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© PR Department NBK Holding 2009 Year 2—Issue 16 October 2009

VVVVVVVVVVVV I S I O N F O R T H E F U T U R EI S I O N F O R T H E F U T U R EI S I O N F O R T H E F U T U R EI S I O N F O R T H E F U T U R E

NBKS inaugurates the Station at Musheireb Area! PAGE 3

SAP Team updates PAGE 6

H1N1: What you can do! PAGE 11

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W e’d like to take this opportunity to share with you all that Qatar needs our help and support today more than ever.

As you may know, the country has signed up for the race to bring home the FIFA World Cup in 2022. To have the ‘beautiful game’ staged in Qatar is to draw the world’s attention to the whole Arab world and to propel an image of a forward looking state that is bringing populations and cultures from across the globe together under the FIFA flag “For the Game, For the World”. The name of our organization has been long associ-ated with the best in sports and to that effect, Qatar is counting upon each and every one of you to be the ambassadors of this bid and to help spread the word nationwide. To host the World Cup in Qatar would bring the most historic sports game ever for the very first time to the Middle East. To host the World Cup in Qatar will offer a unique opportunity to football fans to enjoy the true Arabian hospitality, tradition and heritage amidst spectacular venues and cities. Qatar is known for its dynamism, its passion for foot-ball and its investment in the Sports industry in general and the country is now looking to set another benchmark working towards achieving greater unity and understanding between peoples from every con-tinent and showcasing the real image of the Middle Eastern region. So let’s all wish the bidding committee of the 2022 World Cup the best of luck as the decision will be taken in December 2010!

NBK PR Department

Inside this Issue:

Pages 3– 4 NBK News Bulletin

Page 5 NBK Family Round-Up

Page 6 SAP Journey SAP Updates

Page 7 HR News

Page 8 U-Matter Dot Com Bubble—Lessons Learned

Page 9 Announcement Ask Your Management

Page 10 In Depth Intech

Page 12 Round & about Generosity

Page 11 Health Tips H1N1: Protect Yourself

NBK Insider

Issue 16 - October 2009

NEWS Bulletin

BRABUS Is Best Tuning Brand for the Fourth Con-secutive Time; Auto motor und sport Readers Vote BRABUS ‘BEST BRAND 2009’ The readers of Germany’s leading automobile magazine ‘auto motor und sport’ have spoken: For the fourth consecutive time they voted for BRABUS as the ‘BEST BRAND’ in the “Tuners” category. The participants in the reader poll were asked to name those tuners whose products they deemed especially convincing. More than half of them – exactly 52.9 percent of all respondents – picked BRABUS as their top choice. On the occasion, Said Radwan Ogali, NBK Prime Ride General Man-ager said: “NBK Prime ride is proud to be the sole agent of BRABUS in Qatar. Being voted ‘BEST BRAND 2009’ for being the best tuning brand is more than just an honor. It is also the ultimate motivation for NBK Prime Ride and BRABUS to continue to develop high-performance automobiles and tuning components that meet and ex-ceed the high expectations our customers, the media and the general public place on us. BRABUS Offers the Best tuning quality, Body kits, wheel rims and leather for all Mercedes-Benz vehicles. All BRABUS products are backed up by BRABUS warranty of two years”. Feel free to contact the Human Resources Department for more in-formation about INJAZ and their volunteer program.

S-Class sets new standard in the luxury segment Mercedes-Benz is setting a new benchmark with its 2009 version of the S-Class, the Middle East & Levant’s favorite German luxury sedan and setting new standards in sustainability.

Trailblazing innovations in comfort and drive engineering combined with state-of-the-art technology for enhanced safety consolidate the Mercedes-Benz flagship's position as the brand's innovation driver and underscore its pioneering role in the automotive industry as a whole. Technology highlights include the world's first standard production hy-brid drive with a lithium-ion battery in the S 400 HYBRID, which makes the top-of-the-line Mercedes-Benz model the most economical petrol-engine luxury saloon.

