Author: Bal Bansal

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Shopping

Oh Crumbs!

Recently, you might have noticed, a few of our nations favourite retailers have had ‘tech’ problems and had to shut!

McDonalds, Tesco and Sainsburys all had card payment outages…and then this week gone, on Tuesday, Greggs had to shut!

We have moved to a cashless society… and to be honest, that’s ok. However, we need the systems that support this to ensure they’re reliable, secure and most importantly… available for us to purchase our steak bakes from Greggs!

In 2022, card payments made up 90% of retail spending and racked up £1.3 billion in vendor processing fees, according to the British Retail Consortium.

Adam Pilton, a cyber security consultant at CyberSmart, said the IT outages “should act as a reminder to us in our personal lives and within our business lives of the dependence we place upon technology”.

There is no evidence the technical problems in recent days were caused by cyber attacks – McDonald’s said its global outage was caused by a “third-party provider”.

“One of the key takeaways will be to review the robust back-up systems these retailers have got in place,” said Jenni Matthews, head of marketing and insights at MRI Software.

She added that many people no longer use cash and rely on contactless payments for day-to-day shopping.

“We’re in a day and age where we rely on technology so heavily,” she said.

Whilst all this was going on – I was on my way to the dentist the morning that Greggs was shut… and I thought this needs a tweet…

…and off course, the BBC picked up in my tweet –

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68614636

But it wasn’t long before Greggs tweeted…

It’s reminder, how much we use technology… that we should always ensure that a) we’re using it correctly and securely, b) checking that sites and payment methods are secure and finally c) that you do some due diligence on what you’re using and where – for example, do you have old credit cards stored with some retailers, or have you checked your passwords recently and updated them? (Google passwords offer a service where they advice you that a particular password of yours might have been involved in a leak, or used too many times across different platforms, etc…).

So whilst we can all get our sausage rolls again… yes, for the vegans out there, they too are again available…. stay secure.

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Bal's Friday Thought

Bal’s Friday Thought…

Yes.. it’s back! My Friday Thought is back!! And I’m taking some inspiration from a book I’m currently reading…

I got the book at Christmas – and wasn’t sure how good it’d be. But honestly, reading the first chapter – love it.

There’s a sense of honesty (Arnold uses words he would normally say.. like bullsh*t etc..), transparency and openness. I think, these elements make the book a great read.

And so to my Friday Thought… it’s on the first chapter of the book…

I won’t share my full story here about my vision – but in the book, Arnold talks about having a vision. I’m not going to relay everything Arnold says – you have to buy the book and read it – but in all honesty, it’s very true with some great examples from him.

You have to have a vision of what you want to be, where you are going and where you want to be.

For me, when growing up – I loved cars. Had a poster of a Ferrari F40 on my wall. Loved them. When I went to university, in my first year, I studied Automotive Engineering. But a chance encounter with a Professor, said there’s more opportunities for me if I did something like Mechanical or Manufacturing Engineering… and so I switched and I think that was the right thing to do because then I got my first job at Kodak.

I’ve never had a vision board as such, always looked at cars (which is one of my passions) and thought, would love to drive that one day. Not necessarily own… but definitely drive.

Even from a career perspective… I’ve always wanted to be in a particular position and have a particular title (I’ll share more about what this is/was in another blog post!)

So how do you have a clear vision… well, a vision board might help! And rather than me explain it, I thought… why not have Lily Singh explain it to you…

So my Friday Thought is…. inspired from Arnold…. Have a Clear Vision.

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Uncategorized

India Trip Lessons Pt 1

Last week, I was on a work trip in India.

I had a great time – met the team, the wider Tech team, some of our vendors and partners and other staff. All in all, it was time well spent.

I went with particular items I wanted to discuss with the team and wanted to listen to them – about their concerns, issues and anything on top of their mind.

