Public Holidays 2010

At every start of the new year, the first list I would be looking at is the new year’s list of dates for public holiday!! In total we have about 14 days of  public holidays and here’s the list for my beloved country, Brunei Darussalam.

1. New Year (Masehi) 2010:  Sat, 16 Muharram 1431 / 2 Jan 2010 (as a replacement for Fri 15 Muharram 1431 / 1 Jan 2010)

2. Chinese New Year: Mon, 1 Rabiulawal 1431 / 15 Feb 2010 (as a replacement for Sun, 29 Safar 1431 / 14 Feb 2010)

3.  Brunei Darussalam 26th National Day: Tue, 9 Rabiulawal 1431 /23 Feb 2010

4. Prophet Maulud Nabi Muhammad Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam Anniversary: Sat, 13 Rabiulawal 1431 / 27 Feb 2010 (as a replacement for Fri, 12 Rabiulawal 1431 / 26 Feb 2010)

5. Royal Brunei Armed Forces 49th Anniversary: Mon, 17 Jamadilakhir 1431 / 31 May 2010

6. *Israk Mikraj: Sat, 27 Rejab 1431 / 10 Jul 2010

7. His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam 64th Birthday Anniversary: Thu, 3 Syaaban 1431 / 15 Jul 2010

8. *Start of Ramadan (Fasting Month): Wed, 1 Ramadan 1431/ 11 Aug 2010

9. *Rememberance of  Nuzul Al-Qur’an:  Sat, 18 Ramadan 1431 / 28 Aug 2010 (as a replacement for Fri, 17 Ramadan 1431 / 27 Aug 2010)

10. *Eid Mubarak Celebration:  Sat, 2 Syawal 1431 / 11 Sep 2010 (as a replacement for Fri, 1 Syawal 1431 / 10 Sep 2010) and Mon, 4 Syawal 1431 / 13 Sep 2010

11. *Aidiladha Celebration (Sacrifice): Tue, 10 Zulhijjah 1431 / 16 Nov 2010

12. New Year of Hijriah 1432: Tue, 1 Muharram 1432 / 7 Dec 2010

13. Christmas: Sat, 19 Muharram 1432 / 25 Disember 2010

*Subject to changes

Economics and NPM

There is this ongoing effort to give economics reasoning to how the public sector manages itself. This can be a challenge, especially if you don’t have any economics background to begin with. But yet not impossible.

When people hear the word economics, you can see their facial expression changing to a very concerned and unfamiliar look. There’s nothing to be afraid of about economics. It’s just one of those subjects in school where most students just don’t opt to sit in as a choice. But it is a subject that is very closely related to our everyday life.

Simply put, economics is about how we behave in our daily life. Microeconomics is the effects of our behavior on those things around us, while macroeconomics is about the effects of everyone’s behaviour on everything else around them.

In the context of NPM (New Public Management), economics is seen under a lighter shade. Economics here is used to explain why certain choices of policy is more beneficial than others, in consideration of the micro and macro effect that it has. This is my own understanding and definition. So don’t quote me. But do debate if you disagree.

Hence, with the application of economics in management, the concept of ‘NPM’ begin to emerge. NPM basically brings traditional public administrators to a new height, with a focus for more strategic change and outcome rather than merely implementation base on instruction.  Again this is my own definition.

So when you put economics and NPM together, what is endeavoured is to ensure decisions in the policy formulation process is derived from assessment of the related environment and users/ beneficiary feedbacks. Of course, the explanation on this is much more extensive than what I’ve written here. But we can cover that another time.

On the implementation side, attempting to mould a new working culture revolving around economics and NPM is indeed a crazy and almost impossible undertaking. The very words of Economics and NPM, which are aliens to most people, will automatically turn people on the defensive mode and consequently produce a resistance.

Anything new, unfamiliar and imply a change from the norm will have this effect. So the force for change will need to be greater in strength and tenacity. Leaders (in action not in position) have an important role to play here. Because only strong-willed and tenacious leaders can bring out the ultimate change through alteration in mindset and working culture. Equally important is to manage such initiative with relevant and timely knowledge. People will ease up to any undertakings if they are constantly updated and informed on the progress.

I could talk endlessly on this. There are many dimesion to explore and deliberate. If there is an area you want to share under this title, please to pass in your comments. I’m dying to read more refreshing thoughts on this.

