I must say that I am genuinely astonished by the quality of service provided by Drummonds Bank and in fact RBS (parent company) in general - and that's not just because I happened to meet their Head of Private Banking a short while ago... honest!
It would be imprudent of me to compare RBS with my previous experiences of banking in four European countries. Well, to be honest I'd need to go through twenty years of archives and I'm a bit lazy... mind you, I guess I need something to do on a rainy day.
Watch this space (but don't hold your breath!).
/Dom
There seems to be some confusion as to what I'm all about, so I am publishing the results of a personality test that I took a while ago. Hopefully that might shed some light on where I am coming from.
I took the StrengthsFinder personality test a couple of years ago, with the following results:
SELF-ASSURANCE
People strong in the Self-assurance theme feel confident in their ability to manage their own lives. They possess an inner compass that gives them confidence that their decisions are right.
IDEATION
People strong in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They are able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena.
WOO
People strong in the Woo theme love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. They derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with another person.
MAXIMISER
People strong in the Maximizer theme focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. They seek to transform something strong into something superb.
STRATEGIC
People strong in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.
Copyright 2000 The Gallup Organization. All rights reserved. StrengthsFinder is a registered trademark of The Gallup Organization.
Silly names apart, I consider StrengthsFinder to be the best of all the many tests that to which I have been subjected (I am an MBA, so that means loads!). What's more, I have been in contact with Gallup and they have explained that while people's personalities do change a little over time, the main traits are quite constant from the age of about fifteen. The main ones (ie in my case the five 'strengths' listed above) are set for life.
What I like most about the test is that it is based on thinking that says we should concentrate on what we are good at, rather than trying to become a 'jack-of-all-trades.' In other words, the most efficient unit is not an individual, but a team of people whose skills complement one another. This runs counter to how senior managers run many of the American and British-based multinationals companies with which I have had dealing; they insist that people become skilled across a broad range of areas before they can be promoted. In the worst cases, this means that the performance of talented individuals is greatly compromised.
Surely it is better for people to concentrate on what they are naturally good at? Sure, there can be improvement in areas of particular weakness if they impede performance, but this should not be at the detriment of the job to be done, or indeed an employee’s progress in a company. I recall one department I worked in where most members of staff were extremely dissatisfied with both the responsibilities they had and the salaries they earned. To this day I am convinced that the firm in question used its ‘development program’ to limit promotion opportunities and to cap salaries. This was certainly the attitude of the Director who ran the department; his penny-pinching attitude showed in almost every decision that he took – I should point out that he was generous with his chosen ‘stars’ who seemed to be elected to this elite status according to how high they jumped when he barked at them. I didn’t stay long.
If you want to take the StrengthsFinder test, you need to buy the book, which is not particularly expensive (about £5 at Amazon.co.uk… it seems to be more expensive in the US for some reason). If you read it properly, there is an interesting section on how to work with people’s strengths, which is a lovely way of acknowledging that one’s greatest characteristics are also one’s greatest weaknesses!
/Dom
... the Fifth of November
The gunpowder treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, 'twas his intent
To blow up king and parliament.
Three score barrels were laid below
To prove old England's overthrow.
By God's mercy he was catched
With a dark lantern and lighted match.
Holler boys, holler boys, let the bells ring
Holler boys, holler boys, God save the King.
Words of "Remember Remember" refer to Guy Fawkes with origins in 17th century English history. On the 5th November 1605 Guy Fawkes was caught in the cellars of the Houses of Parliament with several dozen barrels of gunpowder. Guy Fawkes was subsequently tried as a traitor with his co-conspirators for plotting against the government. He was tried by Judge Popham who came to London specifically for the trial from his country manor Littlecote House in Hungerford, Gloucestershire. Fawkes was sentenced to death and the form of the execution was one of the most horrendous ever practised (hung, drawn and quartered). This reflected the serious nature of the crime of treason. This nursery rhyme ensured that this crime would never be forgotten hence the words " Remember, remember the 5th of November" The poem is sometimes referred to as 'Please to remember the fifth of November'. It serves as a warning to each new generation that treason will never be forgotten. In England the 5th of November is still commemorated each year with fireworks and bonfires culminating with the burning of effigies of Guy Fawkes (the guy). The 'guys' are made by children by filling old clothes with crumpled newspapers to look like a man. Tradition allows British children to display their 'guys' to passers-by and asking for " A penny for the guy".
The notes above come from here: http://www.rhymes.org.uk/remember_remember_the_5th_november.htm
I wonder how Usama bin Ladin will be remembered once he's been caught. I guess the answer depends on whether you are one of the people he is terrorising, or you belong to his completely misguided followers who seem to believe that harming someone's children is an appropriate way of making a parent back down on their principles. Can't Al-Qaeda see that theirs is a policy that is only going to make their enemies more entrenched? Perhaps that is what they want... life is so much easier if you have an enemy with whom to contend (did someone say Neo-Conservative?).
I wonder if the Americans will hang, draw and quarter bin Ladin? Of course that action would only serve to make him a martyr, engendering thousands more willing disciples of death - just look to Northern Ireland if you want a lesson from history... I was in Belfast the day before the IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands died; I still recall the tanks cruising the streets, waiting for action to kick off, but not knowing where it would actually start.
Actually, there may be a theme here... the day after I left (El) Ferrol in Galicia 17 years or so ago, Galician separatists blew up the statue of Franco that was right outside the bank I had used the day before... then there was the bomb on the metro in Paris at the time I usually went through St Michel (a terror campaign by the Algerian Armed Islamic Group aimed at taking vengeance on the country for its support of the regime in Algiers. The bombing of a packed commuter train at the Saint-Michel station in Paris in July 1995 killed eight people and injured 100).
