Tag: People

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Throwback Thursday

Big Box in the corner…

Not to reveal my age or anything, but I remember the days (I know… I sound old when I say that!) when, the family used to sit around and watch the big box (the TV) that sat in the corner.

Especially Saturday nights. There were some great shows. As a family, we’d watch them all. Great fun.

But times are changing. And we know they are.

With Netflix. Disney. Amazon Prime TV. And so many more streaming services available, I’ve noticed it in my family, but also studies show… that we don’t all sit around to watch that big box in the corner. (Yes I know it’s not a box, more flat screen!)

In the UK – the BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5 and others are meeting to figure out what they can do to get viewing numbers up!

They’ve realised that they are losing folks to various streaming services and let’s not forget, YouTube along with social media videos.

So what can they do?

Collaborate? – work together, merge… That’s one option.

But what has the real change been here?

The BBC has the iPlayer. And has some good shows. But are they innovative enough with their offerings?

I can’t remember the last time I watched anything on Channel 5.

Channel 4 shows some great documentaries.

We know that shorter videos (reels) or series (netflix) gain the most viewings. People ‘binge watch’ a series they find interesting.

There’s even been interactive shows – where you, the audience, can choose, what happens next!

One thing I know for sure is – habits will change again.

With the introduction of headsets, smart glasses, etc… we’ll all sit there with our own devices wrapped around our own heads, watching what we want, when we want! Not having to wait for a particular show to come on at 7:30pm on a Saturday night!

Call me old… (don’t worry, I can hear you now) but I liked the old way. The whole family, talking to each other, shouting answers to a game show…. Maybe it’s up to us to decide we don’t lose those habits. Talking, socialising, interacting with each other… and not blame it on technology.

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Bal's Friday Thought

Bal’s Friday Thought…

In life, we’ll be faced with many decisions.

Sometimes, they can be difficult ones. And then there can be easy ones. Either way, we should know in our gut… if it’s the right or wrong.

If it’s not a clear yes… (or at least 90%), then it’s a clear no.

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Future Tech

Shout, if you want to go faster!

There’s so much going on in the world right now.

Tariffs. Wars. Fighting. The list continues…. However. Yesterday, there was a story that caught my eye!

Universal are looking to build a huge theme park in Bedford!

Work is scheduled to start next year (2026) and will be completed in 5 years. It will then attract over 8.5m visitors in its first year!

Local media have said – “Proposed plans include a world-class theme park with several themed lands featuring Universal’s distinct brand of immersive storytelling, thrilling rides, innovative attractions and exciting entertainment, all utilising sophisticated and advanced technology.”

You can see why this caught my eye.

Advanced Technology hey. Let’s be honest. We know how quick technology adapts and evolves. 5 years is a long time in tech. So they’ve got to really ‘future-proof’ it as much as possible for tech they don’t know they’ll have to implement!

Not only that – work with the tech companies. When I used to work at Coca-Cola, I was invited to Panasonic offices in New York. They had special labs, where they were working on technology 5 years plus. Similar to Samsung, they have labs that look at tech that is far over the horizon.

Why? Experimentation. They want to try out different tech and see what could work and what might not. This way, they have a better understanding of technology adoption.

It’s not just about adoption. But about how we immersive ourselves in the whole experience. From the moment of booking tickets to go to the theme park, to the moment we arrive… to the moment we’re getting onto a ride!

I’m going to follow this quite closely. Really hope they’re able to build something special…

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Bal's Friday Thought

Bal’s Friday Thought…

I was on LinkedIn the other day and up came a video. Unfortunately didn’t catch the name of the person talking but it was a great video and I managed to scroll back and take a screen shot.

The big takeaway and which forms my thought for this Friday is…

Screenshot

I speak to so many young people who are looking for a job. And I encourage them to give examples of what they’ve done, what they’ve worked with and what they’ve achieved already.

Experience is critical.

Build your resume/cv with experience. Then the jobs will flow.

Remember… skills pay the bills.

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Bal's Friday Thought

Bal’s Friday Thought…

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Bal's Friday Thought

Bal’s Friday Thought…

I’ll share more in an up and coming blog post, but last week I was in Atlanta at a Leadership meeting. And at the meeting the boss put up a slide, and at the bottom of the slide he shared the books he recommends.

Personally – I loved that. Because, I always want to read new books which are recommended by intelligent people.

Which got me thinking… about smart people I know.

There’s a fair few of them. And then I began to notice a trend. A pattern, amongst them. They read books was number one. But they had much more in common…

To become smart… here’s what I found;

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Bal's Friday Thought

Bal’s Friday Thought…

Yesterday, I was talking to my team member about some work we are doing and I made the comment.. ‘slowly but surely’.

Now, for those who know me, I love the old Brian Clough quote, “Rome wasn’t built in a day, but I wasn’t on that particular job”. That’s very much me… but then on the other hand, there’s only so much you can do with what you have control over. It’s all about control.

So today’s thought is centred around doing what you can do, little by little, with the control you do have.

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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.