Circle of Control

Last year, during one of my coaching sessions, I wrote a short description of the well-known topic of Circle of Control / Circle of Influence.  I first came across this in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, and more recently as the Zorro Circle from The Happiness Advantage.  Essentially it's a way of removing clutter and bringing back control to your life - personal and professional. I'm posting the exercise here as a reminder to myself, for future reference.

Exercise Description

People often worry about a hundred and one things, clogging up their mind-space with things that really shouldn't be there.

Try this for an exercise:

Write down all the things that are bugging you, annoying you, or causing you to stress over.

Then carefully look at each item moving each one to one of two lists:

1) Within my circle of control

2) Outside my circle of control

When you sorted your list out into these two columns - you can

1) Ignore and send all those outside your control to the trash!! And...Feel the relief!

2) Work on the things within your control, set priorities, and try to focus on one small win at a time.

Your circle of control is basically the things you have direct responsibility for, that you have the power to change, and improve.Outside your circle of control are basically stuff that is outside your hands, someone else's responsibility, nothing you can do to change it - i.e. you cannot influence, or effect change in any way, shape or form, so why bother??

Good Luck!!

On being Remarkable

From the back cover of The Big Moo...

Remarkable is ...

Remarkable is being unafraid to stand out.

Remarkable is having a fire in your belly and and idea that won't quit.

Remarkable is telling the truth, always.

Remarkable is knowing that a risky idea might fail, but a boring idea will definitely fail.

Remarkable is failing often and then trying again.

Remarkable is more doing and less planning. More testing and less waiting. More dreaming and less sleeping.

Remarkable is when you stand for something and make it happen and change the world - or your business or your life - along the way.

Remarkable isn't up to you. Remarkable is in the eye of the customer. If your customer decides something you do is worth remarking on, then, by definition, it's remarkable.

Three Rules of Life

Here's another bite from The Big Moo that helps me re-remind myself about the bigger picture, and is quite apt in terms of the journey I now find myself in, with both my personal and professional life:

Three Rules of Life (and everything else)

1. Your Attitude Is Your Life

You can choose your attitude. And your attitude changes your life and the lives of those around you. rarely does a bad attitude solve the problem. Typically, when something goes wrong or feels unpleasant, we get crabby and yell at the wrong people. We may solve the problem, but the crabbiness is an unnecessary extra. Solve the problem without the crummy attitude and everyone wins.

2. Maximize Your Options

When we lock ourselves into one possibility of how things must be done, our businesses, our lives, and the lives of those around us get stuck. Maximize your options. Before you settle on just the right thing, play out a few more possibilities. In all things, big and small, open yourself to the possible options. Then trust yourself to choose the right one for the moment.

3. Don't Let the Seeds Stop You From Enjoying the Watermelon

Tell this to yourself every day. It will help change your attitude. ;-)

On Leadership

Here's another snippet from "The Big Moo" on the philosophies of leadership that promotes my own value system:

Philosophies on Leadership

• Be impatient, don't tolerate mediocrity.
• Be confident in your ability - you CAN make a difference in the world.
• Have extreme passion for your work and those your are working with.
• Never compromise your integrity.
• Risk is the only reward - without risk, there is no benefit.
• Expect isolation, separation, and intolerance.
• Take the time to know and connect with worlds that are vastly different from yours - your greatest discoveries reside there.
• Dare to be different.

Extracted from chapter "The student becomes the teacher".

What, exactly are you afraid of?

Here's another snippet from the Big Moo that resonated strongly with me...

What, exactly are you afraid of?

Here's a list. You pick:

• getting yelled at by the boss
• getting fired
• having your company close down for lack of business
• your company gets acquired and you get fired
• not getting promoted
• making promises you can't keep
• doing the wrong thing
  
• getting caught using the copy machine after hours
• not knowing the right answer

Here's the big news: If your strategy is to lie low, do your job, follow instructions, and hope that nobody notices you, (a) nobody WILL ever notice you, and (b) you're actually increasing the chances of something bad happening.

If, on the other hand, you develop a reputation as the person who is always pushing the envelope, challenging the organisation to go to the next level, and using your influence to get good stuff done, you've got the world's best job security. If you never pretend to know all the answers, nobody will hate you when you say, "I don't know." And if you surround yourself with a team that depends on you to lead them to the next big thing, you all benefit.

You can't shrink your way to greatness. 

-- Extracted from the Big Moo, Seth Godin

They say I'm Extreme

Here's another snippet from the Big Moo that was written just for me :-), and sums up pretty much of my own life & work experience thus far:

They say I'm Extreme

They say I'm extreme.

I say I'm a realist.

They say I demand too much.

I say they accept mediocrity and continuous improvement too readily.

They say, "We can't handle this much change."

I say, "Your job and career are in jeopardy; what other options do you have?"

They say, "What's wrong with a 'good product'?"

I say, "Wal-Mart or China or noth are about to eat your lunch. Why can't you provide instead a fabulous experience?"

They say, "Take a deep breath. Be calm."

I say, "Tell it to Wal-Mart. Tell it to China. Tell it to India. Tell it to Dell. Tell it to Microsoft."

They say the Web is a useful tool.

I say the Web changes everything. Now.

They say, "We need an initiative."

I say, "We need a dream. And dreamers."

They say great design is "nice".

I say great design is necessary.

They say, "Effective governance is important."

I say bold, brash boards that are representative of the market served - more than a token woman or two and an empty seat for the "forthcoming Hispanic" - are an imperative. Now.

The say, "Plan it."

I say, "Do it."

They say, "We need more steady, loyal employees."

I say, "We need more 'freaks' who routinely tell those in charge to take a flying leap...before it's too late."

They say, "We need Good People."

I say, "We need Quirky Talent."

They say, "We like people who, with steely determination, say, 'I can make it better.'"

I say, "I love people who, with a certain maniacal gleam in their eye, perhaps even a giggle, say, 'I can turn the world upside down. Watch me!'"

They say, "Sure, we need change."