I did all of that. And whilst doing it – learnt alot. I wanted to share some of those learnings,

  1. Culture – Being a Brit, I work with many cultures. The Indian culture, is somewhat unique. Whilst there’s a huge respect for heirachy, there’s so many other things that happen (as part of the local culture) which you just have to adapt to…. like giving sweets as a thank you or when you meet someone (one could get used to that!)
  2. Habits – There’s particular habits which I don’t think I could get used to, for example I saw some people spitting (openly), urinating (wherever you need to) and driving where and how you want! Now this didn’t happen all the time, neither everywhere – but enough for me to think… it’s not nice. I suppose there’s an element of Britishness where you’re taught to queue and line up. Didn’t see much of that.
  3. Opportunities – I was in a shopping mall, and noticed a sign saying the restroom/toilets were ‘out of order’. Then I saw a chap sat there – asked him what he was doing, he said, ‘telling people it’s out of order’. Why do you need to say it – there’s a sign?… Sir, people do what they want. Now this got me thinking and asking…. locals told me, there’s so many people that nearly everyone can have a job… and on top of that, there’s opportunities for everyone. Either be it to tell folk that toilets are out of order or to take the opportunity to test and see if toilets are really out of order!

I’d like to share, in my next blog post – things I learnt as a Leader. Which I think are applicable irrespective of where your team is based.

Most important element was that I learnt so much – which helps productivity and moreso, the team to ask questions. Remember, be curious…. not judgemental.

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Bal's Friday Thought

Bal’s Friday Thought…

I know… it’s been a while! I appreciate your understanding! But more importantly… where is 2024 going?! March already!!!!

I am trying to blog more – sharing more of my thoughts on technology, people and processes… all are important in today’s world. And for today’s friday thought, it’s very much around vibes.

I do often look and feel for vibes… good or bad. And when you get good vibes… Enjoy!

You should too… look out for vibes. Feel the vibes.

Vibes are important because it’s a form of communication that can be so powerful, it leaves you with thoughts, memories and/or experiences.

What is a Vibe? (the below is taken from the Cambridge Dictionary)

The mood of a place, situation, person, etc. and the way that they make you feel:

laid-back vibe The city is famous for its laid-back vibe.

vibe of I loved the overall vibe of the place but the food wasn’t that great.

The music has a soothing vibe.

I didn’t like the place—it had bad vibes.

I was getting some weird vibes from him—I don’t think he liked me.

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RSN

Et tu, Brute?

When in any organisation, it’s important to know to know when your time has come or when to step aside/down from a position or power.

I shared with you previously about the Cornell University course I recently completed, which was titled, ‘Leadership lessons from Ancient Rome’. It was a great course – and there was a module focused on Julius… and what led to his demise.

Now, whilst I won’t go into all of that – there’s key elements that everyone should know. Simple things such as, has the organisation stagnated? Is it still continuing to make progress? Are you meeting targets, KPI’s and metrics that have been set? Is every motivated – even in charitable organisations, are those who volunteer still engaged and attending or have you seen a decrease?

It doesn’t always land on the leader, but most of it has to.

They are the ones in charge – they are the ones who can change the leadership or hierarchy. They are the ones with the ability to grow the organisation and move it from where it is to good, or from good to great.

Some of you may remember, I joined the committee of the local Gurdwara (Sikh Temple). I’d like to think, I helped where I could. Items such as…

  • Designed, wrote and distributed a newsletter to the local community on news, events and activities
  • Held ‘spring clean’ days, where the community came together to help clean and paint. We also jet washed the car park!
  • Engaged local youth groups to hold meetings at the Gurdwara
  • Started Gatka (Sikh martial art) classes at the Gurdwara
  • Designed posters for the older folks in the community – where they’d organised seaside trips
  • Filled out the Gift Aid forms for all the donations received
  • … and much more

But after my two years on the committee, I decided not to continue.

Bal, why did you leave?

Well… comes to the point of who are you surrounded by?

Similar to Julius, there’s a few folks who have all the power. Make all the decisions. And whilst that’s fine, in parts (because they’re older, more knowledge, etc…) there’s a whole lack of cohesiveness.

There are leaders within that group, who think they can do better – which is fine, if you can – but when it’s evident you can’t… you got to think, are you right for that position?

So I decided to leave. Many were upset, and suggested that I don’t.. but I can’t be surrounded by people who don’t have a forward vision or, simply… not good at their job! I did share my views on many occasions and what action steps to take… but, well, you can guess.