The S-Class's traditionally exemplary standard of safety is further en-hanced by a unique combination of innovative camera and radar-based driver assistance systems which turn the luxury saloon into an ‘intelligent’ partner on the road.

NBK Insider

Issue 16 - October 2009

NEWS Bulletin Qatar Automobiles Company extends value promotion on Mitsubishi vehicles

QAC has extended its value promotion on Mitsubishi vehicles offering lower prices and interest rates, and attractive financial solutions. QAC had joined hands with Doha Bank during the Holy Month of Ramadan to offer the promotion exclusively for Mitsubishi vehicles, which has been well-received by customers. One of the biggest automotive promotions of its kind in Qatar, the QAC offer has now been further strengthened by an array of new and innovative customer service solutions.

Qatar Automobiles Company strengthens customer support with modern service centre

QAC has unveiled new customer-oriented initiatives aimed at enhancing the after-sales service support to customers. Among key initiatives is a new service centre to be opened shortly at Street 41 of the Industrial Area, which can service up to 100 cars daily.

Further building on QAC’s reputation as an award-winning automobile dealer, the new service centre will be complemented by a lifetime war-ranty on all Mitsubishi vehicles. These initiatives are in line with QAC’s commitment to further strengthen the customer experience and build lasting bonds with customers.

Qatar Automobiles Company unveils all-new 2009 Mitsubishi Pajero Sports QAC has unveiled the Year 2009 Mitsubishi Pajero Sports, a dream vehicle for automobile enthusiasts. An ideal family vehicle with the latest safety features, the all-new Mitsubishi Pajero Sports seats seven and bundles sheer power and performance that is unmatched among vehicles in its class.

QAC has already commenced booking for the new vehicle at its showrooms in Qatar. Tailored for off road and long highway cruises, the 2009 Mitsubishi Pajero Sports has all the markings of a clear win-ner, and will be a perfect fit for those looking for a family vehicle that also alternates as a rough rider capable of pulling heavy loads.

High value, high power and a body that shapes the future Qatar Automobiles Company pushes price boundaries even further for Mitsubishi Eclipse QAC has pledged to cut the cost once again of the stunning Mitsubishi Eclipse unveiled earlier in the Year. The Eclipse 3.8 liter v6 has one of the sportiest looks on Qatar’s roads, the power to reach 210 kmph and the curves to turn heads at every street corner.

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NBK Insider

Issue 16 - October 2009

NBK Insider wishes a Happy Birthday to:

NBK Family Round-Up!

