Think for a minute

In a book by Jeoffry Fox about How to become a CEO.. there are two bits of advice.. read for an hour and think for an hour.
I wanted to try the thinking for an hour bit. My mind lately has not been functioning well. I read and write but haven't done any deep thinking for a while.
All I would think of are debts, grudges and pettiness.. fuelled by my social media affliction.
I assumed that thinking for an hour does not include those. Rather thinking about things to aid progress on your way to becoming a CEO or to be better at it.
So I tried guided thinking. I brought the Brand You book by Tom Peters. I started reading.. and dotting down what I thought about what I just read, It got tedious after a few minutes.
Got to try again tomorrow..

 PS The title is a song by the Housemartins.

Bank Marketing

I set up a box file named Bank Marketing, to assist me gather topics and inspiration for my company's long standing Banking Technology Exhibition (BTX aka Bantex).

Filed a few things there but barely added anything of substance since then.

 Why ? I asked myself. But more importantly.. why did I label it bank marketing ? Shouldn't it be marketing but just applied to banks.

The answer is No.

Bank marketing is unlike other marketing. Not in Sudan.

For starters, it is dominated by the Central Bank. In both the good and bad capacities.

In the good capacity, the Central Bank forced the banking sector to chip in and set up a technology – promotion fund. This paid for essential campaigns that benefit all banks, otherwise a few banks will foot their own campaing bills and the public would not know that the basic banking technology was available in all banks. Things like cheque clearing would be flaunted as a premium service whilst it is so basic and common that people don't think about it anymore. Bantex helped inform the public about such promotion in 2007, 2012 and 2015.

In the bad sense, the Central Bank kept playing this role.. and the whole sector became  receipent of such "tell me what to do" with a few exceptions. Banks stopped taking initiative and the sector came to a hault. 

Electronic Banking Services (EBS) a company set up by the Central Bank to produce banking products and provide the back office support.. banks can then customise the products to their needs. Unfortunately banks stopped being inventive and now the "EBS" line of products looks the same at every bank. To differentiate marketing needs to be heavily applied.   

What made things worse was initiative and banking was being performed by another more agile sector. The telecoms. Money was being transferred to the tune of millions of dollars annually. Both senders and receivers use their mobile phones, no banks involved whatsoever. Transfers reach as far as cellular reception. Sometimes this means a handful of people. What bank will establish a branch for a handful of people ? None.

Banks need marketing more than ever. Not just to revive their lackluster business, but to survive in the near future. Otherwise their demise is happening with every telecom scratch card sold.

The thing about "sets" of feelings

I always wondered why relatives of a dying person feel distress when their loved one dies.
They KNOW for a fact of his/her inevitable death, and have a background sadness that should prevent the shock of death.
After experiencing the same emotions, and the passing of a few relatives and friends I'm beginning to understand.
The thing about being alive even in the most camatose state is still being alive. The feeling associated with that is good.
Dying changes the game.. and brings about a different set of feelings.
Damn dying.. in all forms..

To be continued..

Monster Bank

A long time ago.. before a certain country was born, the conquerors brought their bank first.
Money, they said, was how they will conquer. They will use it to invade, to corrupt, and to prevail.
They were right.
Little did they know that their bank grew an evil spirit of its own.
Nothing happened for a long time after independence.
Afterwards the bank started to demand the souls of other banks.
Industry banks, specialized banks, all kinds of banks.. in a regular cycle.
It engulfed good banks and bad ones.. no discrimination.
It fed on its previous bank about eight years ago.
A new meal is long overdue..

Why Now ?

One of the questions frequently asked by profilers at the FBI's Behavioural Analysis Unit (BAU) or so Criminal Minds series would have us believe.
There would be a STRESSor that caused the serial killer to start killing or repeat killing. Usually the person that controls the urges.. or keeps them in check. If that person is removed something snaps.
The Why Now question applies to every life situation outside the TV criminal universe.. Why did that country bomb that other country ? Why did that politician say what he said.. etc..
It comes down to two sets of motives.. The apparent ones and the hidden ones.. The former can be seen but the latter could only be guessed at. Sometimes somebody would nail it ans find out the cause of the action.
Not easy but could be done.

History F**ks itself

The famous saying History Repeats itself.. finally unmasks itself and reveals its true intent/action. Hence the title.
My first job as a graduate was in a bank. In the United Kingdom. I thought I'd stay for a month. Stayed for 36. Until the bank's license was withdrawn and it closed down. In those days redundancies were a lot, but having been given one at age 26 was novel.
SinceI didn't want to work at as bank again I decided to return to my country. I worked for my father and myself. Own projects and client paid. Those days were about work so I didn't give myself titles like "entrepreneur" nor pigeon-holed my business as "start-up".. life was good.
My father who established a number of banks, successful ones at that, decided to establish one as a crown to our businesses. First attempt in 2008/2009 failed due to the Global Economic Crisis.
The second attempt succeeded.
Suddenly I found a bank weaved all around me. I was literally inserted inside the bank.
It took about 3 years (and a few more months, since this is Africa and everything should have a delayed effect) and the bank was closed. This time instead of total demise, it changed name and purpose.
I am a few days away from my second redundancy.  

Bad or Non existent Sex (BNES)

I drive to work like a lot of people..
When you spend too much time on the road with really bad and reckless drivers you start to theorize.
The default analogy of comparison for the human adult is sex.
Do you see where I'm going with this ?
Yes.
Bad driving and crankiness equals really bad or non existent sex.
Bad or Non existent Sex (BNES) could also be the cause of tribal fighting (all over Sudan).
Is that why we are in constant turmoil in all over Africa and the Arab World.
Shouldn't someone open a sex school ?
Or get people to watch erotic movies together ? To perfect the sex.. or at least make it suck less..
This is sex.. It should involve more sucking.
LOL !