Democratic Management

I was reading a book on public administration a few days back, and I came across an interesting view on the topic. The book stated that the public sector has been cultured to do things just because the top authority tells them to do it. And they will not do things beyond the instruction given. So the so called public servants were merely like puppets with the strings symbolising the directives and procedures given to them to conduct the necessary action.

To an extent, those statement still applies in today’s world. Some of the people in the public sector seem to be more comfortable to just stay within the above definition. And for the few of the people, this can form a kind of resistance, especially if the organisation aspires to evolve into something more dynamic.

I also came across a book on Participative Management which among other things highlighted how democratic management is the way to go nowadays. Democracy in this sense is about empowering people and allowing them to take rein and be accountable for their actions. The superiors in this instance will not be surrendering their authority but instead delegating the task and sharing the responsibility with those in the organisation.

I love this idea of democratic management. Although I haven’t really finished reading the article, I’m keen more than ever to further explore this concept. So if any of you know specific books I should be reading on this, please do tell me.

Criticism vs Compliments

Why is it that we’re so quick and willing to criticise and yet very slow and reluctant to give compliments/ praises?

I’m sure all of us have had our actions criticised at some point or another. And I’m also sure that not many of us had the luxury of being complimented or praised for a job well done, not on a regular basis that is.

I noticed that being in a competitive surrounding, like the work office, people are just not keen on raising the morale of their fellow competitors. Where the superiors are concerned, they are more wary of what they compliments might imply in the long run. I’m not sure what that means, but it is quite strange to even be so calculative and frugal with our compliments when situation warrants it.

I’m the type of person who would definitely be forefront about my feelings, especially where work is concerned. If I see my underlings not performing to their best potential or demonstrating slackness in how they conduct their jobs, then I will straight up tell them that it’s no good and I expect a much better performance and effort. And when I see my staff performing well, I’m still as eager and willing to compliment them on their efforts, and encourage them to continue this excellent performance.

There’s nothing wrong with telling people when something is not done to a satisfactory level. But it is wrong to suppress well deserved praises to those who deserve it. We are after all humans, emotions can either fuel or deflate your spirit/ enthusiasm. So make sure there’s always a balance of the bad and the good that we give to people. More good is always preferable, because the ultimate aim is to encourage and raise the morale of those around us.

So the next time you see a job well done, please take the initiative to say “excellent work”. A simple word like that will not take more than 2 seconds to vocalise, and it will definitely brighten up someone’s day. 2 seconds for an entire day sound a very good value for money don’t you think?

So Let’s live life happily! And be ready to praise more

Mentoring and Youths

I was browsing through the bookshelves at the library the other day and I came across this book on Mentoring. I didn’t actually read the book, but the title itself made me recall an article I read on that same topic.

There was this notion of applying Mentoring on troublesome youths. Somehow I was kind of skeptic about this idea. It’s a good idea though. It’s just that I doubt the capability to executive such an idea.

Looking at my own personal experience, I’ve been primarily educated at the national public schools. And when it comes to students’ welfare issues, there has never been any qualified counselors at the school to help sort out the troubled students. The usual practice, as I remembered it, is that the welfare teacher allocated at any public schools are usually one of the teaching staff at the school, who happened to be free and don’t necessarily possess any counseling skills.

And now, they have this new idea about mentoring. I seriously would like to know how this notion will be applied.

To me, when it comes to troublesome youths, we have to look at the root cause of it. The usual common issues confronting these youths are divorced parents, negligence, peer pressure, lack of religious education, and many more.

Troublesome youths can be considered as one of the social ills of the modernised world. If we look back at how things were during our great grand parents days, they didn’t have problems like this with their youths. Youths of yesteryears were more obedient, loyal, respectful and fearful of their elders. But today, youths are more exposed to their surroundings and thus have a tendency to be calculative with their obedience, loyalty, and respect. And most youths certainly do not fear their elders like they used to.

Looking at these characteristics, the attempt of applying mentoring (defined as a responsible adult becoming role models to the trouble youths by being their confidante, conscience and adviser) to these kids will indeed be a challenging one. Most youths, when in trouble, prefer to turn to their peers than to an adult. It’s a universal culture or traits. Reason being for fear of being nagged and scolded at probably.

My suggestion as a solution to trouble youths syndrome, is to revert back to how families used to live their life. Example, rather than parents being so engrossed with their worldly jobs and daily upkeep, please do make the time to spend quality time with every family members, find out what the children have been up to, how they’re doing in schools, who they hang out with, who their friends are, and etc etc. Another example is, rather than letting your child spend most of their time with their peers at the Mall, use some of the free time to get close and get to know your child, be their parents and friend.