Bosch Automotive Shambhumahra Chamar 1 Nov

Class Leasing Davidson Cometa 1 Nov

Michelin Shyam Ranathungage 1 Nov

NBK Real Estate Sherif Ghali 1 Nov

Bosch Automotive Shabar Dalvi 2 Nov

Doha Petrol Station Eric Dela Cruz 2 Nov

Heavy Equipment Harry Salayan Ladera 2 Nov

Intech Muhadi Tangsir 2 Nov

QAC Industrial Area Jesus Salcedo 2 Nov

NBK Auto Cristina Manuel 2 Nov

NBK Holding Rami Mansour 2 Nov

QAC Industrial Area Tek Bahadur Kawar 3 Nov

Heavy Equipment Ricky Rollinas 4 Nov

Intech Pratheesh Vellachalil 4 Nov

QAC Industrial Area Vipul Mudiyanselage 4 Nov

QAC PDI Babu Chaudhari 4 Nov

NBK Travel Rania El-Zeibak 4 Nov

NBK Holding Yogesh Batra 4 Nov

NBK Holding Charene Anne Carbungco 4 Nov

Quiksilver Rym Laouiti 4 Nov

QAC Industrial Area Charith Hewage 5 Nov

QAC Industrial Area Anuradha Nissanka 5 Nov

QAC Salwa Adel Nasser Hassan 5 Nov

NBK Auto Dennis Mangsat 5 Nov

NBK Real Estate Joey Belen 5 Nov

NBK Trading Kumaratunge Mudalige 5 Nov

Projects Promotion Akbar Paduvingal Ali 5 Nov

Select Rizwana Abd Alrasheed 5 Nov

Bosch Automotive Antonio Zapata 6 Nov

Manakish Al Basha Richard Enriquez 6 Nov

Michelin Alex Culaton 6 Nov

NBK Holding Rowena Ibarrola 6 Nov

NBK Holding Nandhakumar Vettekudath 6 Nov

ZAI Cherly Hallasgo 6 Nov

Intech Rastadi Rastam 7 Nov

Lina's Cafe Pushpa Thubadeniye 7 Nov

NBK Trading Fahed Al Hussein 7 Nov

Art Marine Saaddine Al Jamal 8 Nov

Bio Medical Annel Aguilar 8 Nov

NBK Fashion Adel Saleh 8 Nov

Kawasaki Nelson Javier 8 Nov

QAC Al Wakra Nelson Urbano 8 Nov

NBK Carpentry Mohamed Askar Jamaldeen 8 Nov

Select(Vehicle Leasing) Abdel Wahid Abdel Majid 8 Nov

ZAI Alvin Gomez 8 Nov

Doha Petrol Station Lilibeth Nazareno 9 Nov

QAC Industrial Area Nishantha Arachchillage 9 Nov

QAC Salwa Marianne Usman 9 Nov

NBK Auto Shaju Joseph 9 Nov

Heavy Equipment Jamal Abdalla 10 Nov

QAC Salwa Mohamed Ali Darwish 10 Nov

NBK Auto Alex Santos 10 Nov

NBK Auto Hazrat Qureshi 10 Nov

Quiksilver Mark Nocasa 10 Nov

Intech Chandra Yadav 11 Nov

NIC Dennis Lacson 11 Nov

NBK Auto Krishna Bahadur Bahadur kunwar 11 Nov

NBK Auto Valurakayil Narendran 11 Nov

NBK Trading Joseph Sunil Silva Andige 11 Nov

Heavy Equipment Rico Perales 12 Nov

Michelin Karunadasa Rathnayaka 12 Nov

QAC PDI Rabi Gurung 12 Nov

NIC Chitilappally Francy 12 Nov

NBK Auto Poniciano Alvarez 12 Nov

NBK Trading Ranjith Kumara Kankanamalage 12 Nov

NBK Trading Asanka Pathiraja 12 Nov

Select(Vehicle Leasing) Mohammed Meah 12 Nov

Bosch Home Appliances Imad Saifan 13 Nov

Intech Fernandez Mario xavier 13 Nov

Heavy Equipment Jessif Penaflorida 14 Nov

Heavy Equipment Richard Aguipo 14 Nov

Heavy Equipment Sujith Namalwatte 14 Nov

QAC Industrial Area Renee Fernandez 14 Nov

QAC Industrial Area Leo Macanas 14 Nov

NBK Trading Ranjula Fernando 14 Nov

Heavy Equipment Sajeev Panicker 15 Nov

Michelin Vancheeswarath Babu 15 Nov

NBK Holding Anna Marie Tutor 15 Nov

Bosch Home Appliances Kamal Abou Nada 16 Nov

QAC Al Wakra Mohamed Sabras Aliyar 16 Nov

NBK Real Estate Noli Saquillo 16 Nov

