Tag: People

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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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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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Bal's Friday Thought

Bal’s Friday Thought…

There’s a lot going on around the world. This Friday thought is not tech related – but moreso about our human nature. We should be more considerate to those around us and those who are being effected by the events that are taking place in a number of areas around the world.

And then there’s people locally to us, who may be going through struggles that may not be as evident to us.

We just need to be kind to others.

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Time to switch off?

Who’d have thought. As a technology advocate, I’d be suggesting you switch your tech off for a while?

Well… I am.

Bal… are you going crazy?

No, not in the slightest. I am noticing that we are ever so becoming more and more dependent on technology – and yes, we’re surrounded by it. But I’ve written/blogged about it before. We should always take a break from it. And there’s some method behind the madness (of what I’m suggesting!)

Firstly, when you take a break from the tech – you’ll appreciate it more when you come back to it.

Secondly, when you take a break from tech – and when you come back, you can be more focussed on what you need that tech to do or what you want from it. Make it work for you.

Thirdly, when you take a break from tech – you’ll notice other things. What I mean about this is – you won’t be scrolling and seeing a device – when you look up you may notice something different, something unique, something that then gives you an idea! (you may need to return to tech to then progress – but take that break).

We now have smart cars, smart homes, smart tv’s, smart watches, smart… well, everything is becoming smart! And that’s with the advancement of technology. Which is great. Because it’s meant to be quicker and easier to do things. That’s what smart means, right? – the smarter something is, the quicker or easier it is to do something.

But I’ve noticed that whilst there’s alot of talk about AI (Artificial Technology) – we’re very reliant on technology to do the basics for us or become, dare I say it… lazy (er).

I’m sat at my macbook writing this blog. I’ve not written for a long time. Yesterday, I met a friend of mine – Craig. We had a coffee. No device in sight. For an hour. It was great. We had lots of ideas and things we want to do. The great thing then was, we picked up our phones, made notes. Productivity. On your mobile phone, you can see what you have used your phone for… productivity, social media, etc… Have a look at the data – and what it’s telling you.

Data-led decisions can then enable you to be more productive.

Data-led decisions can then help you be more adventurous.

So, maybe it is time to switch off for a while – take a break and look out the window for inspiration.

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Bal's Friday Thought

Bal’s Friday Thought…

Saw this wonderful quote on a poster, and thought it’s too good not to share with you.

There’s so much to digest… but for me, the last line is soooo important and the one that hits hard.