass show you. where would they be today had they not met SR? as you said imran would be parking cars or waiting tables. he is a real zero - and i am sure he knows this. 3 years from now. where will he be? where will your key staff be? the reason these people are so bitter and negative towards you is that they understand exactly what they lost.
If you post this comment please make sure you inform the people that read that I do not work for naseba. i didnt quit, i was terminated, because I became a super bitch, but I still remain a loyal follwer to scott ragsdale. (and I am not your buddy johan). one never realizes what they have until it is gone.
April 7th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
John Galt - this is a very good . give me a couple days… I want to leave this blog up for a couple more days to maximimize exposure.
I need to figure out how to turn the entry you suggest into something that is positive not just a “f you” to our old friends
i am off to bangalore tomorrow night to review saleem and his army of 120. it is a good idea to compare “greener grass” careers over the past 2 years to especially, saleem, shavina, Riju, Moe, jassim and LP’s … just to name a few.
for the readers that know me, naseba and my old friends … i do not know who John Galt is. (however, he is not the american some of us thought he was)
great idea you have given me John Galt - give me until wednesday.
April 8th, 2008 at 5:28 am
i like john galt idea a lot. make sure you disucss saleem and everything he is doing and achieved in just 2 years. Riju is another good example of your successful development of people. I am biased because he is on my team, but jassim was trained by the big green grass and he did not quit when he tried to head hunt him. there are many examples scott and i dont know which is the best example. but i do know for certain that no one at greener grass is leading armies and develping as leaders like saleem, lp, shavina, jassim, chuck, ackash and riju.
Ackash’s career development is also perrrrrrfect example. of course LP — you should put LP’s speech he did in front of 400 people on your blog because no one at greener grass could do that great speech. Me and Nic are good examples also. maybe you should call your blog “loyalty is a choice.”
why didnt imran come and spit in your face yesterday? all talk…
as you say, “naseba is not for everyone.”
April 8th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
hello scott,
i dont expect you to post this. i understand you are a busy man, but i have a suggestion to make.
why dont you do a blog directed to your employees where you state that if they reply back to your blogs, they wont get fired, as everyone is entitled to their own opinion? i had a few fellow employees go white in the face when i said i would respond to “the greener grass”. in my opinion, i would ‘rather die standing than live on my knees’. i understand that you are a passionate man, willing to anything for your naseba and its army.
i do read your blog everyday, and agree with most things you say. however this blog left me slightly puzzled. i thought about the idea of replying to your blog, fearful that i would be sacked, however i dont think you want people working for you that are fearful. thats why i have decided to go ahead and respond anyway. i dont agree with trying to respond to ‘out do’ someones comment or ‘look more clever’ and use bigger and better words than the last guy (or girl). thats just a waste of time. i may be taking ‘the greener grass’ out of context, and im new at ‘the game’,so i come from a humble standing point.
you keep stating that the grass is not greener, i know through this you refer to ‘that’ company… however, you state that fellow team players and leaders of naseba such as lp, rami and saleem (to name a few) have been born from naseba and groomed into industry leading inspirations. they did not leave naseba for greener grass. my question to you is, if you were not ‘uninvited’ from marcus evans,would naseba not exist today?
lastly, as for lakshmi?s ‘threat’ (if you could even call it that), he is a clown, i agree with your response and dont view your reaction as to ‘aggressive’. i asked myself what i would do if someone (and please note the inverted commas) “threatened”, me, i would react in the same manner. i thought it appropriate, that as you stand behind your fellow naseba team members, that we do the same for you.
April 8th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
John Galt and Fabien and to some extent myself are mixing two issues….betrayal and green grass..
as far as green grass is concerned …. i am no one to talk about not looking for greener grass — i worked for someone else and ended up starting my own company that competes against them and of course I am much more satisfied on my greener grass…
Sincerely, I do not have a problem with people that find “greener grass” … a few examples: we once had a sales executive named abu who quit and now works for a competitor and I have a lot of respect for abu and i think he is a great, talented guy.
hadi malaeb quit naseba to start his own conference company…but he did not steal from naseba and did not copy our events. we are still good friends and i will be having dinner with him in a couple days.
Chris White was hugely important to naseba our first few years and then he moved on …now he worls for a large expo company in the UK …I have a lot of respect for Chris and all that he did for naseba.
Fabien, John Galt and are not refering to all people that moved on to something else.
Just to explain the history….
we had an employee in dubai that naseba and fabien faure had a massive, life changing positive impact … he quit to joined a competitor a couple years ago…and over the past 2 years this person has agressively, maliciously tried to hurt naseba by spreading lies, and head hunting our staff, and speaking poorly about fabien, nic and I.
Fabien and John Galt are excitedly suggesting that I compare the career of the person (as well as a couple others) and what he has achieved in 2 years compared to saleem, jassim, rami, LP and all the others that these people tried to headhunt. not because this person quit (and/or several people he head hunted), but because these people quit and then moan and complain, speak very poorly about the company and team…..like a bitter ex-girl friend they do not let go.
at the end of the day - i proudly state that naseba is not for everyone therefore, people will end up on different grass ….
…. this blog is about making ones life happen. living up to your potential. climbing higher. and standing on greener grass
April 15th, 2008 at 7:59 am
Hi Scott, Nice blog. I like fictional stories.
My name is Imran Khan and not Imran Kahn, I am an Indian not German. (Wiki: Kahn is a German surname and should not be mistaken for Khan, which is a title meaning “lord” in several Turkic languages and is a surname in Central Asia) I like the thought of “lakshimi”. It is Laxmi Mittal and not Lakshimi. I think he is a great man. Sorry to read this blog so late but I was a bit busy selling $1595 packages :). I still need to learn a lot from you. There are lot of books on how to become a CEO but I think you will be able to write something on how to be a CEO and behave like one.
I was a bit hurt about Jassim who used to promote beer for 50 AED per day at a restaurant, talk about me and use my name to say things like ‘I will ?spit? in your face when I see you’. May God bless him with all wealth and wisdom.
Scott, Fabien, please get your facts right before writing on a public blog. Ask me, ask my boss they know how much I make or where I stand in my team not someone who didnt know what career path to choose and was begging for a job. Also try to differentiate the difference between a loyal and an A*$ licking employee.
I will be reading this blog every tuesday because thats when I achieve my weekly target.
Scott I promise to be positive about your blog and climb higher and higher to be next Laxmi Mittal. Will definitely keep you informed.
Take Care.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:28 am
A very clever comment…
… whether he was promoting beer or not, jassim is a brilliant success story and I look forward to watching his career develop.
you have nothing to prove to me or to anyone.
I am glad that you are focused and making your life happen and if my blog entry made you more focused and driven than before - that was exactly my aim.
You are a talented guy and I have every confidence that you will be successful at whatever you do — however, stop your moaning and negative bull shit because it is not the actions/words of a great man — the man you have set out to become.
I was once very similar to you and a couple of your friends - I thought I was more important than I really was … I thought I knew more than my boss…
instead of acting like a total bitch — learn from my “ode to Marcus Evans I and III…”
and climb higher…
in the end, it comes down to the exact same thing whether you work at naseba or IQPC:
just fucking sell…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakshmi_Mittal