I say we nee revolution now.

They say, "Fast follower."

I say, "Battered and bruised leader."

They say, "Conglomerate and imitate!"

I say, "Create and innovate!"

They say, "Market share."

I say, "Market creation."

They say, "Improve and maintain."

I say, "Destroy and reimagine."

They say, "Normal."

I say, "Weird."

They say, "Happy balance."

I say, "Creative tension."

The say a favor a "team that works and lives in harmony."

I say, "Give me a raucous brawl among the most creative people imaginable."

They say, "Peace, brother."

I say, "Bruise my feelings. Flatten my ego. Save my job."

They say, "Basic black."

I say, "Technicolor rules!"

They say, "We need happy customers."

I say, "Give me pushy, needy, nasty, provocative customers."

They say, "We seek Harvard M.B.A.s"

I say, "I seek certificate-free 'Ph.D.s' from the School of Hard Knocks."

They say the want recruits with "spotless records."

I say, "The spots are what matter most."

They say, "Integrity is important."

I say, "Tell the unvarnished truth, all the time... or take a hike."

They say diversity is a "good thing."

I say diversity is a breath of fresh, creative air - absolutely necessary for economic salvation in perilous times.

They say it's "daunting."

I say it's "a hoot."

They say, "Zero defects."

I say, "A day without a screwup or two is a day pissed away."

They say, "Think about it."

I say, "Try it."

They say, "Plan it."

I say, "Test it."

They say, "Radical change takes a decade."

I say, "Radical change takes a minute."

They say, "Times are changing."

I say, "Everything has already changed. Tomorrow is the first day of your revolution... or you're toast."

They say, "We can't all be revolutionaries."

I say, "Why not?"

They say this is just a rant.

I say this is just reality.

How to be a failure

I'm a huge follower of Seth Godin, been dipping into and out of this book called "The Big Moo", bookmarking the blurbs that standout and resonate with me...and to true Godin-style, he encourages

his readers to share the experience. So I'll start sharing some of these blurbs, that I find personally relevant to me as I've come to experience both work-and-life, on this blog, starting with...

How to be a Failure

1. Keep secrets.
2. Be certain you're right and ignore those who disagree with you.
3. Set aggressive deadlines for others to get buy in - then change them when they aren't met.
4. Resist testing your theories.
5. Focus more on what other people think and less on whether your idea is as good as it could be.
6. Assume that a critical mass must embrace your idea for it to work.
7. Choose an idea where number 6 is a requirement.
8. Realise that people who don't instantly get your idea are bull-headed, shortsighted, or even stupid.
9. Don't bother to dramatically increase the quality of your presentation style.
10. Insist that you've got to go straight to the president of the organisation to get something done.
11. Always go for the big win.

[...thought-provoking, isn't it? ...]

[...have you found yourself nodding in agreement through at least one? ....]

On Initiative

Initiative is doing the Right Thing without being told

Here's another one of Hubbard's short essay that struck a chord with me, on Initiative:

The world bestows its big prizes, both in money and honors, for but one thing. And that is Initiative.

What is Initiative? 

I'll tell you: It is doing the right thing without being told. But next to doing the right thing without being told is to do it when you are told once. That is to say, carry the Message to Garcia! 

There are those who never do a thing until they are told twice: such get no honors and small pay. Next, there are those who do the right thing only when necessity kicks them from behind, and these get indifference instead of honors, and a pittance for pay. This kind spends most of its time polishing a bench with a hard-luck story. Then, still lower down in the scale than this, we find the fellow who will not do the right thing even when some one goes along to show him how, and stays to see that he does it; he is always out of a job, and receives the contempt he deserves, unless he has a rich Pa, in which case Destiny awaits near by with a stuff club.

To which class do you belong?

Wow, how's that for telling it like it is?? Keep in mind Hubbard's time was at a great stage of industrialisation (and capitalism) - still, take a look at your workplace, your organisation or project team that you're in, and look around - can you spot people that falls into the rough categories that Hubbard proposes?

Of course, times have changed - and in the workplace, we have to be supportive and nurturing, we have to coach, mentor and lead people, if initiative is not present, then we lead by example, inspire and instill confidence, sometimes acting as a protective shepherd would to his flock. Still, this is no easy task, it takes special patience and a level of integrity & leadership to grow people, transforming them from being reactive or bystanders to taking charge, not being afraid of stepping forward to take the initiative.

This is an example of where Leadership defers from Management. One could argue that Hubbard was a classic, no-nonsense manager, who was quite frank, and direct about his expectations. If you can't deliver the message to Garcia, then there's probably no place for you on his team.

Personally, I find myself caught in between these two styles of "Leadership Management". Depending on the engagement, projects that I work on with really hard delivery deadlines and sometimes unreasonable sense of urgency, one wishes to have more people with Initiative as Hubbard expects. And there are some gigs where it's okay to lead and allow the team to develop along the way.

My natural tendency is to take initiative, as they say "Better to do a thing and ask forgiveness later" - but it doesn't always work out like that. Recently I got my knuckles rapped because I took initiative, acting on cue assuming my client expected me to take his suggestion & run with it...only to be told later that actually, I had to place in executing that activity...So lesson learnt, depending on the stakeholder, in this particular context, the unwritten rule is wait until you're told twice (just in case)...

On the projects I run though, I value people taking initiative, letting me know their intent, and even if they didn't give me the heads up, I look forward to being pleasantly surprised by the team's / person's commitment to solving the problem without being told to do so...

A Message to Garcia

I recently came across some powerful essays from a writer, Elbert Hubbard from the later 1800s (19th Century), who became known as one of the most interesting business thinkers of his time. One particular essay struck a chord to many business owners at the time, titled A Message to Garcia, which I'd like to share with you in this post.

What is amazing is that this essay was written in 1899, over a hundred years ago, and yet I feel it still so powerful and relevant today. This essay is easy to read, although somewhat in old-school English, yet the points are crystal clear, solid and sound.