Luckily I was nowhere near New York at 9/11 - I watched it while talking to a gentleman called Paul Blackburn who had just made me redundant. He was also watching it on TV... you can imagine the conversation was somewhat uninspiring.
I think I'd better watch my back!
A final note: May Sgt Stuart Gray, 31, Private Paul Lowe, 19 and Private Scott McArdle, 22, the three members of the Black Watch who were killed in the Sunni heartland yesterday rest in peace. The civilised world, who they were defending, sympathises with their families.
/Dom
… and I say Crusade, you say heathen, I say evil zealot, you say weapons of mass destruction, I say ruthless terrorism… let’s call the whole thing off!”
I’ll start by stating the obvious: it’s not for some limey to pretend he can influence the election results of a sovereign State, let alone what is currently the world’s only superpower. On the other hand, perhaps by entering the debate, I can have some influence on the world that results from today (03/11/2004).
Napoleon was not the first world leader to spot that by going to war, he could extend his tenure, the Vikings were excellent at it, as were the Turks, Greeks, Romans, Celts and every other pretender to the crown of world dominance, including the ten or twelve tribes (depending what you read) from whence it is claimed that we came. Chinese dynasties were expert at it, as were the Mongols… I could go on, but I suspect you get the drift!
Where am I going with this? Well, my undergraduate degree is in Comparative Politics (thanks to the UK system, it is also in French and Spanish) and I have read a fair amount of history books and international relations text books. I have a hunch that what is happening in the world today is the coming together of a dangerous mix of essentially unconnected phenomena. If not handled with extreme care, this particular Molotov Cocktail is liable to blow up and take all of us with it to whatever it is that awaits us once we have fallen off this mortal coil – and that has nothing to do with dead parrots or any other Monty Python sketch (http://www.fact-index.com/d/de/dead_parrot.html).
Most (all?) of the European Powers (Old World) have gone to war for reasons other than to defend themselves. The United States (and the rest of the New World) is basically a product of European Imperialism; it is perhaps not surprising, then, that she find herself today fighting war on several fronts. What’s more, many (all?) people seem to believe that their personal way of doing things/beliefs/world view [DELETE AS APPROPRIATE] is the ‘only’ way of doing things. Further, we all belong to the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) camp, so it is understandable that the biggest kid on the block is refusing to allow the Head Teacher to see what is in his pockets… after all, he’s big enough to inflict some serious damage on that nasty big bully… and if we’re honest, nobody seriously believes all that fluff about turning the other cheek in the New Testament, do they? I mean, look at the way governments around the world rule; it is human nature to defend oneself and most of us seem to enjoy getting revenge, or should I say defending one’s honour. I subscribe to the latter, hence my previous entry on this blog.
Unfortunately I am not describing the latest antics of a comic book character; I am describing the actions of the United States of America.
The US justifies its invasion of Iraq on the grounds that Saddam Hussein did not obey UN Resolutions that gave it no choice but to allow its Weapons Inspectors in. But the US itself is guilty of precisely the same crime (http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/08/06/1091732084195.html?from=storylhs&oneclick=true). Moreover, Saddam did not have WMD, which means that in the eyes of many people, the war in Iraq. I was in New York and watched the second debate between Bush and Kerry. Mr Bush used the fact that Tony Blair was on his side to counter accusations that he had isolated the US. Well, I do not yet reached any conclusion on Iraq, but I can tell Mr Bush that Tony Blair is under siege over here, largely because so many Brits consider he lied to them regarding why we went to war.
In the past Prime Ministers and Presidents would be expected to get away with such trivial matters. What is different today is that communications technologies and excellent, inexpensive transport make us all superpowers. You hit me and I do have the means and the wherewithal to hit you back.
The US is continuing its tried and trusted foreign policy of posturing and “eye for an eye” military attacks. This is precisely what the British government used in the past. It is an outdated policy and while it is employed by major Powers, it is making the world a very dangerous place.
Furthermore, there is an extremely dangerous attempt to lump together Iran, Iraq and North Korea as an "axis of evil" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1796034.stm). Iran and Iraq are sworn enemies for heaven’s sakes! At worst, this is an example of ‘spin’; an attempt to justify a perpetual “War on Terror” that cannot be won. At best, it shows a frighteningly naïve understanding of the world.
Technology now exists that allows us to engage in dialogue with our ‘enemies’ and try to understand what it is that they do not like about our behaviour. It is only respectful to listen to other peoples’ opinions… this is the basis of democracy. It is also correct to respect other peoples’ ways of doing things. What works for you may or may not work for me; if you impose it on my, I will not like it. I will probably break it. I am a big kid.
Whoever wins the US Presidential Election today, I pray that they begin to show some common sense and start listening to other people.
/Dom
PS I wonder how I can insert hyperlinks…
Disclaimer: anything published at DomPannell.com expresses my personal point of view and does not represent any of the various companies and other organizations to which I am connected.
I have no idea whether my musings (ramblings?) are of interest to anybody, but there are certain things that I have been pondering for a while now and I wanted to express some of them in writing occasionally, in order to get them off my chest. I am quite sure that much of what I write will be considered by some to be the ravings of a madman, but then as my friends in the medical field tell me, I’m only as bonkers as the next fellow and at least I mean well!
One last point: please bear with me as I am not at all technically minded and am having to learn Movable Type… I’m sure that in time I will become an expert and make the links work and everything… but in the meantime…
Hopefully I will at least stir a little debate.
Have an excellent day!
/Dom