The Time of my Life

Returning from an international assignment always leaves me in a state of awe and reflection. The people met and the experiences acquired added to my reservoir of knowledge in a most inconspicuous manner. Strangely, whether in Kabul or in Kigali, the sum of these experiences is always revealed as a parting gift; never before. As soon as the first boarding pass is issued, the last suitcase is checked in and the first stamp is added to my passport, the contents of this gift begin to unravel. Each time I explore the contents of this gift it leaves me inspired, energized and extremely grateful. Here are a few thoughts found under the wrapper:

1. As international consultants, we cannot be successful in what we do unless we first understand that what we know is worthless unless the client feels otherwise. That is all there is to it.
2. We should never confuse our client’s will with that of the donor’s, but neither do we want to ignore who’s will bring about change.
3. International development can be applied in ways that exclude large numbers of people from ever participating or even being aware of what it is. We must never forget to tell.
4. We must remember that promoting development amongst clients is a career not a mission, and that both the client and the career are constantly developing.
5. For some people running out of breath is what brings a sense of accomplishment – international development is made for people like that…

… and I am having the time of my life.

Photo: new housing development in Kabul, 10.08

On Visions

Government of Botswana Vision 2016 (1996)

"By the year 2016, Botswana will be a compassionate and caring nation. Income will be distributed equitably. Poverty will have been eradicated, and there will be an efficient social safety net for those who suffer misfortune. All Batswana will have access to good quality health services, sanitation and nutrition. The negative impact of the AIDS epidemic in Botswana will have been halted and reversed."

Government of the Northwest Territories Vision of the 15th National Assembly (2004)
"Self-reliant individuals and families sharing the rewards and responsibilities of healthy communities and a prosperous and unified Northwest Territories."

Government of East Timor Vision 2020 (2002)
"A prosperous society with sufficient food, shelter, clothing and security for all its people All towns and villages with access to adequate and appropriate roads, transport, electricity and communication All East Timorese to be literate, skilled and participating in the economic, social and political life of the Nation. Increased productivity in all sectors, creating job opportunities for all"


National visions inspire people but they do not map the journey nor do they guarantee an outcome. It is the combination of a vision and the acquired experiences and culture of a people that produce the strength required to translate the vision and show the path. This unique combination of vision and people produce unique results – every time.

This same combination of experience and vision also makes results impossible to replicate elsewhere. In other words, the journey - or practices, tools, priorities, systems - selected by people to achieve X in one organization will not achieve the same X in another. The collective experiences and culture of a people will make their vision grow at a rate and in a manner that reflects that experience.

This means that tailoring a practice may make it fit but it may not necessarily guarantee results typical of this practice. It also means that the framework of organizations and rules built from people’s experiences will greatly influence the growth of a vision and the anticipated results. A vision is a public quest of a very personal kind. They promote inclusive results in a very exclusive manner.

Photo: Kabul Golf Course

The Treasure Chest

Blessed Eid!

September 13th marked the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan in Afghanistan. Ramadan is an Islamic religious observance which begins with the appearance of the new moon during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and ends once the full moon returns to the skies. During this time all Afgans begin a fasting ritual which forbids any eating and drinking during daylight hours. To break the fast during Ramadan is considered a sin. The exact beginning and ending of Ramadan is not confirmed until a day or so before it occurs. Likewise, the exact time which marks the beginning and end of the fasting also changes from day to day to reflect the shifting amount of daylight hours. It is a highly religious period driven by the rotation of the moon and the earth.

Eid is a muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. This year it is anticipated to fall on this coming Friday or Saturday. Eid celebrations are very similar to the Christmas celebrations: there is a gift exchange, family feasts, singing, dancing and the traditional religious ceremonies. This week is quite busy in downtown Kabul. People are everywhere shopping for their loved ones, looking for the ingredients that will enhance their local dishes and preparing for the Eid celebrations.

One cannot help but be swept up by the excitement of people scurrying across local shops and bazaars with large plastic bags, bicycles loaded with new clothes, wooden carts filled with local vegetables or with overflowing wheelbarrows carrying a child or two– only if there is space. Even our guesthouse cook, Shafi has been singing, laughing and sharing increasingly more good humoured conversations with local staff, despite his weakened demeanor (…and brought me while I was writing this blog three cornfritters covered with ketchup so that I could do a taste test on his behalf.)