It surely resonates with me, both in my personal and professional life experiences...Work-wise, the tenets contained in A Message to Garcia are very relevant to project management and delivery, as well as the subject of mature, self-organising agile software development teams. As I spend most of my time wearing the hat of a program delivery manager, which supposed to be relatively abstracted away from details and hand-holding, micro-managing, I look to having at least one person of type Rowan that I can count on to get the message delivered....or ideally, at least one Rowan in every team or work-stream on the program...In a lean/agile software team, it would be great to have the entire team made up of Rowans (7-9 person team)... It's about the essence that counts!

Before I give more away, here's the essay, written 19th Century, still going strong in 21st Century...

In all this Cuban business there is one man stands out on the horizon of my memory like Mars at perihelion. When war broke out between Spain and the United States, it was very necessary to communicate quickly with the leader of the Insurgents. Garcia was somewhere in the mountain vastness of Cuba - no one knew where. No mail nor telegraph message could reach him. The President must secure his cooperation, and quickly.

What to do!

Some one said to the President, “There’s a fellow by the name of Rowan will find Garcia for you, if anybody can.”

Rowan was sent for and given a letter to be delivered to Garcia. How “the fellow by the name of Rowan” took the letter, sealed it up in an oil-skin pouch, strapped it over his heart, in four days landed by night off the coast of Cuba from an open boat, disappeared into the jungle, and in three weeks came out on the other side of the Island, having traversed a hostile country on foot, and delivered his letter to Garcia, are things I have no special desire now to tell in detail.

The point I wish to make is this: 

McKinley gave Rowan a letter to be delivered to Garcia; Rowan took the letter and did not ask, “Where is he at?” By the Eternal! there is a man whose form should be cast in deathless bronze and the statue placed in every college of the land. It is not book-learning young men need, nor instruction about this and that, but a stiffening of the vertebrae which will cause them to be loyal to a trust, to act promptly, concentrate their energies: do the thing- “Carry a message to Garcia!”

General Garcia is dead now, but there are other Garcias.

No man, who has endeavored to carry out an enterprise where many hands were needed, but has been well nigh appalled at times by the imbecility of the average man- the inability or unwillingness to concentrate on a thing and do it. Slip-shod assistance, foolish inattention, dowdy indifference, and half-hearted work seem the rule; and no man succeeds, unless by hook or crook, or threat, he forces or bribes other men to assist him; or mayhap, God in His goodness performs a miracle, and sends him an Angel of Light for an assistant. You, reader, put this matter to a test: You are sitting now in your office- six clerks are within call.

Summon any one and make this request: “Please look in the encyclopedia and make a brief memorandum for me concerning the life of Correggio”.

Will the clerk quietly say, “Yes, sir,” and go do the task?

On your life, he will not. He will look at you out of a fishy eye and ask one or more of the following questions:

Who was he?

Which encyclopedia?

Where is the encyclopedia?

Was I hired for that?

Don’t you mean Bismarck?

What’s the matter with Charlie doing it?

Is he dead?

Is there any hurry?

Shan’t I bring you the book and let you look it up yourself?

What do you want to know for?

And I will lay you ten to one that after you have answered the questions, and explained how to find the information, and why you want it, the clerk will go off and get one of the other clerks to help him try to find Garcia- and then come back and tell you there is no such man. Of course I may lose my bet, but according to the Law of Average, I will not.

Now if you are wise you will not bother to explain to your “assistant” that Correggio is indexed under the C’s, not in the K’s, but you will smile sweetly and say, “Never mind,” and go look it up yourself.

And this incapacity for independent action, this moral stupidity, this infirmity of the will, this unwillingness to cheerfully catch hold and lift, are the things that put pure Socialism so far into the future. If men will not act for themselves, what will they do when the benefit of their effort is for all? A first-mate with knotted club seems necessary; and the dread of getting “the bounce” Saturday night, holds many a worker to his place.

Advertise for a stenographer, and nine out of ten who apply, can neither spell nor punctuate- and do not think it necessary to.

Can such a one write a letter to Garcia?

“You see that bookkeeper,” said the foreman to me in a large factory.

“Yes, what about him?”

“Well he’s a fine accountant, but if I’d send him up town on an errand, he might accomplish the errand all right, and on the other hand, might stop at four saloons on the way, and when he got to Main Street, would forget what he had been sent for.”

Can such a man be entrusted to carry a message to Garcia?

We have recently been hearing much maudlin sympathy expressed for the “downtrodden denizen of the sweat-shop” and the “homeless wanderer searching for honest employment,” and with it all often go many hard words for the men in power.

Nothing is said about the employer who grows old before his time in a vain attempt to get frowsy ne’er-do-wells to do intelligent work; and his long patient striving with “help” that does nothing but loaf when his back is turned. In every store and factory there is a constant weeding-out process going on. The employer is constantly sending away “help” that have shown their incapacity to further the interests of the business, and others are being taken on. No matter how good times are, this sorting continues, only if times are hard and work is scarce, the sorting is done finer- but out and forever out, the incompetent and unworthy go.

It is the survival of the fittest. Self-interest prompts every employer to keep the best- those who can carry a message to Garcia.

I know one man of really brilliant parts who has not the ability to manage a business of his own, and yet who is absolutely worthless to any one else, because he carries with him constantly the insane suspicion that his employer is oppressing, or intending to oppress him. He cannot give orders; and he will not receive them. Should a message be given him to take to Garcia, his answer would probably be, “Take it yourself.”

Tonight this man walks the streets looking for work, the wind whistling through his threadbare coat. No one who knows him dare employ him, for he is a regular fire-brand of discontent. He is impervious to reason, and the only thing that can impress him is the toe of a thick-soled No. 9 boot.

Of course I know that one so morally deformed is no less to be pitied than a physical cripple; but in our pitying, let us drop a tear, too, for the men who are striving to carry on a great enterprise, whose working hours are not limited by the whistle, and whose hair is fast turning white through the struggle to hold in line dowdy indifference, slip-shod imbecility, and the heartless ingratitude, which, but for their enterprise, would be both hungry and homeless.