Whilst Julius did some great work, led battles… reforms, and much more for Rome. Ultimately, his power got to him… which led him to his assassination on March 15, 44BC. And that’s why it’s important, whilst you may have achieved some great work and led some fantastic activities that have resulted in huge gains… remember to know, when to step aside.

Et tu, Brute? [ (et tooh brooh-tay) ] A Latin sentence meaning “Even you, Brutus?” from the play Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare. Caesar utters these words as he is being stabbed to death, having recognized his friend Brutus among the assassins.

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Dream Big

Lessons from Ancient Rome – Part 1

Recently, I just completed a certificate program at the Cornell University. The course itself, was called – ‘Lessons from Ancient Rome’. And I’ll be honest, it as fantastic!

There were so many takeaways… my top one, which I’d like to share today was about, knowing when to step down.

Julius Ceasar. Legend. Not only was a salad named after him but a month too! Crazy!

(The salad was a joke – I’ll explain in Part 2 why I made that joke).

So, this guy, in essence ruled for a long time. The problem was, he was great to start with but then… he became so embroiled in his own deamour that he lost the confidence in the people around him. And that ultimately led to his downfall.

Now.. why was this my favourite part? Because over this module, it was explained to me… to know when is the right time to take a step back. When to stop and when to know that it’s time for someone else to take over.

I see it everyday. I see it at my local Gurdwara (Sikh Temple) where some of the older folk are holding onto particular positions on the committee for dear life! (though they don’t have long to live themselves!!)

I see it in politics. I see it at work. I see it everywhere. So I thought to myself, why don’t people let go?

Because of Power.

Power is such a strong element – that when you have it, you don’t want to let go.

Remember the time, you were having your favourite meal – and towards the end, you’d enjoyed it so much but you thought, I could do that all over again, or I could eat more of the same. And if it was offered to you, you probably would continue to eat though it’s bad for your health and you’re just going to get fatter and be so indulgent that you’ll ignore signs from your body to stop.

It’s the same when you’re in a position of power.

Now, not everyone is like this. There are many people who will step away. Many people who know the time is up.

I know most of the folk who read this in the US may not be that overly familiar with the game Snooker.

There’s a chap, Ronnie O’Sullivan, he’s been world champ for a long time.. and for fun, he continues to play in all competitions. He made a very funny remark the other day which made me laugh… but also got me thinking…

This for me – sums it all up. Ronnie is the best. In the World. And he’s open for someone to come and win against him. He’s shared his ailments. Yet he continues, because no one can do better.

This is the same principle, for those in positions of power. Let others have a go and see if they’re better than you. If they can perform as good as you. If their ideas are better than yours. In sports – it can be slightly different to politics – but the principle of knowing when to give up is the same. In snooker, there were many great players who started to get beat and knew time was up.

But in positions of power – when you have it, you fear of getting beat. It’s the fear you need to let go off.

Awesome module this was… about leadership, and knowing when the right time is to leave, quit or move on. So many great examples of people who haven’t… and those who did. Sharing this so that you make the right decisions knowing when to step aside or move on for the betterment of the organisation.

Or if you’re like Ronnie… just carry on until someone can beat you!

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Uncategorized

Start of the End for the Post Office

Following on from the lasat blog post aboutt the Post Office. There’s two parts I wanted to look at… one being, is it really what we need moving forward and secondly, the human cost element.

Today, I’ll focus on the tech side of things.

Bal, what do you mean the tech side of things? – we know it was Horizons.

Yes… we know that the system was at fault. I won’t necessarily go into what could’ve happened and what could’ve been done. But let’s look to the future in the sense, do we still need the Post Office?

The Post Office has seen a downward trend for a while. People not posting letters (rather more folks are emailing), other parcel companies doing a slightly better job and most of all… what is it that we really need from the post office?

Yes, some of the older folks will post christmas & birthday cards to loved ones.

Yes, some folks need the post office to send off letters such as passport renewals etc.. under ‘recorded delivery’.

