Our IT systems and Security

The BBC reported yesterday about a major cyber spy network based in China. Of the many embassies and foreign ministries infiltrated, our foreign ministry also appears on the list.

This is very worrying.

Our civil servants spend a lot of time chatting online and browsing sites often unrelated to work. Many offices do not even have a basic antivirus system in place and I remember how the systems of several ministries were crippled by a virus a few years ago. Most of the softwares and systems used are either not authentic or up-to-date. We remain vulnerable to such threats.

There is a need for an immediate review to secure our IT systems and also rein in improper internet usage in the offices.

Update - I agree with the comment by Prodigal below. There was little intention to blame our civil servants but we certainly need to pull our socks up.

Relief for steel industry - a bad move

Finally, the steel industry has been provided some relief by the Government. I hope the confidence demonstrated by the government is translated into improved competitiveness in the market place. If the past is a good indicator of future, this confidence may be misplaced. My earlier posts on the subject illustrate why.

A precedent, albeit bad, has now been set. Other industries will also feel deserved. After all which industry is not linked in some way to the global financial crisis? And especially for Bhutan, no industry is more important than the other.

This week - The G20 Summit

This week, the world’s attention will be on the G20 summit in London. The future of the global economy is very much dependent on the outcome of this summit. Will the world leaders agree on measures to tackle the economic crisis?

Expectations are high but we should'nt expect miracles.

I will be following the G20 summit.

Full of Air

There is a possibility that I am completely wrong. So, I am open to any convincing.

I can neither comprehend the economic numbers nor the social benefits of a domestic air service. The idea is not new. Like now, there were no takers in the past. It can only mean one thing – a domestic air service is not feasible in Bhutan. Looks like this is another case of ‘we didn’t learn from our past experience’?

Media reports suggest that the Government would operate this service if the private sector doesn’t want to. But would the costs (estimated to be US $14m for Yonphula and around US$ 20m for Bartsham) be justified? I doubt it. I will always marvel at our propensity for complex solutions to simple problems.

And, how do we reconcile the environmental impacts of a new airport/air service with our values of environmental protection and preservation?

update

Read Di's post on Nano - We are willing to say no to nano (an affordable car promising better and real transportation) and yes to airfield and planes (which is not economically feasible and definitely too expensive except for a few). We Bhutanese sound very rich..

A dilemma .. the MBBS scholarship????

I try to maintain a list of scholarships on this blog (see posts under label scholarships) available to the Bhutanese and the recent decision by the Government to pay Nu. 300,000 to private MBBS candidates has put me in a fix..

It looks like scholarship and yet it is not... it doesn't fit in with any of the categories mentioned on wikipedia (am not endorsing that wikipedia is absolutely correct)..

.. I would value some suggestions from my readers on 2 things --

1. Whether this is a scholarship

2. Any info on scholarships... that I don't know..

cheers

Driven by the Upsides..

We don’t pursue many things because they are risky, and any change or decisions inevitably come with risks. If we keep avoiding risks, we will end up doing nothing.

In most situations, I personally prefer to look at the upsides or benefits and go for it. Through this approach, I have learnt a lot and met lots of interesting people. I am not suggesting that potential losses be ignored.

Understand yourself and your risk appetite, Understand what is at stake but be inspired by the upsides, gains or learning from the experience.

First Impressions Matter

Imagine you have a product/idea and you want to sell it to a customer. The customer says, ‘I am busy and I have a meeting on the third floor. Tell me about your product in the elevator’. Do you think you can convince him to buy your product within the limited time? This ‘selling’ or ‘convincing’ is known as the elevator pitch.

Have a read of Mike Southon’s FT column ‘Floored by an elevator pitch’ to understand more about it. Our ability to present good pitches can often determine ‘failure’ or ‘successes’ of our business and career. You can prepare, practise and rehearse your elevator pitches. Delivering relevant content (the article elaborates it well) in the right quantity is the key.

If you don’t have to sell any idea or product, don’t despair. We always meet new people and trust me, at that time you are essentially pitching (although not for commercial reasons). Many of my good friends are the ones who came across as interesting during the first few minutes of our interaction.

So learn to make a perfect pitch… you never know where or when you have to deliver one.

Manager, where is my money?

I am beginning to worry about the few thousands I have in our banks here. Are they safe?

The BNB scandal involving millions took place over several years under the watchful eyes of the management. The BoB incident of an employee using their client’s money sounds like it isn’t unusual practice. These show that there are no proper (not even basic) risk management systems in place in our banks.

I am very unsettled by the fact that the general manager, Tharpo Drukpa, casually dismisses the BoB incident as a general practice and ‘is common in most banks’ (does he mean BNB????).

The individuals responsible for the BNB embezzlement and the BoB have been punished, so with these, have the organisations banished the flaws and weaknesses in the banks. I am not very confident about it. Have the banks learnt any lessons from the past? No executives got fired or resigned in the BNB scandal. It is unlikely in this case too. I even can't remember a proper communication to the stakeholders. These things don't make me comfortable.

So up-to what extent does the leaders take ownership of the activities their organisations indulge in? When an organisation fails or they do not deliver, it is ultimately the leaders who should take responsibility and be answerable.

The irresponsibility and the inadequate leadership displayed by the executives in our banks have been largely accepted or ignored by the customers, shareholders and the regulators. This is not a good trend and it is too costly. We must ask questions and demand that our savings/investments are protected.

Celebrating Women as Leaders..

Today is March 8 and the International Women's day

So.. Happy International Women’s day and hope more women become leaders and facilitators for improving the world while I digress on to something else which is as relevant..

Many wonder today if this financial crisis have precipitated if more women were in leadership roles in the financial institutions?

A January 2009 Harvard Business Review article, 'Women and the Vision Thing by Herminia Ibarra and Otilia Obodaru', illustrates findings from INSEAD’s executive education that women received higher ratings than men in all the following leadership dimensions except envisioning; envisioning, empowering, energizing, designing and aligning, rewarding and feedback, teambuilding, outside orientation, tenacity, global mindset and emotional intelligence.

Even the inability to envision by women was interpreted by the women leaders as follows:

• ‘Women are equally visionary but in a different way’. Their approach is ‘less directive’, ‘collaborative’ and more inclusive of the team members, stakeholders and other partners.
• Women make decisions based on ‘concrete facts and irrefutable analysis, and not unprovable assertions’ about the future.
• Women like to get things done and do not put much effort into building reputation as visionaries. The article quotes Margaret Thatcher, the former PM of the Britian, ‘If you want anything said, ask a man; if you want anything done, ask a woman.’

This may be a reason why the banks in Iceland are now headed by women who were appointed after the banks failed. We also have a great leader in Dasho Neten who leads ACC, an important institution in our country.

The HBR article concludes that women should ‘stop dismissing the vision thing’ and start developing capabilities to envision to become a good leader. The underlying message is you can trust women to deliver at home and at work..

Happy women’s day again.

Digitally handicapped

It doesn't feel particularly great to be digitally handicapped but it isn't that indispensable as many would like to think so.

I haven't had regular access to the internet for the last few weeks. But my experiences have been equally enriching. I have felt more connected, rather than disconnected, to the environment and people around me. There are many things waiting to be discovered if you are willing to explore, talk and listen to people and assimilate what your senses can perceive.

Anyway now that I am back, expect the blog to be updated regularly.