Workaholic?

 

Achieving the workaholic status is starting to seem quite probable now, as I realize my life is increasingly turning around my work. My family barely sees me. I only use my room to sleep. My friends see me on facebook mostly. I rarely spend a Sunday without going into the office. Saturdays are just like any other weekdays. Its been like that for the past 6 months now.

But when I sit down to think about work, it does not seem like work anymore. It is quite enjoyable and relaxing. I wonder if that’s what happens when one turns into a workaholic – they can’t differentiate between work related stuff and non-work related stuff. I wonder if I’ll manage to meet other workaholics at this rate.

Forgotten Citizens

 

We are talking about Mauritius in terms of economic growth, modern nation, and future Africa/Asia hub, but we don’t pay much attention to crucial aspects like social balance, equitable wealth spread, and a Mauritius that has a place for everyone. We don’t realize that these crucial aspects have a major contribution towards helping the country progress.

I understand that making this country good for everyone is not a straightforward task, but I was amazed by how oblivious a great majority of Mauritians are to what is happening in their own country. When I showed them this documentary, they were so shocked to see the level of poverty that existed in our country.

If we don’t even know what serious problems really exist, then how are we going to start talking about finding solutions. Mauritians are increasingly becoming self-centered individuals who just focus on acquiring wealth. We forget that others exist around us. We forget that we will have to spend this wealth in this very society, and if the society turns upside down because we forgot that others existed, then our wealth will not be worth anything.

mediocrity = passivity = à-peu-près = fou-pas-mal

 

During a conversation with a journalist, something was pointed out and I could not find its irrelevance: “We live in a country that is built on mediocrity & passivity”.

 

The negative side

We are mediocre in most of the things we do. We are not very original as we seldom create. We either bring ideas from other countries, or we just copy/steal (and even that is badly done in most cases). We are good at embellishing mediocre things  & people. We then make-believe these things & people are fabulous. 

I think our mediocrity exists because we are a society that feeds on hearsay. We have a tendency to gulp things that are thrown at us. We are rarely focused and accurate as we have not been taught to develop these qualities. Because of that, we have a big problem when it comes to sustainability and maintenance. Some would say this is a general worldwide thing, and it is true. But to some extent, it is THE BIG THING in Mauritius.

As for our passivity: people complain about the things they think needs changing or amelioration but how many actually do something about it? How many actually act? There is more talking that action. We wait for others to do the action. Then we forget.

The ‘à-peu-près’ & ‘fou-pas-mal’ mindset.

 

The source

It is extremely rare for a lot of Mauritians to analyze, dissect, deconstruct, explore, question, research or even do a simple benchmarking.

No-one/nothing in particular can be blamed/accounted for this Mauritian trait as its source is plural – our geographical location, demography, history, culture (or lack of it), identity crisis, traditions etc…, and the Mauritian context in general.

But I tend to believe that the most influential agent for this trait is our education. I think we are not taught to use our brain to think. Instead, we are taught to obey, listen, and ‘copy’. We are taught that things need to be done by the book. We are told what to do. We are spoon-fed.

 

The positive side

One good thing out of all this is that I notice a desire to improve. For example, some companies (banks & service orientated businesses) are conscious that they need to redefine their whole system if they want to survive through time. They are conscious they need to be more accurate and factual. I’ve noticed how some media establishments are working towards ameliorating their content by being more analytical and accurate. 

I hope this shift in mindset will reach individuals as well.

Sometimes, a desire is enough to initiate actions that will generate a whole new dynamism. What is lacking is a way to channel desires towards actions. This demands discipline, structure, organization, vision, missions, and most importantly, people with the right mindset. This is what we lack in Mauritius, but it is never too late to nurture it. As for our passivity, I think it helps maintain peace in Mauritius.

Brand Image Reflections

This is just a little note that might not mean anything to some, but which I think means a lot for a company.

Yesterday, there was the presentation of a new company & its offering to a distinguished crowd. 

I was not part of it but I was around there. I noted one thing about the hostesses’ dress code: elegant black evening dresses + a banner (the miss world type) wrapped around their shoulder… it said ‘Payment Exchange’.

Now, I know this was simply meant as publicity since the company is called ‘Payment Exchange’. I just hope people did not read the possible connotations behind it.

To lé ene Emtel ou ene Zoranze?

This question from many a mauritian buying a mobile phone drives us to reflect on a Brand’s relevance and its social influence.

When a national figure’s job position becomes open, it creates a competitive tension between the postulants because such an opportunity represents a lot of goodwill and prospect, not to mention the attractive salary package that comes with the position.

Cellplus lost its job as the national mobile service provider when it was decided that Orange was better placed to do it. Surely, when we look at how the Orange brand has positioned itself, we are tempted to believe it can do the job better than the Cellplus brand. 

However, the national mobile service provider position should have logically been occupied by a Mauritian brand. Or maybe not…

The global trend is currently such that international mobile service brands are entering national markets with just their brand identity, philosophy and culture while using the networks and logistics of existing national providers. 

