Pharma Veterans

Thoughts on Leadership Teams in Pharmaceutical Companies I – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1022 Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1022 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to aq.pharmaveterans@gmail.com for publishing our contributions here. Credit: August de Richelieu Credit: Karl Solano Credit: Khwanchai Phanthong Credit: Mandiri Abadi Preamble Having worked in pharma industry for over 40 years and at the most senior positions, I have plenty of observations on the subject; many of these are concerns which I had been raising on various occasions in various forums. I am also in the habit of reading the latest thinking from accomplished people and analyzing/ relating pointers from here and there with our own situation. This may be read as what is happening and what better can be done. Every organization strives to grow and become big, though their routes greatly vary. I sha...

Expect Anything Worthwhile to Take a Long Time – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1021 Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1021 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to aq.pharmaveterans@gmail.com for publishing our contributions here. Credit: Mikhail Nilov Credit: Polina Kovaleva Credit: Thirdman Preamble This is a quote from Debbi Millman, “Expect anything worthwhile to take a long time”. It is a powerful reminder of the patience and persistence needed for meaningful accomplishments. In our culture of immediacy, where instant gratification often feels like a baseline expectation, this idea can be challenging to embrace. However, it underscores a crucial truth about depth, growth, and the nature of truly valuable achievements. What is "Worthwhile"? A worthwhile pursuit or outcome is one that holds enduring significance and personal or societal value. Worthwhile achiev...

Power of Consonance of Goals – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1020 Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1020 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to aq.pharmaveterans@gmail.com for publishing our contributions here. Credit: Polina Zimmerman Preamble All business organizations set goals. Some visualize for one year, some for three or more years, based on the nature of the business. However, plans are reviewed every year and finalized for the year, every year. From the corporate goals, team goals and individual goals are derived. These goals are incorporated into the performance management system running in the organization also.  The observation is that despite this cascade, goals of teams and individuals are not in alignment. And of course, the biggest omission is that customer-related goals are not included in the corporate goals. In recent times, I can say with reasonabl...

Learning to Say No – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1019 Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1019 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to aq.pharmaveterans@gmail.com for publishing our contributions here. Credit: Jep Gambardella Credit: leo Credit: Yan Krukau Preamble We, who live in Asian societies are particularly prone not to say No. Even when we say it, we do so with great difficulty. So, we say yes to things we cannot do, or do not want to do, and we land in difficulty. In Pakistan, it is extremely common to hide behind a litany of excuses and unattended phone calls when promises are not kept, and jobs are not delivered. This behavior is causing uncertainty, confusion, mistrust, bad relations, and poor work environment across the country. We not only yes, but add InshaAllah also, a suffix which has sadly become associated with the intent to not honor the promise.  Le...

Disruption of Careers in Pharma Industry – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1018 Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1018 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to aq.pharmaveterans@gmail.com for publishing your contributions here. Credit: Antoni Shkraba Credit: Lukas Credit: Yan Krukau Preamble When I started at the entry level in pharmaceutical industry four decades ago, there was no talk about career progression. The market was dominated by MNCs who invested in training and development, but discussion on career planning for every individual was not done. The MNCs followed the rule of hiring at the entry level or at the highest level. Lateral hirings at middle and senior middle position were rare. The rule was to promote from inhouse talent. The problem, however, was that the companies were not expanding, and senior positions were few and far between. Even the first promotion t...

Medicines Consumption in Pakistan – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1017 Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1017 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to aq.pharmaveterans@gmail.com for publishing your contributions here. Credit: Anna Tarazevich Credit: Pavel Danilyuk Credit: Tima Miroshnichenko Preamble Pharmaceutical industry is among major industries of Pakistan, and it is a significant and integral part of healthcare in the country.  The volume of drug sales at the pharmacies is over one trillion rupees. The number of drugs runs into thousands. Being largely a generic market, multiple brands of the same drugs. There are over 700 manufacturing companies and a fairly big number of marketing companies.  Generally, Pakistanis are not hypochondriac – means we are not overtly sensitive about our health. We usually don’t like to take medicines and keep finding excuses to...

Leaders Can Be Vulnerable – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1016 Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1016 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to aq.pharmaveterans@gmail.com for publishing your contributions here. Credit: Anna Nekrashevich Credit: fauxels Credit: Henry Mathieu-Saint-Laurent Credit: RDNE Stock Project Leadership often comes with the pressure to always have the answers, appear strong, and project unwavering confidence. Vulnerability in leadership is often seen as a paradox. Leaders are traditionally expected to project strength, confidence, and decisiveness, but embracing vulnerability can be one of the most powerful tools for building trust, engagement, and authentic connections in a team. The truth is that the most impactful leaders aren’t the ones who never show weakness, but the ones who embrace vulnerability as a strength. In a world where we're conditi...

Pharma Veterans – Concept and Practice – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1015 Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1015 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to aq.pharmaveterans@gmail.com for publishing your contributions here. Designed with Microsoft Designer Designed with Microsoft Designer Preamble Pharma Veterans is a group of senior pharmaceutical professionals which came together to form a core group under the umbrella of ‘Pharma Veterans’ in 2019. Pharma Veterans domain and blogs were launched in 2017 by Asrar Qureshi and had been continuing since. All group members are full time working professionals who take out time occasionally to meet and discuss the industry situation and what may be done. Pharma Veterans Fundamentals Vision Build and Run a Vibrant, Inclusive, Evolving, and Growing Platform for Pharma & Healthcare Industry Veterans Mission 1. To project and c...

Corporate HR Function – Responsibilities and Limitations II – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1014 Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1014 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to aq.pharmaveterans@gmail.com for publishing your contributions here. Credit: Andrea Piacquadio Credit: Christina Morillo Credit: Mizuno K HR – Human Resources Department – as it is mostly referred to, is among key functions in any corporate.  In this 2-part blog post, I have addressed the following points: • What are key functions of HR – in a simplified way • Is HR performing its functions the way it is required to do? If not, what are the limitations? • What should be done to make HR effective and leading? Reasons HR is Not as Effective as it Should Be Ineffective Performance Management Systems Performance management is often seen as a bureaucratic process rather than a tool for employee g...

Corporate HR Function – Responsibilities and Limitations I – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1013 Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1013 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to aq.pharmaveterans@gmail.com for publishing your contributions here. Credit: Lubomir Satko Credit: Mikhail Nilov Credit: Ron Lach HR – Human Resources Department – as it is mostly referred to, is among key functions in any corporate. Owing to its importance, the entrepreneurs prefer to keep it directly under them for as long as they can. It is the entrepreneurs’ wish to control the staff tightly, hence the love for HR function. HR is one of the two functions that are very close to the top boss/owner; finance and HR. Finance is about money matters, and HR is about people matters; both are vital areas. In this 2-part blog post, I wish to address the following points: • What are key functions of HR – in...