Have I put the matter too strongly? Possibly I have; but when all the world has gone a-slumming I wish to speak a word of sympathy for the man who succeeds- the man who, against great odds has directed the efforts of others, and having succeeded, finds there’s nothing in it: nothing but bare board and clothes.

I have carried a dinner pail and worked for day’s wages, and I have also been an employer of labor, and I know there is something to be said on both sides. There is no excellence, per se, in poverty; rags are no recommendation; and all employers are not rapacious and high-handed, any more than all poor men are virtuous.

My heart goes out to the man who does his work when the “boss” is away, as well as when he is at home. And the man who, when given a letter for Garcia, quietly take the missive, without asking any idiotic questions, and with no lurking intention of chucking it into the nearest sewer, or of doing aught else but deliver it, never gets “laid off,” nor has to go on a strike for higher wages. Civilization is one long anxious search for just such individuals. Anything such a man asks shall be granted; his kind is so rare that no employer can afford to let him go. He is wanted in every city, town and village- in every office, shop, store and factory.

The world cries out for such: he is needed, and needed badly - the man who can carry A MESSAGE TO GARCIA.

-Elbert Hubbard, 1899

UK versus Israel Cultural Orientations Index

I wrote earlier about working with the Israelis and a useful framework called the COI / Cultural Orientations Indicator. 

I found this interesting comparison of the two profiles for the company that I worked for at the time, UK region versus Israel region. Remember we did this in an effort to understand the teams and people a bit better, ultimately aiming to improve collaboration.

In the globally connected world of today, how can we ignore such cultural differences?? Any company having international clients & relationships, or based in multiple countries, should take time to invest in applying the COI...

UK vs Israel across the COI dimensions

Culture: Working with the Israelis

I'm in the process of rounding up all my reports on my self from various psychometric tools & frameworks that I had to use in the course of my professional life, and share them openly on this blog. I did make a start some time ago with these two posts from a few years ago:

• BBC Interview Psychometric Report
• Multichoice Interview using CPP (report still to share)

This week, I experienced another framework called the "Enneagram" which I also will aim to share on this blog.

As I dug through my old records, I found one particular course that brought back some fond memories: Working with the Israelis :-) 

Working with Israelis, a One Pager Cheat Sheet

So I worked with a lot of Israelis, all levels: engineers-to-directors, and it was quite exciting and a thrill, personally & professionally. I really didn't let any personal/religious biases get in the way of working professionally, and actually developed some really good relationships that I'm happy to call them my friends...where there is code, there are no barriers....all you need is code :-)

So if you ever confronted with working with an Israeli, here is a handy table to help get you to understanding the experience:

Cheat Sheet

Cross-Cultural Awareness is becoming increasingly important in a Connected World

In the years 2003-2011, I worked with a company that was truly global. We had software teams all around the world: North America, Canada, United Kingdom, Paris, Denmark, Australia, Israel, India, Korea & China. The company went on a global training drive to address the issue of working with the various cultures. The company partnered with the folks from TMC CulturalNavigator,  an online system that we could use to learn about the people from all parts of the world, however, specifically tailored for the regions we operated in. 

Each person in the company had to complete the online questionnaire (like all these psychometric questions) to gauge the type of person you are. The results were mostly online for people to access, as it was useful information to have to hand especially when you're meeting a colleague for the first time, or have a high-profile meeting to attend and you want to get a sense of the people, etc, etc.

I applied the tools quite often, found it extremely useful and handy to have around...

In addition to the online tool, we had coaches come in and talk around this system, which is called Cultural Orientations Index - I will write about my own results from 2007 in a follow-up post, the COI contains the following dimensions:

I will expand on this in follow-up posts...

Street vendors and Talent houses

WARNING: This is probably one of those posts that just might not work, but anyway, this has been playing on my mind today that I had to write about it, so here goes!

The sell

If you're living in South Africa, or you spent some time here, you would have definitely come across our resourceful street vendors that hang around at major intersection traffic lights (robots), offering some really tempting fruits on sale. It is convenient, on-the-go, and price-competitive, reasonably safe, and most of the time, the stuff on sale looks really good. So to save yourself some time from stopping at a green grocer, you grab what's on offer, haggle a bit, pay and drive off. Seller and buyer are happy.

Sometimes though, and this is something that's becoming increasingly popular, is your street guy propping up his boxes, making it seem you're getting a good deal, the box has got the best samples on top, and tucked behind those good ones, are the not-so-good, slightly older fruit. Sometimes, the box has been pushed from the bottom to give the perception of volume, but sadly you're getting much less than you expected. In some bad cases, you get deceived by finding some really old rotting stuff (not cool)...

Hidden gems

A thought struck me today, that this is similar to the shows I've seen from software service providers, especially the ones that outsource, off-shore resources. They put on a good show, showcase their best talent at the initial meet-and-greet, CV/Resumes ripe for the taking - you sign the contract, agree on a medium-to-long-term support contract, thinking you're not only getting value-for-money, but also getting ripe fruit for the taking!

Alas, after a few months into the engagement, you realise that the good fruit was just a show, that the wider team is a box of dull tasting fruit, that you were sold more packaging than what you bargained for. Bodies are thrown at your project, giving the perception of a strong workforce, but you're unable to see any real value, delivery happens at snail-pace. Just what kind of fruit did you end up buying?? 

You're left with a sour taste in your mouth, you make a mental note not to be fooled by the alluring front of such street vendors. You will do your homework next time, ask the right questions, and continuously monitor the progress and commitment that your outsourced vendor had initially promised.

Too often, development managers are faced with just seeing the contract through, working with a mediocre team, fronted by a good tech lead if you're lucky...and kicking yourself for not taking extra time out to seek out to the rightfully established reputable greengrocer, who takes the time to source just the right quality fresh produce you really wanted, even if you have to pay a premium or wait in long queues!

Be ware of up-and-coming Talent houses. Take time to develop the relationships, and make sure you look past those lovely shining front-facing, mouth watering fruit....