NBK Holding Mohammad Idrees Chowdhry 16 Nov

NBK Holding Anjo Jose Thachil Kannayi 16 Nov

Class Leasing Joey Estinor 17 Nov

NBK Real Estate Noelito Jason Norman 17 Nov

NBK Trading Mahinda Gamage 17 Nov

Ziebart Glenn Polo Layson 17 Nov

Intech Romli Rais Tayat 18 Nov

Michelin Wasala Kandegama 18 Nov

QAC Industrial Area Amina Abdel Rahman 18 Nov

NBK Auto Marilon Barco Barco Chan 18 Nov

NBK Auto Ziad Khaireddin 18 Nov

NBK Holding Alaa Al Hably 18 Nov

NBK Auto Pamela Reyes 19 Nov

QAC Industrial Area Thekkekara Mathew Kurian 20 Nov

QAC Industrial Area Allan Nobleza Inventor 20 Nov

NBK Auto Mohammed Fawzi El-Shafey 20 Nov

NBK Holding Yousuf Awad 20 Nov

Intech Thirunana Kabilan 21 Nov

QAC Industrial Area Deonald Beren 21 Nov

QAC Industrial Area Gilbert Ramos 21 Nov

NBK Carpentry Branislav Travica 21 Nov

NBK Auto Alejandro Narboneta 21 Nov

NBK Holding Ronald Celades 21 Nov

Michelin Ramesh Sunar 22 Nov

NBK Auto Allan Alea 22 Nov

NBK Real Estate Mahmoud Abaza 22 Nov

Doha Petrol Station Vivian Ricafuente 23 Nov

Doha Petrol Station Jayantha Rohan Jayaweera 23 Nov

Lina's Cafe Fortaliza Yoyoy 23 Nov

NBK Trading Top Oli 23 Nov

NBK Holding Carmencita Daniel 23 Nov

Silver Cafe Francisco Bausin 23 Nov

Manakish Al Basha Jayantha Koralage 24 Nov

QAC Duhail Sajee Mathew 24 Nov

QAC Industrial Area Efren Villaber 24 Nov

NBK Trading Selladorai Ramesh 24 Nov

NBK Trading Nalaka Gamaralalage 24 Nov

NBK Trading Nadith Priyankara Egodage 24 Nov

NBK Holding Sheryl M Adolfo 24 Nov

NBK Holding Thomas Daniel 24 Nov

Heavy Equipment Hamdi Abaza 25 Nov

QAC PDI Jamal Ahmed 25 Nov

NBK Auto Jeffrey Manalad 25 Nov

Prime Labels Hani Touma 25 Nov

Heavy Equipment Mohammed AbdelMohsen 26 Nov

QAC Industrial Area Nelson Balid 26 Nov

Quiksilver Rosalie Casas 26 Nov

Class Leasing Fredrick Munanga 28 Nov

NBK Fashion Sabine Meyer 28 Nov

QAC Salwa Nancy Moussa 28 Nov

NBK Auto Aluthdurage Rupasinghe 28 Nov

NBK Auto Ashraf Kahoush 28 Nov

NBK Auto Mahmoud El Ansary 28 Nov

NBK Auto Geraldine Patigayon 28 Nov

NBK Trading Jhup Roka 29 Nov

Class Leasing Saleh El-Taweel 30 Nov

Intech Satish Kumar Singh 30 Nov

QAC Industrial Area Mohamad Taiseer Safyia 30 Nov

NBK Trading Rathnaweera Arachchige 30 Nov

NBK Trading Mohammad Alnagam 30 Nov

NBK Trading Abdul Kaish Hawari 30 Nov

Elaine Tapnio NBK Holding Stock Control Assistant

Mercy Reyes NBK Holding Accountant

Eldo Kurian NBK Holding Accountant

Jeyantherakumar Kopalasamy Class Leasing Driver

Zaldy Ramirez Doha Petrol Station Pump Filler

Francis Perez Doha Petrol Station Pump Filler

Edilberto Rodriguez Doha Petrol Station Pump Filler

Orlando Jr. Abuan Doha Petrol Station Pump Filler

Mohammathu Jahufar Harley Davidson Driver

Ameen Mohamed Ibrahim NBK Trading Batching Plant Electrician

Mandilakkottil Rajan QAC Salwa Fleet Sales Supervisor

Shahul Hameed Select Driver - Heavy Duty

Nasser Bin Khaled welcomes new

assets to the family

Rania Khalil Anowr PR Manager NBK Holding

Anala Shenolikar Secretary NBK Holding

