Year 2011...

Many great things happened in 2011. First multiparty local council election held. Economic reform agenda proposed, and related laws & regulations passed. First ever Text bill implemented. GST & TGST, income tax introduced.

Aasandha- government health insurance scheme for all Moldavians was introduced, capped Mrf 100,000.00. Many peaceful demonstrations were held.

Largest peaceful demonstration held in 23 December 2011. Government decided to ban alcohol & spas.

Year 2011...

Build Your Personal Value Proposition

Executives set value propositions for their products — the target market segments, the benefits they provide, and their prices. It's why a target customer should buy the product.
Executives set value propositions for their products — the target market segments, the benefits they provide, and their prices. It's why a target customer should buy the product. But value propositions go beyond just products. Your personal value proposition (PVP) is at the heart of your career strategy. It's the foundation for everything in a job search and career progression — targeting potential employers, attracting the help of others, and explaining why you're the one to pick. It's why to hire you, not someone else.

The question is this: How do you develop a powerful PVP?
Take a look at Steve (name has been changed). Steve is a tall, 54-year-old manufacturing executive. Steve's interest and skill at manufacturing operations is the cornerstone of his PVP.

It's hard to know what you're really good at. You need more than the ordinary, convenient categories. I seek the kinds of things where I fit naturally, what I enjoy. That's not consumer products, not hard science, not financial institutions, and not an enterprise that's pursuing something other than long-term financial objectives. I look for operations-intensive companies who can benefit from significant performance improvement. I take floundering institutions and go build things. It's not quite turnaround, not slash and burn; but it's a far way from peaceful stewardship of assets. I'm a go-build guy.

Steve targets companies from $150 million sales up to $1 billion. He doesn't want start-ups, where everything would need to be set up, or a company so large that he couldn't know people down the line. He prefers private companies. With no experience with the special duties of a public corporation's CEO, he feels it doesn't make sense to have to learn all that on the job at this point in his work life.
Steve also emphasizes his view of the right atmosphere: "I'm not at all into sleazy places, nor into industries like tobacco, alcohol, or casinos. Ethically-challenged places are no fun." We could debate whether those industries pose ethical issues, but that's not the point. They aren't right for him.
Steve's leaving out the great majority of corporations, but that doesn't limit him. He gets three or four calls a year asking him to consider a corporate CEO position. Those calls come both because he's a strong candidate for jobs where he fits and because the people who call know that. They don't call about everything. They call about positions that connect to Steve's PVP. It's easy to understand where he's strong and what he wants to do. His PVP is distinctive, unlike what similarly qualified executives might say about themselves.

Here are four steps to develop a strong PVP:

Set a clear target. The PVP begins with a target, one that needs what you have to offer. You'll prefer some directions, not others. Targeting will make you most effective.

Identify your strengths. It may sound obvious, but what you know and what you can do are the foundation of your PVP. Hone in on what those are.

Tie your strengths to your target position. Don't leave it up to the employer to figure out how your strengths relate to what she needs. Let your PVP tightly connect you to the position. Connect the dots for her. Consider her perspective and know why she should hire you or promote you.

Provide evidence and success stories. Your strengths may be what an employer is "buying," but your achievements are the evidence you have those strengths. They make your case convincing. Some people prepare a non-confidential portfolio to showcase that evidence in a vivid way. They collect reports they wrote that had impact. They pull together facts on measurable achievements such as sales growth or cost reduction.
Steve's target — mid-sized, privately-held industrial companies that need significant operations improvement to enable growth — is an excellent example of the first of these steps. He's setting himself up in his distinct target area, where his network knows him well. His past success demonstrates that he has the capability and emphasizes his strengths. In all of this, Steve's intrinsic quality is critical to his success, but it's not the whole story. It's through his PVP that Steve's making the most of his talents.

As you think about your own career strategy, think about Steve and his narrowly defined and distinctive PVP. What's your value proposition?