I know it’s not easy to try to revert our modern way of living to the old backward days of our ancestor. But for me, it’s a worthwhile effort and journey to retain the value of family-hood just so that we can live harmoniously as a family. So let’s give this a try.

Website and Portals

Technological change and globalisation has brought with it the never ending challenge of competition. One of the effective mode in boosting our competitive edge is the capability to optimize usage of the internet. Whether you’re in the public or private sector, utilisation of I.T is a must if you wish to ensure that people are well informed about your organisation.

Yesterday, I attended a workshop that specifically focused on finding a solution to challenges in establishing an organisation’s website and portal. Although it was only a one-day session, but the discussions that transpired were exceedingly refreshing. Within that one-day session we were able to identify common challenges and eventually selective/ unified solutions.

The internet revolution is still a new concept to fellow colleagues in my sector. Although slow in embracing this new technology, we are not completely ignorant of its potential. The ongoing problem is that we are just not putting enough effort and attention to realise this potential.

Personally, the intent of establishing a portal for our sector would go a very long way in not only allowing us to reach out to all corners of the nation and beyond but concomitantly will help to further disseminate our aspirations to others. Today’s society is different from the olden days. Nowadays people are more and more curious and crave for information on anything an everything. With the advent of I.T., the general public have the freedom to access all types of information just at the click of a button.

Although on the one side I.T. enables people to be more well informed on things, but there is also the danger of people being mis-informed at the same time. There is not specific software that is capable of filtering inaccurate information. And this is a shortcoming that specific sectors have concerns about.

As a solution, organisations world wide take the initiative to set up their own official website and portals. Hopefully through this effort, people will be provided with timely, relevant and accurate information.

But for some, implementing such an initiative entails a huge challenge. It requires an organisational change i.e. to designate the right people for the job, who knows and understands the organisation’s needs, and are empowered to do so. These are only some of the necessary changes that need to take place. There are other activities that are of equal importance, and should be explored base on respective needs and requirements. And this was exactly what I went through in identifying and deliberating during the workshop yesterday.

I seriously hope friends and colleagues will make attempts to familiarise with I.T. Although it may seem common in today’s business, but its impact has no barrier. And it would be a personal as well as professional achievement if we can start and continue to utilize I.T. in everything that we do. Remember, Work Smart, not Work Hard :)

Excellent Performance

Do people who excel in their job performance deserve the recognition in their appraisals? And for future assessment, what is the next stage after excellent??

Some people have the difficulty to decide whether or not to recognise excellent performance through appraisals. Some people are mindful of the good performance of their staff, but to put that recognition in written form, they seem to be reluctant. The reason being, if staff were assessed excellent, it will be harder to assess them in the future as they were already previously excellent.

I know this sounds confusing but just bare with me for a while. Personally, as a senior executive, I have no problem recognising the hard work and excellent performance of my own staff on paper. Providing they do perform in the most outstanding way. I believe people should be rewarded where warranted. Hence, an outstanding performance would be deserving of such recognition of award, whether in written form or through incentives.

But prior to making any appraisals, there are specific criterias we have to observe. But what we need to consider are basically, first and foremost, what is the job spec of the staff and whether they are able to perform those job spec. or is there any gaps for improvement.  The second consideration is, is the staff able to execute special project, that transcend their allocated job spec. If yes, this will be a vital point in the assessment process, that differentiate between average performance and outstanding performance. And the final consideration is, the psyche of the staff concerned. Are they in terms of mind and spirit, in tune with the vision of the organisation? with colleagues? what are the most visible positive/ negative attributes illustrated by the staff?

Of course there are other considerations that can be looked at. But the above are some of the essentials that I use myself. But for me, recognition on excellent performance is only warranted when that worker has done beyond their own job spec. It’s about the person’s credibility, competency and potential. Key word here is potential. Potentials are derived from how a staff is able to complete an assignment, whether it has any relevance to his job spec or not, in a timely and professional manner. Assignments in this instance include organising an international event, producing proposed paper on ways and means of improving an organisation or process, leading a major project etc.

This is how I would conduct the appraisal of my own staff.

But for some, giving excellent appraisal report to staff is merely a way of boosting the moral of the staff concerned. It is an effective way of doing so. But the downside is that, it compromises the professional development of the person concerned. For some, once they are given excellent appraisal report, that marks the point where they just maintain what they do, instead of further enhancing their performance.

