No! The safest answer
4 September 2026
“No” is not merely a word. It is a management philosophy and, occasionally, a retirement plan.
4 September 2026
Profit before principles
28 August 2026
For decades, Bangladesh treated multinational companies as models of ethical business.
28 August 2026
Rulebook needs a show-cause notice
21 August 2026
In many of our offices, the rulebook is treated like the fire extinguisher: displayed prominently, dusted before an audit, and touched only after smoke appears.
21 August 2026
From floor to runway
14 August 2026
Every now and then, Bangladesh produces a rare policy miracle: an authority listens before the public loses its voice. Bangladesh Bank’s latest Bangla QR circulars deserve appreciation for correcting the course.
14 August 2026
A little honest appreciation, please
31 July 2026
In Bangladesh, praise is treated like public money: everyone agrees it should circulate, but nobody wants to release it. Tell a colleague he did well, and someone will demand an audit. Compliment a bridge and another citizen will ask which political party issued your membership card. We are generous with criticism, stingy with gratitude and quick to suspicion.
31 July 2026
Corporate rituals on trial
24 July 2026
Applying for a job can feel like seeking admission to a royal household. Candidates submit a CV, cover letter, certificates, photograph, present salary, expected salary and perhaps proof of good behaviour in a previous life.
24 July 2026
The cost of neutrality
17 July 2026
Two neighbours went to a village elder with a dispute. After hearing the first man, the elder said, “You are right”.
17 July 2026
The floor economy
10 July 2026
We Bangladeshis love being unique, usually in the wrong direction. We speak of governance “of the people, by the people, for the people”, then regulate as if service providers prepared the draft, proofread it, and blessed it for their spiritual welfare.
10 July 2026
The hard-to-read bosses
A top executive was once giving a speech at a conference. He said, “Ladies and gentlemen, let me share some of the secrets behind my success.
17 August 2023
Cyber terror alert on August 15
In 2020, a cyber-criminal managed to take over the Twitter accounts of several high-profile individuals and companies, including Elon Musk, Joe Biden and Apple. The accounts were used to post a Bitcoin scam, promising followers they would receive double their money back if they sent Bitcoin to a specific address.
10 August 2023
Who is the next superpower?
One day, the United States, China and Russia met at a racecourse and started arguing about who the next global superpower will be. The United States said, “With the most powerful military in the world, we can defeat any country in a war.”
3 August 2023
Dealing with performance pressure
Once, a poultry farmer was advised by his industrialist friend to corporatise his farm and how it would multiply his profits.
27 July 2023
Coaching: the most impactful but mostly neglected
A coach was giving a pep talk to his team before a big game.
20 July 2023
Ethical data management in an unethical world
In the world that we live in, data is gold, as the saying goes.
13 July 2023
Corporate victim stigma!
Incidentally, in the last few months, I had the privilege of spending time with a few top executive-level friends who shared their experiences of being victims of corporate politics. In most cases, their bosses used them as scapegoats to protect themselves.
6 July 2023
The future of banking or a flash in the pan?
While struggling to find the English for “Hujuge Bangali” I decided that its essence gets somewhat lost in any other language, so I gave up. In the 80s, there was a mushrooming growth of small-size textiles, followed by a boom in the garments industry.
22 June 2023
Jerks at Work: Know Your Colleagues (KYC)
An organisation is like a tree full of monkeys on different limbs at different levels. The monkeys on top look down and see a tree full of smiling faces.
15 June 2023
Driving tax revenue using technology
My son has his own studio and content creation platform where many influencers record their programmes. Last week, a very successful entrepreneur was interviewed. He explained that during the pandemic, he created an online marketplace that became highly successful.
8 June 2023
When the fox is the keeper
The tales of the cunning fox deceiving other animals are integral to our childhood. In one of these stories, this mother crocodile leaves her five babies with the clever fox to tutor them.
25 May 2023
Pace of digital progress making local law invalid!
Economists dub the lottery a stupidity tax because the odds of getting any payoff by investing in a lottery ticket are approximately equivalent to flushing the money down the toilet.
18 May 2023
When is the right time to quit?
Saquib used to work at a pizza joint where the manager happened to be very miserly.
11 May 2023
Is AI destroying the education system?
While studying the prospects of a digital university, I met one of our finest vice-chancellors who have the vision to launch a true digital university. During our discussion,
4 May 2023
Your failures don’t define you
During my university days, I was asked by my father to take charge of a horticulture project on a large piece of hilly land in our village in Cumilla.
27 April 2023
Why do we judge so quickly?
Two friends, Pessimist and Optimist, were on a bus ride when the latter suggested they stop for a meal.
20 April 2023
Is digital addiction as bad as drugs?
A cop caught an addict with drugs in a public toilet.
13 April 2023
Ramadan: it’s party time!
Ramadan is increasingly becoming a month of feasting and festivities instead of charity, where profiteering in business, fun, and frolic are the mantra
6 April 2023
Great resignation to unprecedented tech layoffs
A college friend who was once an outstanding student failed to do well in his IT career. His family of two university students barely managed with his single income until the pandemic.
30 March 2023
Our love for foreign CEOs over locals
In one of my expat job locations, I discovered that the status symbol of that society would be having a western CEO in their company.
23 March 2023