Yes, some folk need the post office to pick up some stationary, envelopes, etc…

But… looking at the next generation and some of the younger folk – do they send cards or is it all e-cards these days? – but moreso, meeting up. They’d rather go to the person, spend some time with them then return – plenty of statistics show since covid, people want to spend time with loved ones.

To be fair, the gov.uk site is good and clear. Easy to renew your passport online – along with other official documents.

Let’s be honest… when was the last time you bought an envelope or some stationary from a shop? (If I was to guess, it’s probably Amazon!)

So then the question remains… do we actually need the post office?

The Royal Mail will come to your house to pick up any letters (or parcels) you need posting.

Then let’s look at the post office employees… there’s been a downward trend since 2014

Let’s combine everything together…

  1. Decrease (significantly) in the number of employees – some of which were most probably due to the Horizons scandal
  2. Increase in services that the post office offer which are now available directly to your home
  3. Technology has highlighted the fact that most processes (passport renewals etc..) can be easily done on-line

So the question is, do we really need the post office?

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Bal's Friday Thought

Bal’s Friday Thought…

Recently I’ve been watching Mr Bates Vs The Post Office.

This isn’t my normal Friday Thought.

I saw the panorama documentary on BBc1 many years ago – 2015 I think it was. When watching it then, I thought to myself – wow. They haven’t really got to grips with the technology that’s been rolled out. Hope something is done.

It’s the hope that kills us.

January 2024, and there’s an ITV drama about the whole Post Office scandal. And there’s two things I’d like to explore –

  1. Why has it taken a TV drama serialised on true events to wake the nation up to a disgraced organisation and the events that took place?
  2. Why did the technology not be stopped?
Mr Bates Vs The Post Office is available to watch on ITV1

Let’s look at the first one – the TV programme.

We know, that you can read something – but our attention spans are not what they used to be. You can see something, like pictures, videos, documentaries, etc… and alot of it you’ll notice, appreciate and get to know.

It’s when it’s brought to a ‘real-life’ drama, that it sinks in. When you see emotions on the people – that’s when it hits.

Emotions you can’t really get through text.

Emotions you can’t really get through a documentary.

Emotions you can get whilst watching a drama based on true events.

And it’s when these emotions hit us, then there’s outrage. And it’s the outrage that is currently occuring. It shouldn’t have taken a TV drama…

Secondly, there was so much money invested in the computer system – hence they didn’t stop. But… that to oneside, the human element is what took over. Greed.

It’s unbelievable that an organisation such as the Post Office could carry out such behaviours. No one thought to look at the trends, the data and moreso, the people that have served their communities. Instead, each one was told… it’s just you. When it clearly wasn’t.

Everything comes from the top. The behaviours, the attitudes and the way people act. So many homes and families were destroyed.

Not to discuss now, but will be on a future blog… is the Post Office fit to continue?

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Bal's Friday Thought

Bal’s Friday Thought…

Well, hope the first week of the new year has been good.

For me… it’s been busy! I was at Guru Nanak’s Mission on Monday – a local charity where I help cook for the homeless and vulnerable. Then work has been busy.. working till late. Last night, I was on a call with folks from my UEFA C course.

BUT… I did manage to, eat well (kind of), get some exercise in, read my new book and do some studying (I’m doing a course with Cornell University – called Leadership lessons from Ancient Rome).

You have to make sure you schedule these in… if not, then you’ll get tired very quickly and not be able to focus on the right things.

Show me your daily wins… maybe we can share them on social media and tag folks for encouragement.

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Uncategorized

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!!! I’m not going to ‘hope’ you have a wonderful 2024… I would like you to have a wonderful year with lots of special moments.

I say that because I’ve just finished reading the book, ‘Power of Moments’. Really good book… explains about moments that occur and breaks down a moment to understand why it’s a moment and why moments are important & memorable.

So plan big for 2024

Plan lots of moments.

Lots of fun in whatever you decide to do.

I’m going to be sharing a lot more on my blog this year… 2023 was busy for a variety of reasons but I’m more committed in 2024… will be sharing more about technology in everyday life. But also, what is happening in the world and how we can better people (off course, with a tech twist).

With that, make some big plans and go for it…