Turki Khan: Changing society, one step at a time

Dreams, ambitions and determination have no limits, dedication to those three traits can take that dreamer, ambition-seeker and determined young man or woman to places he or she wishes. It takes commitment and long hours of thinking, planning and executing to keep that drive going. Turki Khan is an example of one of those dreamers, one of the determined ones, and a seeker of positive change in his society. A young man with hopes of bringing more positivity by doing what he does best, being realistic and acknowledging that there are flaws in one’s perspective of life and taking action to change it one step at a time. He is not only trying his best to better himself, he is also helping others, one step at a time.
A graduate from King Abdul Aziz University (KAAU) with a B.Sc. in Industrial Engineering, young Turki headed straight into the working world putting all his teachings to the test. Having worked in large and successful businesses, he equipped his mindset to strive higher. A series of circumstances made him realize that he is not spending quality time with the closest to him, his two young boys; that realization has changed his stance and an idea was born. Arab News caught up with this aspiring young man and spoke to him about his movement.

Who is Turki Khan?
I am Turki Khan, a father, an engineer, an over achiever and I am working on bettering society one step at a time because I am motivated to do so.

You’re an Industrial Engineering graduate, yet you’ve never worked a day in that field. You’ve created a career in some of the largest establishments away from your field. Why so?
Contrary to that belief, Industrial Engineering is not only about working in a factory or an industrial establishment and having the perks of an engineer with a hard hat. Many do not understand the field, I did my research about the field before enrolling and finding what I wanted, I did enroll. It’s the only major that includes management courses, you get to understand and create the best plan for that establishment from production to efficiency to finding the best product suitable for the establishment. It takes a lot of courses to understand how to help an establishment become successful, manage teams, collaborate with others to find the best solutions and manage them all under one hat. The degree does not entitle you to work in the industrial field only, instead you have all the tools to work anywhere you want to.

Having said that, what was the step that you took to upgrade your career plan?
I first started at NCB for three years at the Lease Lending and Planning Department, then moved to the multinational company MARS, the world’s leading confectionery company. I worked there for four years in two different departments, as a GCC sales and marketing services buyer and as a costumer marketing manager. I moved into fields that were new to me but then moved back to marketing. I gained a lot of experience from working in these two companies and learned a lot. I then moved to Pepsico. What I liked about the moves from one company to the other is that all have large global revenues, each one larger than the other and there is so much that was learned and more to gain than I thought. It taught me certain skills that I was able to cultivate in my own life, granting me two promotions until I became the GCC business manager. With all that, I was still using my degree in analyzing situations, looking for optimal and efficient solutions that benefited me greatly. It’s a mindset on its own.

You recently got into public speaking. Were you keen about the idea and what made you want to become a public speaker?
I’m very new to it. Seven months ago I became a member of the International Toast Master’s Club. After two sessions and getting great reviews, I wanted to get into bigger forums, so I then applied to TEDx and got accepted. I have done many presentations in the companies I’ve worked with but they’re different from public speaking, the audiences is diverse and are not entirely from the same platform as you are unlike presentations given at a job where everyone is on the same page. It was a leap for me, a challenge, and a step forward in my plan of achievements. It was only an interest, I never studied public speaking but I always tried motivating those around me. I felt comfortable and it suited me. I got a lot of great feedback from my TEDx session and that was even more motivating for me. I had a public speaking appointment with an inspirational group called “Ehna gadha” and another on Nov. 20, the Children’s Day. I talked about the importance of incorporating books into children’s life.
It’s a natural parental extinct to be close to their kids, you have two boys but you changed your perspective after a life altering situation and thus you created your movement “Quality time with kids”. Tell the readers of this important initiative in your achievement plan.
I have two boys, Yousef is nine and Rayan is four. My wife and I had a divorce and even throughout my time with them, due to my demanding job, I always felt that I wasn’t giving them much of my time so you can imagine how it was after the divorce. I realized that they are my number one priority and that I had to do something to be better at being a father than just a name. I started reading books, watching YouTube videos and educating myself on how to become closer to them and bring myself to their level. I discovered the concept of spending quality time with my children, one can spend an hour or half an hour with their kids and enjoy every minute of it through different activities rather than five hours of simply doing nothing. The level of interaction and communication in that one hour can achieve more positive output than five hours of basically nothing. Having said that, I discovered that I am having a better relationship with them and I am now closer to them than I ever was when we were living under one roof. The idea then came up of creating a page on the famous social site, Instagram, so I can share my knowledge with everyone.

Anyone can create an Instagram account. You are not a specialist, yet you still went ahead with your idea. How long did it take you to educate yourself and realize that you are able to spread your knowledge? And how was the feedback?
It took about 5-6 months to fully grasp the idea that I had to change the way I interact with my children. I’m not a specialist but I had a plan and I was applying it on the way I deal with my two boys. I understand social media, and given that I work in sales and marketing, I understood that this is a platform that can attract many people through different tactics and posts to not only raise awareness of a shortage in our society but to allow followers to realize it’s a task that can easily be applied to everyone’s lifestyle. The feedback was great, not only due to the number of followers, but also the posts I receive from these followers applying my recommended methods on their children as well.

What strategy did you use to make it into a success?
I used three tools in my strategy. First, I’m a father; my posts are coming from my internal passion and motivation. Second, I used the education from the material I’m reading and watching. And third, I’m using my background in sales and marketing by posting good content that would attract followers. Short, straight to the point and attractive posts get the attention of followers more than long sentences and paragraphs that might eventually make the follower loose interest in the topic and move on. You also have to understand the psych of the viewer, a picture speaks a thousand words and one can get more information with one striking post.

Where is all this drive coming from?
It’s the realization that children are our future, their importance depends on the parents’ role in their lives. There is a shortcoming in our society, they’re neglecting the most important platform, our children’s generation. Everyone is engulfed in their own personal agendas, ignoring the fact that children are an important investment. Since I got so much support from my social circle and followers, I’ve also sought the help from Dr. Hani Abualroos, a child consultant and adolescent psychiatrist, which also puts in his input on the page. I’m consulting with other establishments and persons of interest all connected to children.

What can your followers expect next from you?
My next step will be to give a number of ideas that will help make the connection between children and their parents, doing so by a series of events and activities such as bike rides, safari trips, spa sessions with moms and their girls, just to start. There are endless activities that can be done for both the parent and child to spend quality time together that will impact that child more than one can imagine. That is my goal, to better the relationship between the parent-child, for the sake of parents and children alike.

Be sure to follow up on the latest from Turki Khan on his Instagram page, quality_kids and do not hesitate to tag your post and show your support to this young man’s goals and achievements.

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