A fresh example is how the Virgin Mobile brand is present in India by using Tata Teleservices’ network as its backbone. Isn’t that almost the same scenario here in Mauritius with Orange?

In Mauritius though, Orange did not face any other postulants to compete with for the national mobile service provider position. The Orange brand’s ownership on that position was taken for granted. 

And this is where few questions arise…

Where was EMTEL? 

Nobody probed into that question.

EMTEL did not seize that opportunity to position itself as the only MAURITIAN mobile service brand. When everyone was talking about the loss in national patrimony, no one turned to the historic operator to remind him that he too, was also part of the national patrimony with its pioneer status. In fact, everyone forgot or feinted to forget, the days when people would say: ‘Pret mwa to EMTEL…’

These were the days when the ‘EMTEL’ brand name was synonymous with ‘mobile phone’. It seemed like big brands such as Motorola or Nokia had disappeared for EMTEL’s good sake.  

Maybe the pioneer status is not a selling point anymore? 

Only the market can answer that question.

ORANGE did not waste time to grab the NATIONAL mobile service provider position. Once it was launched, its brand communication and positioning accentuated its socio-cultural integration in Mauritius. It decided to accompany Mauritians in their daily lives. 

Could EMTEL, a purely Mauritian brand have assumed this position? 

It did not postulate for it, so we don’t know. 

Maybe it does not want to position itself as national patrimony.

By it’s website, The EMTEL brand is synonymous with technology, innovation and high quality. Therefore, we can deduct that the red-button brand’s positioning strategy turns around being a technology-centered provider that is driven by innovation and that thrives to provide the highest quality service to its customer base. That’s where we can guess it might not be interested to occupy the position of the national provider, as this requires  an approach based on socio-cultural integration into the brand’s identity, culture, philosophy and positioning, i.e. The Brand needs to create, activate a culture and be a participant therein.

However, are technology, innovation and quality attributes actual strengths for a brand? It really depends on what the brand is selling. 

If it is selling a product, like a mobile phone, then most probably they are good attributes – Mauritian Paint brands too can use these attributes as their brand strengths. But if the brand is selling a service, and most importantly, if a certain life-style is appended to that service, then it is important for that brand to create its own philosophy and culture. These should be relevant to the socio-cultural fabric of its targeted market or niche. This will help the Brand to differentiate itself from its competitors and will guarantee its competitive advantage.  Above all, this is what will help into building long-term relationships with its customers.

This is where Branding is essential.

 Some food for thought…

“Does the international trend, which has seen Orange stepping in Mauritius, mean that we are going to see more non-Mauritian brands takeover Mauritian brands?”

Big Mauritian Questions > 01

‘What is our identity, culture, uniqueness, differentiator? Who are our local role models? What is our strength as a country? etc…’

People ask these questions in Mauritius and it is good that we try to find such answers, but I wonder how we will  harmonize them. I explored the questions with different people, and it clarified the great disparity thats exists between their perceptions.

It feels as though people don’t really have a clue about what to think because they expect others to think for them. I notice that specially among youngsters. They live in Mauritius, while their brains wander in other countries. The brain drain stems from a disinterest in the country, and the unwillingness to have a future here.

Can UNITY solve the problem? It used to be a big word (it is still being put forward from time to time), but I cannot visualize a truly unified Mauritius. A sense of unity probably exists on the surface, but it is actually just tolerance – Mauritians are able to tolerate  difference, but it does not mean they accept it. I doubt tolerance will lead to a unified nation, but it certainly contributes something.

The brain drain inevitably brings us back to the Big Mauritian Questions. Maybe if we managed to answer them, we could have a smarter & richer country. Economic growth  does not rhyme with brain drain.

 

Some other articles on brain drain:

Mauritius urges laureates to return home

Brain Drain in Mauritius

Being patriotic in Mauritius

Mauritius re-adaptation > 01

 

I’ve been back home for almost a year now. It should not have taken such a long time to get re-adapted to the local context & mindset – but it is taking time. I did come for holidays during my studies, but now that I am working my way around being an entrepreneur, things are different. The picture is not looking either horrible or great. It is just abstract as it requires one to have their own personal perception of it.

I hear some great things about the country and its future, and I also hear some horrible and depressing things. The idea is to filter out and find the balance. This is how it really has to work here; else one can become overly optimistic or pessimistic.

It was never a straightforward and simple island. The sea, sand and sun concept is losing relevance while the ‘PARADISE’ connotation was simply from Mark Twain’s admirer state of mind. 

Mauritius is a complex country, with a complex nation that lives within a complex framework. It can be a gem of a place and it can be hell too. We do not get to choose what we want it to be because it chooses what it wants us to be.

A simple equation does not exist to summarize the Mauritian context and mindset. Mauritius is plural and fragmented. Am I enjoying living here would be the question. Right now, I am still discovering the things I enjoy and those I don’t really enjoy. One good thing though is that I haven’t found something I hate, yet!