Ana Marie Cruz Reservation Staff NBK Travel

Preciuos Muana Secretary Harley Davidson

Adade Christian Carpenter H-Deco Qatar

Adjei Collins Carpenter H-Deco Qatar

Ernest John Ironman Project Manager H-Deco Qatar

Jaime Montuya Field Salesman Heavy Equipment

Cesar Ligaya Auto Mechanic Michelin

Joel Jamora Service Advisor Michelin

Francis William Coles Project Manager NBK & Sons

Hazem Abd Al-Razek Sales Manager NBK Auto

Jacqueline Caparas Secretary NBK Auto

Kadi Habashi Cleaner/Washer NBK Auto

Rosalie Casas Sales Assistant NBK Fashion

Marilou Sayaman Sales Assistant NBK Fashion

Fernando Morales Jr Warehouse Assistant NBK Fashion

Junmar Ampong Security Guard NBK Real Estate

Romel Daghoy Security Guard NBK Real Estate

Hanadi Ibrahim Admin Services Assistant NBK Real Estate

Abdul Salam Vakayil Heavy Vehicle Driver NBK Trading

Mohan Roka General Helper NBK Trading

Keerihi Arachchillage Heavy Driver NBK Trading

Sarath Liyanage Truck Mixture Driver NBK Trading

Abeykoon Abeykoon Maintenance Foreman NBK Trading

Tonilyn Dampil Waitress Prime F&B

Ziad Labban Waiter Prime F&B

Mtanios Jarjoura Cook Prime F&B

Himalaya Kharel Cashier QAC

Romeo Del Mundo Painter QAC

Alaa Youssry Advertising Executive QAC

Alina Moldovan Sales Consultant QAC

Samah Sharkawy Customer Care Executive QAC

Sait Demirel Service Advisor QAC

Nasser Bin Khaled wishes farewell and best of luck to:

NBK Insider Issue 16 - October 2009

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A Culture of Progress! – HR Thoughts, At a Glance

SAP Training for QAC Sales Team

Dear colleagues, We further leverage on technology in our workplace by getting the QAC sales unit on board the SAP system. From October 6 – October 13, several training ses-sions on SAP were facilitated by Chona Calderon of the Information Systems (IS) for the QAC Sales unit. All the sales staff including the management team attended the said training. Participants learned how to access inventory and book a vehicle for a customer, down to creating a quotation and completing a sales transaction. This initiative is expected to contribute to the seamless operation of the business across departments since all transactions will be under one system. This streamlines processes in the organization including access to information critical to business decisions.

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NBK Insider Issue 16– October 2009

U-Matter! NBK invites each and every one of

you to share their thoughts, views and points

of interest on a monthly basis.

MATTER U-Matter! NBK invites each and every one of you to share their thoughts, views and points of interest on a monthly basis. This month, PR Team would like to share with you some insights on the Dot Com Bubble Burst.

Dot Com Bubble: Lessons Learned

“If trading/short-term investing is your thing, then get your profit and get out. Don’t get caught up in how much higher your stocks can go,

just sell them when you believe it’s time to get out”