By: Bill Bernett.
You can find same article oin HBR Blog, 17 Sept 2011.

Build Your Personal Value Proposition

Future of Tourism in Maldives

Tourism industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the country. Started in 1972, over the past 29 years more than 90 resorts were built, and are still developing in different provinces. Over 600,000 tourists visit Maldives every year.

It was in 2005 government opened-up tourism business to the country as a whole. As a result investors started developing resorts in
North and south of Male' atoll. First ever public listed company in Maldives- Maldives Tourism Development Corporation was formed.


Human Resource shortage

Among the local workforce, more than 75 per cent of workers in resorts are from different Islands. Most of these people are working in resorts nearby Male' City. As a result of stretching tourism's arm to the whole country these people started seeking job opportunities nearer to their own island, which resulted creating a huge vacuum in resorts operating in Male' Atoll. Government and private sector did not put much effort for developing of local talents. Hotel School now known as FHTS is totally neglected. Parents started openly rejecting their Sons and Daughters working in resorts due to religious controversial issues. Nor government and MATI tried to educate parents on those issues. For all these reasons huge percentage of revenue leak to other economies. Currently more than 99000 foreigners are working in Maldives, among them roughly 41% is engaged in tourism related business.

Religious extremism and tourism

Through political reform effort by former regime political atmosphere changed. Freedom of association and freedom of speech is considered as a basic human right. Many political movements and parties were formed. First ever multi-party election held in 2008. The biggest opposition party with help of other small parties came to power in 2008 election. Not even three months to the new government ministers belong to other parties started resigning one after the other.

Government effort to sell alcoholic beverages in inhabited island was forced to stop due to public pressure. After few months Holiday Inn hotel announced selling of their property in Capital City. Mainly due to banning selling of Alcoholic and pork items in hotel.

Recently in 23 December 2011, mass demonstration was held throughout the country. Protesters demanded government to ban alcoholic beverages and pork Items in Maldives. Other demands include closing down of Spas and banning of Israel National flights coming to the country. A week later government responded to their demands and announced to closing down of spas and banning alcohol in Maldives. Parliament committee decided to ban Israel flights to Maldives.

Mentioned are directly related to tourism business. Ironically most of those demands were proposed by tourism tycoons. If government implement what was promised, investors will loose their confidence over us, and will loose huge revenue as a TGST.

Future of Tourism in Maldives

I wish...

It has been quite sometime I did not update my blog. It is mainly due to heavy workload and unstable Internet connection in remote areas.

Anyway, I did not know about iPhone blogger application. Blogger app is so amazing. This is my first entry using blogger app.

Hereafter I wish to continue updating my blog regularly.

I wish...

Is the Life You're Living Worth the Price You're Paying to Live It?

What toll does it take, over time, if you get too little sleep; skip breakfast or settle for something unhealthy; struggle with a relentlessly challenging commute; attend meeting after meeting with no breaks in between; pump yourself up through the day with multiple cups of coffee or sugary snacks; deal with hundreds of emails that accumulate in your inbox; remain at your desk for lunch if you eat lunch at all; push through fatigue in the afternoon; head home at night feeling exhausted, but continue to check email through the evening; work on the weekends; and limit your vacations to no more than a week or two, if you vacation at all?

Consider the story of the boiling frog. It may or may not be true, but the point it makes certainly is. Toss a frog into a pot of boiling water and it instinctively jumps out, self-protectively. Next, place the frog into a pot of cool water. Not surprisingly, it swims around, happily. Now heat the water up very gradually and what does the frog do? It acclimates to untenable circumstances — and slowly cooks. The frog doesn't notice what's happening to him, until it's too late.

We're experiencing the same phenomenon. Facing ever more demand, complexity and uncertainty, our initial response is to push ourselves harder and more relentlessly, without taking account of the costs we're incurring.

