Mahtab Uddin Ahmed

Once upon a time, there was a man who always bragged about his smartness. One day he came across an old man from his village and boasted, “I am the smartest man in the world. Nobody can match my intelligence.”

Walking back from the corner shop, Mr Chowdhury met a neighbour who inquired about what his sons are doing nowadays.

In 2016, a group of hackers calling themselves “The Impact Team” hacked into Ashley Madison dating website and exposed the personal information of 37 million users.

Back in the day when we went to university, it was a common feature in every batch to have a group of friends who would inadvertently have a designated “Khadem” or “assistant” from the same class, an ordinary-looking, kind-hearted male classmate who would take care of their every need at the drop of a hat!

A group of scientists developed the most advanced artificial intelligence (AI) in the world, but they were left speechless when it announced,

Once a young boy went to a “Boishakhi Mela” with his father and came upon a vendor selling parrots, which he wished to have dearly.

While it is vital to introduce digital technologies to workplaces, it is equally important to identify the problem areas where they can be implemented. Let’s look at some of the recent digital trends which will impact workplaces in the immediate future.

On their way to lunch, the chief financial officer (CFO), the chief human resources officer (CHRO) and their boss stumble on a beaten-up but valuable-looking brass container.

I had the privilege of working with a good number of high-tech wizards in a recent event where I found most of the chief technology officers (CTOs) are upset that the IT budget has been slashed due to the looming economic uncertainties and the ensuing challenges in the banking sector.

Once upon a time, Nasiruddin Hojja was riding a donkey with his friend.

Mr Jones is a mafia leader who manages all his secret deals and finances on his laptop, which is his regular companion.  

It is common that when a boss cracks a poor joke, we all laugh our hearts out.  

At its inception Bangladesh had only a handful of successful corporate leaders and Mahbub Jamil was one of them. I cringe from using the past tense for Jamil Bhai. With his passing we have lost a great leader, mentor and friend.

Back in my university days, I had the privilege of learning a management theory which was of significant value later in my corporate years. It is called Johari Window for self-awareness, a technique to self-improve by knowing oneself better.  

I know of a deputy managing director of a financial institution who has a fascination for driving fancy cars, something that most young kids dream of.  

In our childhood home in the old town of the 1970s, we had quite a large number of domestic helps. The scale of domestic work was also at another level with a green backyard of domestic cattle and poultry, not to mention the endearing cats and dogs.  

One of the things that I learned while dealing with professional marketeers is that instant gratification is very important for any successful product promotion. But I often wonder why people prefer instant gratification.  

Don’t panic! Telecoms are not going anywhere! But technology will certainly be hugely disrupted with the advent of high bandwidth and low-latency satellite internet.  

As a CEO, I had once asked the chief procurement officer and the chief technology officer to deliver 50 per cent savings on radio network items for the implementation of an ambitious growth plan. They looked at each other in disbelief and told me that they had already squeezed the vendors so much in the last few years that it would simply be impossible.  

During a rural market visit a few years ago, I discovered, to my amusement, a keen interest in 5G penetration among the villagers. When I asked why they need 5G at all, as most did not have a smartphone, their shy excuses said it all. And why not, I urged them. There is nothing wrong with dreaming high.