As I've become my own independent consultancy, I am always mindful of overselling my expertise, mindful about putting on a show & being seen for a fraud, and take pains to delight my clients with work (and talent) that I can be proud to associate my brand with...

Take a chance, leap, put yourself out there

I came across this graphic that resonated with me on so many levels. It also epitomizes myself to an extent, that the poster itself makes good for another "About Me" post...

Meet Calvin, the security guard with Hope...

Calvin, on the day he passed his Drivers Licence

Meet Calvin, the Fidelity security guard onsite at my company.


A few months ago I would not have thought I'd help someone out by providing a renewed sense of Hope, Trust and Faith in fellow citizens of South Africa...but somehow I did. I am certainly not feeling overly proud, wishing to boast this to the world, in fact, we're taught to keep the good that we do a secret, so that it promotes humility and gratitude to God that it was only by God's will that some good has come out of your actions. There's a saying that if you do a good deed, it should be such that your left hand doesn't learn what your right hand has done, so keep it secret...

But in this day and age, it's necessary to share the little good that has been done; and with the power of social media, perhaps the same act could be repeated by others, creating a stimulus for good and create further joy in this world. So I feel compelled to publish a humble success that I hope can lead to other successes. For now I've helped someone by creating hope, and instilling self-confidence, that no matter what one's situation is, given the right motivation and support, if you're willing to try to change your life for the better, you will succeed, even at the risk of failure, as one of my mantras that I repeat often goes "If at first your don't succeed, try, try and try again"

Calvin is the security guard at my company who manages entry/exit of vehicles into the car park. We got to know each other in the first couple of months as I was using a hire car at the time, and used the visitor car park quite frequently.  We only got to striking a good conversation when I braved the walk to the local Civic Centre offices in Randburg to enquire about my SA Drivers licence.  I say "braved the walk" because nobody in Joburg really walks anywhere, and I returning from the UK after 10 years, have grown accustomed to walking anywhere.  Against the concerns of some colleagues, I decided to walk the 800 metres to the Office, to get a sense of the security myself....suffice to say, it's safe and I've repeated the walk several times hence.

On my back from the Licence office, I spotted Calvin and waited for him, a) so I could chat and b) to have a security guard as company :-) On this brief walk back to the office, I learnt that Calvin spoke very well, had strong opinions about corruption and the state of the country, he was quite curious to find out about London. He was in awe about the underground trains and more so, when I told him about the level of transparency and accountability the politicians have with their constituents, that there is a strict control over corruption and personal expenditures, so much so that politicians public resign...he wished the same could be done in SA.

I would then stop at his post now and again for a chat, and one day in August I found him really stressing about his situation. He tells me how he's been a security guard for the last 6 years, how he wanted to study engineering and was forced to leave school at an early age when his father passed away...and now he's got his Truck Drivers Learners certificate that would soon expire (Dec 2011) and he's got no money to do what's required to get his Drivers Licence before it expires. I knew in my heart immediately that I should help this guy out, and told him not to worry, these things have a way of working out, and left him with that thought - went for my meetings, and returned in the afternoon to continue the conversation.

I learnt that Calvin was serious to change his life for the better. As a security guard, he'd become friends with many of the truck drivers the company uses, and so he was aiming to get his Code 14 drivers licence with the aim of working for a trucking company. Truck drivers certainly earn much more than a security guard, so he'd started the process of, had passed his Learners test over a year ago, but just didn't have the funds to go for driving lessons and do the exam.  He also wants to study engine mechanics -- I recommended he focus on one goal at a time, first get the licence, change jobs and then think about the next step...

Without consulting my wife, I told Calvin that I'll help him get his licence.  Obviously, to a seasoned South African, all alarm bells would be going off at that moment, around trust, being taken for a ride, taken advantage off, etc... Dismissing all of the negativity, I proposed to Calvin that I will contribute the majority of the costs towards the licencing, provided he contributes some of his hard earned money to the cause.

I didn't want to do everything (although I had the means to fully sponsor it), but I felt that if Calvin contributes some of his own money, he'll be compelled and motivated to work hard, and succeed... I also grew up in tough times, I value commitment and dedication, Nothing comes for Mahala...

With this contract in place, we worked together on a plan of action and aimed that by end of November, Calvin should have been on enough driving lessons to be comfortable with taking the final exam.  Calvin surpassed expectations, and with five lessons managed to pass his Code 14/C1 Drivers exam!  We were both beaming with joy that day - you can see it in the photo!

Proof!

So what costed me just under R2000-00, which I could've easily used up on toys and take-aways, I helped enabled Calvin to step out of what was a depressing situation, and instil a renewed sense of hope.

It's not over yet...
Getting his licence is the first step. My aim is for Calvin to land a job by the start of the new year.  He must leave his job of Security Guard of the last 6 years, and take the plunge into a world full of possibilities.  I will continue to look out for Calvin, my company has a campaign called "Be More" and I'm going to send this blog post to the senior management and HR to see if the company can reciprocate or think about setting up similar initiatives...
I am also going to contact Talk Radio 702 to see if this is an example for Lead SA...

Doing more for South Africa...
When I left SA to work overseas, one of my ambitions was to return home and add a valuable contribution socially and professionally. I've made a humble start with the social aspect, but I do have bigger ambitions for the helping the professional outlook.

I'll post about this topic later, but I have a bee in my bonnet with the lack of skills/competencies in the IT/Software development field...I was really surprised that much of the workforce in my current company is outsourced to contractors from India, that there isn't any talent in our country. I blame the schools and tertiary institutions for not doing enough - so much so - that I strongly believe that it's a waste of time and money to go to a SA university: If you're interested in IT or programming, teach yourself, become self-taught, work on Open Source Projects, that's your ticket to landing a decent job and earning a salary...I've been mulling over setting up an Open Source Software academy where people can learn from high school, real world software engineering, contributing to real world projects without needing to attend University...

My first taste of crime in South Africa...