Physiologically, we move into hyperarousal — flooding our bodies with stress hormones such as adrenalin and cortisol. It's an automatic response to the experience of threat, and it provides an instant source of energy.

"Allostatic load" is a term coined by the neuroscientist Bruce McEwen that refers to the physiological consequences — most especially on the brain — of chronic exposure to relentless demand. When fight-or-flight hormones circulate in our body for too long, keeping our arousal high, they become toxic — not just physically, but also emotionally and mentally.

The most immediate problem with the fight-or-flight state is that our pre-frontal cortex begins to shut down. We become reactive rather than reflective. We lose precisely what we need most in these complex times: the capacity to think analytically and imaginatively; to embrace nuance and paradox rather than choosing up sides; and to take a long-term perspective rather than making the most expedient choice.

It's not good for us, and it's not good for companies.

The antidote, well understood by trauma researchers, is to give people practical and specific ways to lower their physiological arousal — to get out of fight or flight. If you're hyperaroused — and vast numbers of us are, much of the time — you must learn first how to regularly relax your body. Only then is it possible to calm your emotions, quiet your mind and make wiser choices.

In the trauma community, it's called self-soothing. In the workplace, it's about using simple strategies to buffer relentless demand by taking more conscious and regular care of our most basic needs.

Our most fundamental physical needs, beyond food, are to move and to rest. Sleep is the foundation of physical energy. All but a tiny percentage of us require at least 7-8 hours a night to feel fully rested and even small amounts of sleep deprivation take a significant cognitive toll.

We also operate best when we take renewal breaks at least every 90 minutes during the day. Breathing deeply for as little as a minute, for example, can completely clear the body of cortisol.

Movement is a second, more active way to change channels and to build physical capacity. The best way to move is to regularly challenge our current comfort zone — to push our heart rate into the aerobic and anaerobic zones at least four times a week, for at least 20 minutes at a time, and to train with weights at least twice a week.

Even if you don't do that, it's immensely valuable to get up and move at least several times during the day — and even better, to get outside. Above all, our goal should be to increase our oscillation over the course of the day — moving between relaxation at one end, and more active forms of energy expenditure at the other.

At the emotional level, our core need is to feel safe, secure and valued. The most reliable way to ensure that happens is to move flexibly between valuing, appreciating and taking care of others — which builds trust and appreciation — and taking care of ourselves. One without the other is insufficient. We need to regularly refuel ourselves with positive emotions just as much as we need to renew ourselves physically.

The more attentive we are to meeting these core needs, the less likely we are to feel overwhelmed and exhausted, and the more sustainably high-performing we're capable of becoming.

By: Tony Schwartz

Is the Life You're Living Worth the Price You're Paying to Live It?

Nine Things Successful People Do Differently

Why have you been so successful in reaching some of your goals, but not others? If you aren't sure, you are far from alone in your confusion. It turns out that even brilliant, highly accomplished people are pretty lousy when it comes to understanding why they succeed or fail. The intuitive answer — that you are born predisposed to certain talents and lacking in others — is really just one small piece of the puzzle. In fact, decades of research on achievement suggests that successful people reach their goals not simply because of who they are, but more often because of what they do.

1. Get specific. When you set yourself a goal, try to be as specific as possible. "Lose 5 pounds" is a better goal than "lose some weight," because it gives you a clear idea of what success looks like. Knowing exactly what you want to achieve keeps you motivated until you get there. Also, think about the specific actions that need to be taken to reach your goal. Just promising you'll "eat less" or "sleep more" is too vague — be clear and precise. "I'll be in bed by 10pm on weeknights" leaves no room for doubt about what you need to do, and whether or not you've actually done it.

2. Seize the moment to act on your goals. Given how busy most of us are, and how many goals we are juggling at once, it's not surprising that we routinely miss opportunities to act on a goal because we simply fail to notice them. Did you really have no time to work out today? No chance at any point to return that phone call? Achieving your goal means grabbing hold of these opportunities before they slip through your fingers.