I can talk at length on this, if I had the time. And I’m sure there would me many debates about it too. But regardless of HOW we wish to assess the performance of our staff, I’m sure the heart of it all is basically to help that person progress to the next stage. I also believe today’s working community consist of professional individuals. And with that mindset, people are committed and well-trained to conduct themselves in a professional manner.

As a last word, Remember to Work Smart while you Work Hard… Look after those under you, so that they will reciprocate by looking after you!

Thinking Work

Although the hari raya festivity is still burning hot, but by this week people, more or less, in conscience have returned and refocused on their jobs.

For some, Monday is always a slow day, as people are trying to recover from excitements during the weekend. For me, it’s just another day, work or play. I always enjoy working on Monday though, just because it’s only 5 days away from the next weekend! :p

Anyway, whenever I’m at the office, the first and foremost, I would start thinking about what project I can do. I love planning excursions, especially since that is exactly what I’m supposed to do in my current line of work. There are a few other activities I wanted to do, but prior to that, I have to submit a proposal paper on it to the higher authority. This is usually the hurdle for some people. To write proposals on something, is just not for most people to do. But for me, I love to write. So it worked out fine for me.Well, so far it does.

And I love emails too! So whenever I’ve done my papers, I would just have it email to my immediate supervisor, and cc it to my bigger bosses. Personally, it’s more effective this way, and consume lesser time.

Anyways, I better head off back to work if I’m going to get anything done at all. Smart working to y’all!!

Effective PR

I had a very interesting discussion with my colleagues in the PR business. There seems to be a shared concerns on what effective public relations really means. Current understanding on public relations, specifically in the public sector focus mainly on the dissemination of information to the general public. Probably, in my opinion, too much focus has been granted in passing such information via the media, and very little attention and yet necessary has been allocated on exploring the alternative channels for such purposes.

I’ve only been permanently posted into the Public Relations business about less than 2 years, and during that time I’ve seen so much potentials that are just left to pass everyone by. My peers in this field are most of the time too bogged down with menial tasks that they lacked the opportunities to explore the more relevant and core area of their profession.

And this was exactly what my discussion yesterday was touching on. A question was posted to all my peers, what exactly makes an effective public relation officer? And surprisingly, my peers just remained quiet. I don’t blame them really. Because PR business is a contemporary concept that has yet to be fully absorbed into a traditional and conventional society such as ours.

Just to share my own thoughts, for me PR is everyone’s responsiblity. There is no law or rules that states only PR practisioners can be involved in such profession. Personally, public relations is an activity that everyone are involved in on a daily basis. But yet, when the word PR is even mention, fingers start to be pointed at the PR officers every single time.

Base on my experience, PR officers are the frontliners in this business. But their effectiveness lies in how other entities and personnel within and outside of the organisation are willing to render their assistance and support in the process as well. Therefore, the whole organisation has to work together to make PR work for them. Not merely making PRO work for the organisation.

Therefore, a change of mindset and culture in fully embracing PR responsibilities is necessary. And this has to start from the top of the hierarchy ladder and cascaded to the personnel on the ground. Realistically, this is a very complex and difficult task to achieve. Even in the management field, attempting to cascade an ideology to all levels is almost like trying to penetrate a steel door with a wooden chopstick!

But overall, achieving change means we have to be able to convince, fully or even partially, those around us on its imperativeness. Only through the such support will there be progress. At the same time, it would be useful to have a well thought out plan as well. So gather all your wits and prepare a sound plan, you might just be able to succeed in the PR business

Limbang’s Status Still Vague

Article today in Brunei Times stated that limbang claim issue were never discussed in the agreement signed Monday.

According to the statement by the Second Minister of MoFaT, the documents included the “final delimitation of maritime boundaries” between Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia, the establishment of the Commercial Arrangement Area in oil and gas, the modalities for the final demarcation of the land boundaries between the two countries and the “unsuspendable rights of maritime access” for nationals and residents of Malaysia crossing Brunei maritime zones to and from Sarawak, provided that Brunei’s laws and regulations are observed.

Quoting the joint statement, Pehin Dato Lim said that the demarcation of land boundaries would be resolved on the basis of five existing historical agreements between the governments of Brunei and Sarawak, and where appropriate, the watershed principle.

This is indeed a shocker. When will the limbang issue ever be resolved? I guess it’s still history in the making. Let’s just hope for the best.