So it's been about six months since we moved back to South Africa and 3 months in our current house, and last weekend we experienced our first encounter with crime. It could've been much worse considering I've not yet sorted home and contents insurance out, so by the Grace of God, we got off easy in the grand scheme of South African crime...

We left home (Johannesburg) in a hurry on Friday afternoon (4th November) to drive up to Pietermaritzbug (6 hour journey) to spend Eid-ul-Adha, the festival of Sacrifice with family. It'd been 15 odd years since I last took part in Qurbani (the slaughtering of a sheep/lamb/cow) and I was going to slaughter an animal for the first time in my life. My kids have never witnessed such a thing before, very difficult to do practise this in UK...so we were all excited.

We had a wonderful Eid, returned home on Monday evening around 5PM. Being tired after the long journey, I didn't quite take notice of all the light entering the dining room and lounge. I'd deactivated the alarm on entry and getting the bags in, when I noticed the strange brightness coming in from the other room. I open the door, and to my amazement saw the dining room door wide open, the glass shattered and the outside gate wide open with the keys left hanging - we'd been burgled!

I quickly look around the house, it seemed the burglars only touched the lounge and dining room, not even the computer room (I wouldn't be typing this if they had) - and they got away with my PlayStation gear and wireless keyboard. The TV unit was shaken up a bit, but apart from that everything seemed in order - how odd, since the computer desk is in the lounge directly opposite the TV, I had my sat nav, photo frame and gadgets lying in plain sight...The only thing I could think of was the alarm had scared them away.

So I called the landlord to report the incident, then my alarm security company, who then alerted the police. I spent all of Sunday evening walking through the scene, testing the alarm, holding the security company to account, even doubting myself whether I actually activated the security system before leaving...Spent the night at my brother's place, next morning the so-called forensics team "fingerprint" experts came and went in like 10 minutes, I had to show them where to lift fingerprints off. Then the inspector came over to have a chat, he was equally baffled and blamed the security company. Spent the rest of Tuesday fighting with the security company and had the door fixed...

This morning the technician from the security company came over to download the event buffer from the alarm system. They were right, I was wrong. Actually the alarm was activated, but there were no reported incidents between Friday and Monday. I then tested some theories out and uncovered some serious loopholes with the system. If you enter the house, and crawl on all fours from the point of entry to the TV room/lounge, the sensors will not pick you up...so that's how they did it.  Now I need to get more sensors installed, more panic buttons and possibly a few more burglar gates and doors...welcome to South Africa!!

What's really scary though is that why hadn't they cleaned me out?? Why take only the PlayStation gear?? Why not come again and again?? The house was available the entire weekend - we have no idea when it could have happened. The neighbours didn't hear or see anything unusual...

Like I said, it could've been worse.  Houses are ransacked whilst people are fast asleep in their beds.  Better to have it happen whilst you're not at home, because you could lose your life...

So on the crime front, UK 1, SA 0.  But such petty crime is also rampant in UK, it could happen to anyone...In Islam, we believe that sometimes these small troubles happen in order to prevent or save you from a bigger calamity, that events are interconnected, and God has His plans and reasoning...We also have a saying to "Trust in God, but tie your camel!". In my rush to beat the traffic on Friday I didn't take the security precautions I usually take of taking all my keys with me, closing all the curtains, and leaving the property reciting verses of protection from the Quran...I also haven't sorted home insurance out...

Here's some pics of the incident:

Point of entry

Note the stone & towel used to break glass, bugger left his hat for show!

TV Area, good thing still got UK plugs

Burglar gate - bent bar

Used my ladder to scope out the bedroom 

TV unit, bottom left had Playstation gear

How it feels to be back home again in South Africa after 10 years...?

Well it's been almost 3 months now that we've left the UK and settled in South Africa.  Only last week did I get broadband ADSL and a telephone line installed, life is slowly achieving a sense of normality again.  The first two months was hectic, although we were sorted in terms of accommodation - but that in itself also took a little getting used to...it was new for all us!

Let me start off by saying that Multichoice, despite what products they have currently on market that is causing many people great pains, the corporate services handling my relocation was absolutely tremendous. Although it had taken a lot of effort on my part in terms of organization (visas, relocation quotes, car shipping quotes, travel arrangements, facilitating payment, B&B booking, etc) - once everything was finalized, the relocation pretty much went smoothly.

We spent 3 nights at the Holiday Inn  prior to making our final departure to SA. It was a challenging 3 nights because the family shared a large bedroom (1 double bed, 2 single sofa beds) with the 3 kids - we'd emptied our house of all furniture and needed a couple days to tie up the loose ends.  We flew Emirates, London-Dubai-Johannesburg, business class - it was a very comfortable experience. The kids loved it, unlike our last trip cramped in economy class - so when we reached SA, the family was all fresh and relaxed.  My brother and parents greeted us on arrival, and we were chauffeured to the guest house which incidentally was a flatlet in my brother's property.

Initial Impressions of SA
To be honest, I was blown away by the sheer contrast of it all. On the one hand the place is sprawling with impressive buildings, suburbs, the latest model of cars being driven around, the rush and pace of it all was a little overwhelming -- on the other hand, the evidence of poverty quite literally knocks on your windscreen at every robot (traffic light), intersection, junction, etc...Bear in mind, I've never really lived and seen Gauteng (Johannesburg) before...On face value, without thinking too deeply about it and not involving the complex politics to understand the sheer magnitude the current government of SA has to solve; just looking at the infrastructure alone, around developed parts of Joburg - one can't help but get the sense of how great this place once was, in terms of buildings, residential estates, etc. One can noticeably see the decay, the lack of attention paid to what was once well looked-after estates -- yet at the same time, one naturally thinks about how well the white guys had it in SA -- they really had it made for themselves, enjoying all the luxuries of Apartheid...only recently opened to the Blacks (includes Indians & Coloureds).  That's just looking at historical, old settled neighbhourhoods.  Traffic lights are always offline, the use of the four-way stop is dominant in Gauteng - not sure why the road planners didn't opt for roundabouts (traffic circles) which IMHO is more efficient than forcing motorists to stop-in-turn even when there's no traffic...