It all started during the mid 1990’s. The Stock Market soared on technology and Internet stocks, IPOs were all the rage, and the sky was the limit for stock prices. The masses believed there was a new world upon us, and the internet was to become the future of business. Then reality set in when the hype didn’t live up to it’s promises, and the stock market crashed. If you take all of this for only its face value, all you see is what happens when a stock market gets overvalued and crashes, but if you look deeper you can find plenty of timeless lessons that every investor should learn. Here’s a few lessons that can be gathered from the Dot-Com bubble: Fundamentals Don’t Lie The fundamentals of the Dot-com bubble were horri-ble, most new public compa-nies weren’t profitable and some had no intention of ever making a profit. IPOs were going sky high while the business model itself showed no realistic way to turn a profit. These big warnings are known as red flags, and they were everywhere during the dot-com bubble. The educated investors and professionals in the stock market saw these red flags and knew that a crash was coming, and that’s why they were successful during the Dot-com bubble. The rest were left to fight to sell their rapidly devaluing stocks. Lesson learned: If you are investing in the stock market for the long term, don’t invest when prices are overvalued and fundamentals are poor. The combination of these two problems are practically begging for an eventual stock mar-ket crash if things don’t turn around. You want to invest when you see nothing but green flags, not red.

Trading stock market momentum is fine, but always remember it’s just momentum! The stock market rallied during the dot-com bubble for good reason: everyone and their grandma was excited about Internet based companies. The overall investor’s be-lief was optimistic and this fueled a multi-year rally that had seemingly endless momentum. But as we just learned, the fundamentals were garbage and when the momentum died, the party was over and the stock market crashed.

Lesson learned: If trading/short-term investing is your thing, then get your profit and get out. Don’t get caught up in how much higher your stocks can go, just sell them when you believe it’s time to get out. When the reality of overbought stocks comes into realiza-tion, you want to be the guy with all of your stock sold, not the guy caught off guard while panicking about what you should do.

Life-Altering Changes Don’t Happen Overnight The optimism for the Dot-com bubble was supported by the belief that internet business was somehow going to in-stantly take off and going to retail stores would be a thing of the past. Huge issues such as customers having to pay heavy shipping fees were regarded as not important, and the stock market rallied while believing that we’d all be buy-ing our groceries online and ordering our pizza from a .com site. The problem was that none of this was actually occur-ring, and it was really just wishful thinking since most com-panies had no realistic business model to get these society changing ideas off the ground. Lesson learned: The internet was invented in the 1950’s; It didn’t become popular until the 1990’s. When a company or many companies are promising life-altering changes in how we live our lives, be very skeptical. Even if these ideas for change are realistic, they don’t happen overnight, in most cases they don’t happen for decades!

NBK Insider Issue 16- October 2009

INDepth

Intech

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Nasser Bin Khaled has itself the aim to continuously boost Qatar’s status as one of today’s world energy giants, special-izes in the engineering, design and supply of materials and related installation services for various industrial insula-tion and refractory lining applications for industrial plants in Qatar and the Middle East. Associated with Intech Group and established in 1940, Indus-trial Technology Qatar is considered one of the leading con-tracting companies in Qatar, proving its expertise in areas such as heat insulation and fire-proofing entire factories, in addition to providing premium services in Oil & Gas, Petro-chemicals, Fertilizers, Power Generation, Steel Mills and Alu-minum smelters. Industrial Technology is specialized in the engineering, design and supply of materials and related installation services for various industrial insulation and refractory lining appli-cations on industrial plants in Qatar and the Middle East. Poised for major expansion, the company has recently gone public with a variety of high-scale projects such as the pres-tigious Ras Gas Trains 6 project at Ras Laffan (Al Khaleej Gas) which includes total heat insulation of pipes, equipment, and boilers, as well as the Helium & NGL and will require the ser-vices of 1000 Engineers and Technicians. Industrial Technology Qatar looks, confidently, at the future, having set its target on several new, local and regional, land-mark industrial projects.

NBK Insider Issue 16- October 2009

Health Tips

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H1N1 Epidemic Protecting yourself and others

One of the most effective ways to protect you, your family and friends from influenza is to practice good personal hygiene. Five simple ways to prevent the spread of pandemic influ-enza: 1. Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough The flu virus can travel through the air when a person coughs or sneezes. When you cough or sneeze you should:

• Turn away from other people

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve

• Use disposable tissues rather than a handkerchief (which could store the virus)

• Put used tissues into the nearest bin, rather than a pocket or handbag

• Wash your hands, or use an alcohol hand rub, as soon as possible afterwards.

