The Throw-a-thon Lahore from Faizaan Ghauri on Vimeo.
If a friend mentioned his upcoming travel to Pakistan, what would your first thought be? Was it of Lahore's booming tech sector? If not, read on! I have news for you.
Why Did I Go?
Thanks to the UCLA Anderson network, I've expanded my circle with impressive people driving change around the world. Through an advisory engagement conceptualized with Anderson classmate, Faizaan Ghauri, I had the opportunity to visit Lahore, Pakistan. Why, you ask?
Well, as the world's 6th most populous nation, Pakistan is disproportionately young in genpop and on the verge of a 3G/4G adoption boom. Passionate about emerging markets, I was thrilled by the chance to travel there!
Faizaan's family plays a foundational role burgeoning Pakistan's tech sector. Faizaan joined the family business, launching his own startups and incubator while accelerating the company's global expansion. Through their wonderful hospitality and industry access, I met pioneers and entrepreneurial trailblazers in the country's tech community. Their products are viable and it was inspiring to work with Faizaan to strategize around these new divisions of his business.
Judging Faizaan's Throw-a-Thon, one of the largest hackathons in Pakistan, was a blast. Yet, mentoring its participants was even more fascinating. These impressive entrepreneurs are melding their unique culture into solutions that solve local problems with 10X value and efficiency. I had a front row seat to observe these brilliant minds create innovative technologies, which are generating superior financial returns while fortifying a talent corridor between the East & West.
What Did I Bring Back?
With new adventure comes new perspective. And this experience was no different.
Leading up to the trip I lost count of how many friends and family warned, "keep a low profile" and "be careful" because "you'll stand out as an American." I recognized the area's current instability validates their concern; but keeping a low profile didn't last long once the largest Pakistani newspaper advertised the Throw-a-Thon and published our names.
The attention, however, did not prove hazardous.
Most whom I discussed the trip with found me assuring them the positives outweighed the concerns. Yet most advice I received was filled with apprehension. Not once did I hear, "take this opportunity to develop a better understanding of their culture," or the like.
I don't blame the skeptics. Sensationalized by the media, the region scares people. That's tragic because Pakistan offers greenfield opportunity and an ocean of untapped talent. Young, bright engineers are hungry to work on groundbreaking products. From new video games that bring relief to sufferers of cerebral palsy to apps that educate local farmers and increase their yield quality, I saw Pakistan's tech leveraged in powerful ways.
If I played it safe, however, I'd never have seen what they could offer. I realized fear of the unfamiliar is hindering us from learning more and even capitalizing on emerging markets.
Now I witness firsthand how shortsighted fear, including my own, encumbers long-term maturation, intellectual well-roundedness, and globalization. It's causing firm divisions in our cognitive and emotional dispositions, which shape our preconceptions of others. The fear I have is that we are still quite unconscious of our own prejudices.
If this sounds too abstract, think of it this way. Do you double take when women in black burkas walk by? Does your arm hair stand up with the sound of Islamic prayer hymns (often the score music of American war movies)? Now, take inventory of your feelings. Do you feel a bit sensitive or uncomfortable? Are you anxious for any reason? Ask yourself...why am I feeling this way? Why am I anxious given there's no immediate danger? Fear, once again causes a misjudgment of our surroundings.
Diversity Now
All too often, diversity becomes a buzzword. The unfortunate consequence for many organizations is that the efficacy of diversity efforts does not achieve intended goals. True diversity isn't a simple balance of ethnic and gender demographics in an organization. Embodying diversity means understanding. It means developing a new humanity toward underrepresented points of view and culture. Without the aforementioned change in personal character, we risk our organizations being perceived as pandering to the media at best, or having an insufficient internal cultural change at worst.
As I begin my post-Anderson career at Google, my Pakistan experience will be top of mind. Silicon Valley is undergoing its own evolution in diversity, most recently embodied by initiatives like #ilooklikeanengineer. Pakistan is a frontier with not only unrealized economic opportunity, but also a platform for progressive cross-cultural understanding.
We have an opportunity, as the more economically mature market, to champion their talent and forge partnerships in these corridors. For those who fear we are losing our leadership position internationally, this is how we regain it! While it won't be easy, we have all the resources waiting at our fingertips.
This is the call of my generation. Truth is, if we don't pursue a more prosperous world through greater unity...then who will?