So you do get a sense of decay, it’s quite evident in most places that once-upon-a-time the areas were quite nice, roads in good condition, well maintained and well looked after. Some areas are trying hard to maintain that state, but the majority of the areas it’s quite evident that maintenance of the basic services are falling short. Interestingly enough, this isn't just my opinion - others also relate this was the very first impression they got too  "I could not believe the decay in areas that were once beautifully maintained. I am talking about the public areas of course - once inside the gardens of the private houses things seemed ok…" -   But they’re working hard to improve, no roads have turned to mud/dirt tracks yet, and the new developments are looking great.  The world cup was a boost to most parts, so for most of the time you could get away with thinking you were driving in UK.  We experienced a few power cuts, most of the traffic lights (robots) are out-of-action when it gets bad – again, don’t think there’s enough focus in the services area...

Kids
Despite what people say that kids adapt well to change, my two boys aged 5 & 4 -- at first thought they were on holiday visiting family just like last year -- until we enrolled them into school the third day on our return!  What a shocker it was for them. Coming from the caring UK environment where the teachers are loved almost more than the parents themselves, where the learning environment is through fun and games rather than structured "listen to me and learn" routine -- my boys absolutely hated school. For two whole weeks they resented going to school, crying almost daily to go back to the UK, they don't like the teachers, the teachers are not friendly - the children are not friendly, making fun of them, etc, etc.  We put them in a private school, Greenside Primary - which apparently was supposed to be a good, decent-enough school.  Perhaps it is, but my initial reaction wasn't that great, I still have my reservations about the school, but haven't had the time to sit down seriously to consider the options.  On the strength of my brother's and sister's-in-law opinion the school is suitable for their daughter (who happens to be the same age as my son), we went with the flow and sent our kids to Greenside.  Anyway, this school is a privately run organisation, and charges a flat fee of R14300-00 per year per child, regardless of age - that is, a 4 year old pre-primary child pays the same school fees as a 12-year old primary school leaver. Obviously to me this didn't sound quite right because little kids demand far less resources and time that older kids, and when I asked a bit more about this policy, my wife was given a very curt reply "This is how it is in SA. If you don't like it, you can find another school. There a plenty of people wanting a place in this school. All school fees are flat fees and count towards paying teacher's salary". I also inquired about the extent of school supplies needed to the level of toilet roll and soap dispensers -- so really, we pay for everything, right down to my child's usage of toilet & toilet paper!!  You can of course imagine that this is non-existent in UK, that parents don't need to pay for anything, in fact the government provides almost everything...so really, it's a big disadvantage that my kids have left the UK educational environment for a South African substitution - this is conscious decision on my part, I can only hope that the cultural experience the kids come out with would surpass that of the UK (On the other hand, if you look at the recent riots in London one would question the worth of UK education system)...
I've been speaking to a few people who've had family members as teachers, and from what I hear is that teachers are not passionate about the job anymore. Teachers that were once very qualified and passionate are left disenchanted, repugnant and ready to leave. Those that cannot leave stay behind doing the bare-minimum.
It is a sad situation really, the kids had their first sports day a few weeks back.  One notices the sheer lackluster of the event, the sports ceremony and procession lacked enthusiasm, fun, passion and joy.  As parents we didn't even realise the sports day was on, we were notified two days earlier!  Anyway my kids seemed to have some fun, my 5 year old did come out third for his race; my 4 year old completed some races as well -- but the little fellows weren't even rewarded any medals.  So the 4-6 year olds were forced to attend from 9AM till 4PM, stretched the whole day to see the all the sports events through to completion, coming back home drained and tired...
I do have a bone to pick on the schools subject, one that I'd like to participate in future, once I've sorted all the other stuff to get the house and family settled down.
Currently though, the kids seem to have transitioned - a little too well maybe, because they've almost lost their British accent, and are speaking like real Gautengalengs!

Work
As I said in the opening, I've nothing but praise and kind words to offer Multichoice HR and the hiring managers. They've been very supportive, patient and generous. I'd run into a few hiccups with getting my car imported, which the company graciously attended to.  Professional-wise, well - you'll just have to read some of my other posts on working.  Suffice to say, working in SA does take some getting used to. A clash of cultures and personalities exist, the apparent lack of professionalism and due diligence is apparent in most places, with the cow-boy attitude of just getting things done, quickly to market, ready to launch without any thorough detailed analysis...lets just say I'll be kept busy for a long time.  I am however appreciative that people are not discounting my ideas and push for process changes outright, and so far no one has come back to tell me "Shut up Mo, this is SA. Don't try to do what you did in UK/BSkyB/NDS as it won't work here" - so I'm treading lightly, and building upon that patience that one so desperately needs in SA...

Crime
Alhumdulillah, so far so good.  Whilst nothing has happened directly to me and the family, we are always attentive and on-the-lookout.  Our house is currently burglar alarmed, plus have security gates inside the house. As I write this post, my house alarm doesn't work because I recently requested two remote controls to control the garage door, and activating the alarm system remotely. It so happened the garage door now works, but I can't engage my alarm anymore without setting the alarm off!! So the technicians failed to carry out detailed regression testing.
One of the friends I made at work, whom I attend Friday Jumma prayer with - had an incident in his home about a month back. Early one morning, three men entered his house and burgled it, whilst his elderly mom and dad, and wife was still in the house. They were all tied up, trampled upon, father was beaten - and thieves went away with almost all monetary goods.  It was a terrifying experience indeed - and what was more concerning - is when this colleague was recounted the story in the kitchen, another female colleague chipped in and said she also experienced being house burgled first hand, and the most awful thing that plays in your mind is "wondering if they're coming back to the house to kill you once they've done loading the car"!!!!
To most South Africans this is normal, I've yet to build that sense of normalcy -- it's hard to come to terms with the unpredictability of it all. 
I worry every day, and pray for not only my family but for everyone to be safe and not experience a spot of crime...
Even now as my security system isn't fully operational, I wake at the slightest of noises. I'm not sure if the security on call is actually patrolling the area, but was told they will be doing regular drive-throughs... this is another conscious decision on my part to return to SA, but then again - look at the recent riots in UK where three Birmingham muslims lost their lives to an irrational event...
One has to take precautions for example when purchasing cars - don't get high risk cars like BMWs, VW Golf, Audi, 4x4s...you try to rationalise this with faith, that everything is predefined in destiny - regardless of being in UK or SA, if it was meant to happen to you, it'd would happen...but still, you are responsible for your own actions, take the necessary precautions and you gotta live with hope, otherwise the more you dwell on the negative, then negative things start to happen to you (or seems to happen all around you!)