To seize the moment, decide when and where you will take each action you want to take, in advance. Again, be as specific as possible (e.g., "If it's Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, I'll work out for 30 minutes before work.") Studies show that this kind of planning will help your brain to detect and seize the opportunity when it arises, increasing your chances of success by roughly 300%.

3. Know exactly how far you have left to go. Achieving any goal also requires honest and regular monitoring of your progress — if not by others, then by you yourself. If you don't know how well you are doing, you can't adjust your behavior or your strategies accordingly. Check your progress frequently — weekly, or even daily, depending on the goal. Read more

Note: This article was written by Heidi Grant Halvorson to HBR Blog.

Nine Things Successful People Do Differently

Star company

Organization wants to hire the best and brilliant talents. Companies often approach most elite education institutions to seek such a talents. In fact, some of these organizations struggle to retain brightest employees, building cohesive team and increase competitive advantage. Why companies unable to meet intended goals by bringing brainiest people? When we looked at Enron, a company that vowed to attract the brainiest and most high-powered people in its field, and who promised that spending a few years there would give them the skills and mindset they needed to do whatever they wanted with the rest of their lives, and we know how that turned out.

If a system is not strategize well and fully integrate with supporting operational functions, no company would succeed in ever changing world. There is a difference between attracting brainiest talents and building a brilliant system. The most successful organizations are the one where the system is the star.

To build such a system, Initiations should come from the top most people, especially owners and the most senior management team. Companies must utilize and tap every single talents, and technologies which may help to gain competitive advantage. Embracing to technology smoothen the operations and produces good results. Furthermore, cultural influences are another factor that needs to be addressed to build such a system.

Star company

International Women’s Day

When we celebrate International Women's Day on March 8, I wonder whether we have achieved anything in protecting the rights of women. It is common belief in our society that fighting for rights of women is western sponsored anti-Islamic ideology. In my opinion everyone must get equal chance to make living, education and participation in politics. No society will be developed if they had neglected the rights of women. Research shows that number of women hold white color job is dramatically increasing year after year. Since women are 50% of our society, why shouldn’t we engage them to boost our economy?

The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank encourage developing countries to use export-led growth to expand their economies. Such globalized economies require a labor force of a size that must include women. In many cases, cultural barriers, especially in the relationship between women and men within households and communities, impede increased economic participation, or undermine the quality of that participation. For example, even women who do work face differential treatment such as wage gaps and segregation into traditionally female industries. Women have historically borne the burden of non-monetized labor, such as child care and domestic work.

While significant advances have been made in advancing women’s political participation in recent years, women are still under-represented in governance structure and people’s Majlis (legislation assembly). In any given participating State, women’s political participation usually depends both on broad social, economic and cultural factors, and on the electoral and political systems, particularly the rules governing political parties.

International Women’s Day

Why change fail?

t’s estimated that up to 70 percent of new progames that were put into action fail. Be it a policy or introduction of a new technology or rebranding of a company. Why change effort does not produce any change or give results? We often buy things that may not fit into our society. We love stability, so we think a system that works well in one country may fit into ours with no modification. That is the typical mindset we all have. In fact, every human society is unique. It might be duce to their culture, belief system or geographic location.

When we want to adopt or bring a change, first we have to know the differences and similarities among ourselves. We can only build an empire based on common goal and interests. We have to let go some of our goals that are not similar with our partners. That is something that we all need to understand. We should communicate the big picture that you have in your mind. Success of change effort depends on the degree of conviction people have on the new beginning. Information that was seen useful and timely concerning the change favorably impact people’s attitude about the planed change.

If we failed to communicate reasons clearly why we need to experience new things or need to change, people start to resist one way or the other. It’s because people may think it doesn’t give any good to them and it might be general. If we don’t consider cultural factor, change might bring additional problem and conflict between existing culture and what is to be changed.

Why change fail?