عید شما مبارک:
ایام عید را برای تمام مردم افغانستان از صمیم قلب تبریک میګویم


حلال عید را در کنج ابروی تو میبینم - مبارک باد برتو عید و برمن دیدن رویت



[Eid Mubarak! [Blessed Eid!] to all of Afghanistan! Traditional Afghan Poem: I can see the moon on your eyebrow, The EID should be congratulating for you and by seeing your face it is a form of congratulations of EID directed to me. As translated by Azim Hakimzada]

4th Photo: Urban Afghan on bicycle

3rd Photo: carpets laid on bridge and on banks of Kabul River Oct. 7.07

2nd Photo: Local lady in midday rush Oct. 7.07

1st Photo: Oct. 7.07 Bazaar in downtown Kabul Oct. 7.07

The Roof Top

A little girl skipping rope on a roof top inspired me today. As I was overlooking the houses and buildings from my small seating area on the roof, I noticed her skipping rope amongst the rubbles left on the roof of an adjoining house. I quietly witnessed her cadence and was stricken by the familiarity of her skipping rope. This very same contraption also managed to keep me quite busy in my pre-teens. The skipping rope is in fact quite a remarkable toy. It not only triggers a consistent outcome - that of girls skipping rope - but it also brings a certain amount of enjoyment; which brought me back to my work in Afghanistan

The international development vocabulary sometimes falls short of promoting mutual understanding. Both the legal and medical professions have their dictionary of special terminology. It might be equally of service to introduce an “international development dictionary” to standardize communication and promote understanding across territorial boundaries.

For example, the words “capacity building” appear in almost every document produced by international consultants; every log frame designed by delivering entities; and every terms of reference crafted by international donors. It has been overused, abused and confused for everything that has anything remotely in common with training, growth, progress and improvement. Hence, decoding the term “capacity building” has not only become a project in itself, but it has also broadened the “do to” list to something that includes everything that never ends. There are other words such as modalities, infrastructure, institution, support, commitment, systematic, that can be just as confusing to all involved.

As with the skipping rope, an international development dictionary could promote understanding, standards and applications, and possibly trigger a reliable and consistent set of actions . Both the dictionary and the skipping rope through clarity and simplicity would have similar effects: bring about a consistent set of activities and similar outcomes – across oceans and across cultures. Something to ponder as I end my day on the roof top…

Rules of Engagement

I was recently reminded by a colleague of the innate need in every human being to build familiarity and order in their environment. Rules, processes, guidelines and even the shape of our toothbrush contribute to building familiarity and order. These norms and standards create the terms of engagement that build stability between individuals and the world around them. Put simply, these expectations are a product of accumulated experiences acquired by individuals, bottled over time and served daily. People like you and I continuously refer to these terms of engagement to facilitate our daily need for sustenance as well as our longer term need for growth, achievement and self-actualization.

Every society has a distinct set of terms of engagement. For example, in some countries it is quite atypical to see price tags on goods. Buyers and sellers are simply expected to negotiate a price. Similarly, a public officer offering improved government services for personal gain may be quite normal to individuals in a society whose population is competing for the basic necessities of life; however, it can also be considered a serious disgrace by individuals living in a society with a well developed social infrastructure. Hence, definitions of values such as fairness, equity, integrity and transparency are influenced by these terms of engagement.

In Afghanistan, the Constitution states in Article Three Ch. 1, Art. 3 the following: “In Afghanistan, no law can be contrary to the beliefs and provisions of the sacred religion of Islam.” Religious beliefs in Afghanistan are embedded in the daily lives of Afghans as well as in the content of the laws and rules governing their country. Understanding this distinction builds an appreciation of the terms of engagement in place between individuals and their society, the framework within which individuals interact with each other and their society - and within which development should occur. It also provides insight on the definition and application of values guiding Afghanistan laws and the law making process.

Things are rarely as they appear to be at first sight. It is therefore encouraging that humans seek familiarity and order in their environment – regardless of where they are. It transforms unrest and uncertainty into understanding and respect.

Photo: Kabul, Afghanistan September 24, 2007

Acculturizing the Merit Principle

A consistent requirement of a human resources management program in a developing country continues to be the institutionalization of the merit based principle. The merit based principle simply refers to processes that take into account the skills, knowledge and abilities of individuals to build organizational capacity. Introducing merit based principles is often a very difficult undertaking because it clashes with the cultural values and beliefs of a people; it calls for significant changes to existing human resources practices and it builds accountability where none existed.