People who are sick should always be encouraged to wear a surgical mask to contain the virus and help prevent its spread. 2. Wash your hands Washing your hands regularly with soap and water or using an alcohol-based product (gels, rinses, foams - available at super-markets and pharmacies) that does not require water - even when they aren't visibly dirty - is effective in killing the flu virus. Always wash your hands:

• after you've been to the toilet

• after coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose

• after being in contact with someone who has a cold or flu

• before touching your eyes, nose or mouth

• before preparing food and eating. To wash your hands properly

3. Don't share personal items The flu virus can spread when someone touches an object with the virus on it and then touches their eyes, nose or mouth. If a member of your household has the flu:

• keep personal items, such as towels, bedding and toothbrushes separate

• do not share eating and drinking utensils, food or drinks.

• In relation to sporting teams make sure that you do not share things such as towels etc.

• Most importantly, do not share water bottles and make sure hygiene is maintained with rub downs and first aid.

4. Clean surfaces Flu viruses can live on surfaces for several hours. If a member of your household has the flu, you should regularly clean sur-faces such as tables, benches, fridge doors and door knobs with soap and water or detergent. 5. Avoid close contact with others if you are unwell with flu Keeping your distance from others by standing or sitting back (at least one meter apart, where possible) will help reduce the chances of spreading the flu virus between people. While you are unwell you should remain at home and avoid go-ing out in public. If you are unwell, you should not go to work or school or attend other public or crowded gatherings, and avoid taking public transport. If you need to use public transport, it is recommended that you wear a mask to contain the virus. Do not visit people who have the flu unless it is absolutely nec-essary. If a member of your household has the flu, he or she should be separated from other members of the family if possible, and be encouraged to wear a surgical mask. If you are caring for some-one who has the flu, you too should wear a mask and gloves when in close contact to protect yourself from catching the flu.

NBK Insider

12

ROUND & about

Generosity by Alan Weiss, Ph.D., CMC – Founder, Summit Consulting Group

Generosity is not merely about the amount one gives. One of my favorite observations comes from Joseph Epstein’s A Line Our for A Walk: “…the true measure of generosity is not how much one gives but how much, after giving, one has left over.” But I’m not even talking about financial dona-tions and contributions. I’m talking about the generosity that allow one to give time, attention, solicited feedback, support, caring, and under-standing. Sometimes that needs to be the pro-verbial “tough love.” We do grievous harm to people when we lie to them in order to assist them (and, usually our-selves) in trying to maintain certain perceptions. The presentation was excellent (even though it was seriously flawed); the food was fine (even though the pasta was nearly inedible); the clothes look wonderful (even though they are age-inappropriate and terrible colors for you). You get the idea. It’s fine to overlook the trivial and the inconsequential (those flowers will not last in that location) but not the important (Can I recommend a couple of other schools that are aligned with your daughter’s career goals?).

It’s easy to be generous with tangibles and “stuff.” Those can be replaced and are non-threatening, non-emotionally involving. No matter how much I believe in a cause, writ-ing them a check is a rather impersonal act, especially, as Mr. Epstein points out, when there’s more where that came from. But head-ing a fund raising event (and not just in name only) requires far greater generosity. And telling your friend, the organization’s chair, that she is shutting down debate and alienat-ing potential donors is the greatest charity of all. Through the commission of lies or the omis-sion of truth, we enable people to perpetuate mistakes, errors, and, too often, self-destruction. Our refusal to get involved when we are friends, insiders, and trusted, is basi-cally a selfish and ungenerous act. Don’t misunderstand: I’m not proposing that you go out and start critiquing people’s attire or choices, or attempting to substitute your judg-ment as Holy Writ. All I’m suggesting is that when people expect you to tell them the truth, even if it hurts, you ought to do that. It would be generous.

Issue 16– October 2009