The Future
I really can't put hand-on-heart and say that moving back to SA is permanent. I can however say it was definitely the right decision at the time, taking into account the various scenarios that were playing out: family dependencies, career aspirations and start-up opportunities. As it so happens, the EU is in a bad shape at the moment, the first world economies are struggling, and people are looking at emerging markets as a safe haven for future investment. Apart from China and India, Africa especially South Africa has tremendous potential for growth, opportunity and a promising cultural evolution that I'd like to be part of....

I have six months to live...

"You caught us at a bad time Muhammad...  I have six months to live, maybe two years if I'm lucky to survive chemo..."

Valerie couldn't contain herself much longer. I had unknowingly walked into a very distressing situation at my neighbour's house yesterday, around noon. I had a spare B&Q voucher (15% off) that the old man Tony is always interested in and I'd unknowingly walked into a family situation dealing with really harrowing news. Me, with my jokes of them leaving their doors wide open, with the keys in plain public view for all to see, their lack of security and how I wouldn't have the luxury of being that safe in South Africa...I didn't have enough time to read the situation, and then Valerie lay that bombshell "I have 6 months to live..." and I was shell-shocked. I knew they had been to the hospital for the results, but I wasn't prepared for that result!

I immediately went over to Val and gave her the best sympathetic hug I could muster. Moments of silence. I didn't know what to say. "I have 6 months to live, cancer of the blood they tell me. Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML). All of this from a sore throat! It's all over the body...I will have to undergo intense chemo for 6 months, stay at hospital for a month at a time. I'm too old for a bone marrow transplant...We're waiting for the hospital to get back to us....I'm not going to visit you in South Africa Mo!" 


What do you say to someone in this situation? Val is in her sixties, Tony in turning 70 this year. Val & Tony live on their own, they're absolutely 100% independent, much to my admiration. They've travelled the world, they're more active than me to be honest. Truly hard-working British commoners these folks are.  We've been neighbours for going on to 5 years now, but we've only got to know them after 2 years - Tony had seen me doing some really tough landscaping out in my front yard, I'd been toiling away for weeks and he'd come over asking me if he could take the dirt away for a job he had (will save me the 100 quid). It turned out he was a retired electrician, doing odd-building jobs and he was about to close shop nearing 67 years old at the time. We hit it off nicely from there, he helped me with completing my garden and then helping out with odd jobs I had at the house, very recently helping me with my roof, flooring, bathroom shower and driveway gate in my preparation to get the house in order for the move back to SA....Val and Tony have won our respect, love and friendship. When my parents were over, my father and Tony had a great time together. I wish I'd grow old and independent as Val & Tony were...

Val & Tony are always keen on holidaying, taking breaks and were quite spontaneous. This year alone they did a stint in Canada, the Bahamas & Holland. Not once would they complain of their old age or ailments (compared to most Asians), they maintained a sense of dignity, secrecy and civility - very prim and proper, very English-like.  And when news as sudden as this hits you, you really are left speechless. There were no previous symptoms, all Val had was a sore throat. She'd seen the GP, been for X-rays, blood tests - nothing out of the ordinary. GP was letting it ago, but Val insisted she didn't feel quite right, "I knew deep down something isn't right" so GP requested full blood tests, and then it showed up.

I was unprepared for this situation, finding the right words was difficult. In situations like these, I guess just being there, your presence is enough.  I couldn't mention anything religious, not because I'm Muslim and they're not, but more so because although they are Christians by name, Tony has no patience for religion or God, so I couldn't mention typical cases like "God has a plan for you, put your trust in God", etc. I just hope Val can find something to hold on to over this massive transition - maybe it'll be God, maybe something else, but somehow she has to come to terms with this news. "Sleep on it, you're tired. Take each day as it comes. You know we're here for you at any time, just let us know how we can help....Is there anything you wanted to do that you didn't have a chance to....Yes, actually I'd love to see the London Eye...but if chemo is going to start next week, I won't get that chance"...The London eye, right in our own backyard, and they've not had a chance to go there... :-( I will try to help them realise this in the limited time I have in UK.

I've got a month to go before the relocation move to SA, leaving friends to deal with this difficult situation. I'm gutted really...

Looking at Tony and Val with different eyes yesterday, it seemed like they'd aged ten more years...bad news can have this effect on you.  Tony needs to be strong, I fear the worst: he will resign to the inevitable and his active life as a handy-man keeping himself fit despite his age will tail off...I pray he finds something to hold on to...

I can only imagine what last night must've felt like for Val...getting old is one thing, finding out you have a life-threatening disease and knowing you're not fit-enough to see it through, probabilities of survival are low, is another thing altogether....

This is a first for me, I'm still trying to come to terms with it.... In the past I've seen people who were sick, you just knew they're not going to live long (my once healthy brother-in-law who had severe stomach cancer dying at the age of just 32) I'd been home to SA specifically to see him, he was in a terrible state, I knew then he wouldn't survive, you could see what the chemo did to him....

But this case is different, the opposite end of the spectrum. Here is a person just over twice my age, who has lived a full life, who on the surface looks as normal and healthy as any person in her age, to be given the death notice. Being in your late 60s you somehow prepare yourself, but you think you have time to prepare...