Following the aftermath of 9.11, it was almost impossible to draw a line around the Afghanistan civil service. Consequently, the merit based principle was introduced by the international community in 2003 as a means of defining the number of positions required by the civil service to meet government commitments. It also served to build capacity by filling those positions with qualified people. Through the years, this work has not only established a continuous process of improvement for the Government of Afghanistan but it has also challenged cultural beliefs – something that persists to this day.

Unsurprisingly, the merit based principle in a country such as Afghanistan distorts and colours the lenses through which a people have relied upon to understand the world. A competitive process may seem perfectly normal and rationale to an individual from Sudbury, Ontario but there is a good chance that it might be seen as hugely “over the top” for someone from Jalalabad, Nangarhar.

Regardless, it is important to note that it is not the change in cultural norms that spurs on development in a country, but rather the debate that ensues about whether foreign values and beliefs are reasonable, logical and valuable to a people. The results it creates bring a unique solution to a unique environment as well as a visible pride of ownership. Acculturization is a process worthy of documentation and measurement. It is also a source of “best practices” and innovation not to be underestimated.

A Room with a View

With the summer season in its final chapter I look forward to resuming weekly blogging activities. There is no shortage of reform activities, challenges and reflections as I settle into my room in the city of Kabul.

The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is home for approximately 26 million people. It is a post-conflict and landlocked country located between Asia and the Middle East and one of the poorest in the world. Its links to terrorism, illegal drugs and regional militias brings it at the centre of media attention as well as foreign policies produced by developed countries.

Public administrative reform, although at the apex of my work is seldom a priority emanating from the electorate -whether in Afghanistan or Canada. A need for administrative reform is more likely prompted by the political masters who see it as a solution to performance gaps between what are and what should be the results achieved by government. The reform work calling for progress and improvement in Afghanistan is fuelled by a cornucopia of agreements between the donor community and the government. It is an international partnership endeavour bringing a diversity of solutions from a host of cultures and disciplines from around the world. It is indeed a fascinating process to witness and participate.

The upcoming weeks will feature entries about the process of reform in public administration and its close sister: civil service management as seen from my small room with a view.

At the Apex of Public Service

Notwithstanding government policies that can shape, raise or lessen nationalism, globalization, or glocalization, civil servants allegiance and loyalty to serve their country with pride in public service remains an unshakeable expectation. While change brought by reforms, modernization and renewals is the norm, there remains a well entrenched overarching set of principles at the apex of public institutions that guide decisions and actions serving a nation’s people. Typically, civil servants are called to understand and respect the rule of law and good governance in public services. Integrity, objectivity, impartiality, trust, respect, quality, office secrecy, equality, professionalism and honesty – are some of the principles and values that are embraced by civil servants, public officers and public servants whether in Canada or abroad.

Some of the most critically acclaimed strengths contributing to the endurance of civil service management principles include:

1. A civil service code of conduct with solid implementation and reporting mechanisms
2. Legislation that enables the application of values (e.g. Human Rights)
3. Institutions with powers to investigate and resolve conflicts pertaining to value-based legislation
4. Institution of government specializing in ethics and anti-corruption
5. Institution of government responsible for conducting performance and financial audits reporting directly to the legislative branch of government
6. Ad-hoc and permanent institutions of government with investigatory powers reporting directly to the legislative branch of government
7. Decentralized accountability frameworks and performance measurement systems that produce public reports containing the right information, at the right time and in the right format.
8. Reward and recognition systems that celebrate exemplary performance in public service.

Photo: Rock of Gibraltar, UK, June, 2006

Fearless Inspiration

Fear of change, fear of failure or fear of loosing a job can immobilize us; reduce productivity, innovation and the quality of our relationships. Fear is part of life but it can be managed in the workplace to reduce its impact. Here is fuel for thought:

· Seek information and clarity from credible sources to reduce uncertainty
· Examine fears from other’s perspective to understand the emotional interplay
· Encourage dialogue to help reflect and deflect issues
· Identify root causes of fear with daily journaling
· Find strength by establishing trusting relationships
· Promote confidentiality but minimize secrecy
· Resist filling information gaps with speculations
· Practice a healthy lifestyle - faithfully
· Value feedback and practice laughter
· Help others manage their fear and learn from it
· Empower people to find solutions to bring control and comfort

I found several of these to be quite powerful.

Photos: Construction workers in Kampala, Uganda 12.06