Time to put away the carrot and bring out the stick

Out of all my business trip to Nigeria, I think this week was the most tiring and with the most mixed emotion.  It was extremely productive to get to know the team and business better, pushing them to a higher standard in terms of strategic business planning as well as management structure.  Some parts of our planning session I felt like I rather jump off a building than continuing on wasting my time with the level of unprofessionalism and just lack of critical thinking from certain individuals...but other times, I will see a light bulb go off in one of them, and it all felt like it's worth it!!  At the end of the day, even though I would never be OK with our output had I been in the US, we've mad such astronomical progress compared to where we started that while I walked away exhausted, I feel really good about what I was able to impact.

I also realized how naive and trusting I am with people during this trip.  Having been trained in multinational firms where people are results-oriented and work for career advancement, I took for granted the level of professionalism in all my colleagues who focus on the long-term by "getting things done well" vs. the living in the moment "how can I milk this job as much as I can" mentality.

A few of us were discussing how difficult it is to hire a reliable driver in Nigeria.  Within a few days of hiring, a driver already will be coming to you, giving you stories about his life, and asking for money to help his family do this and that... A driver can decide that today, he has enough money, and doesn't feel like working, so will make up some story to not come into work.  If you're too nice to him, he takes things for granted, and begin to expect that.  People began developing a false sense of indispensability very quickly, and after realizing this, it began to make a lot of sense why I see my better off Nigerian colleagues treating other people they way they do...always "putting them in their rightful place" with the way they order people around, and "demanding" instead of "requesting" for things...people seem to need to be reminded where they should be in the social structure, otherwise, the minute the lines are blurred, they cross the boundary very quickly and it evolves into something unmanageable VERY quickly.

For example, one of my colleague knew someone who once had a driver who was slowly poisoning him.  He found out after falling seriously ill, and upon recovery, he confronted the driver, and found out about the reason behind the malicious act.  Apparently, the driver felt like the person was being mean and "mistreating" him because he asked him for some assistance/money once, but the guy couldn't give him money because his business was not going well.  Mind you, this is not an advance to his salary, but just a handout/favor.  Plus, every other time he had asked for money, the guy had always given money to him...it's just that this time he couldn't help him.  Between (1) the driver having short-term memory and forget all the things the guy has done for him in the past, and (2) he only caring for the day and does not realize he won't have a job if the guy dies...he decided to plot this revenge and began slipping poison in his drink.  Another example, my colleague's driver just didn't show up at work one day (despite of being told that it's important for him to be available and on time for this particular week due to some important things that needs to be done...etc.)...when he didn't show up, my colleague called him to inquire why he did not report to work, he explained that he cannot come to work because his landlord is going to evict him, and if he comes to work, he won't be home to protect his family when the landlord comes...It never occur to the guy that if he goes to work, earn money, then he can pay the landlord and not get evicted!!!  Instead, he just didn't show up at work, and lost his job.  Ridiculous behaviors like this apparently is commonplace, so one just have to be prepared to look for a new driver every 3 months.  Stuff like this makes my jaw drop; however, in a very odd way, I can kind of understand the reason behind the behavior to a certain extent.   In a country where anything can happen any day, and the environment is constantly changing, you have to deal with life one day at a time, and every day can be different.  So, if I have money today, I spend it, do whatever I want, be happy, who cares about showing up to work so I can work tomorrow.  If I don't have money now, I just have to figure out how to sort the situation out the best way I know TODAY.  (vs.thinking about the future so I can be sure to not have to deal with this kind of situation tomorrow)  

Another thing is, there's seem to be little social constraint on one's behavior so everyone is free to express themselves however they feel like it.  If you're happy, you laugh, if you're upset with someone, you throw your fist around and make a mess for everyone.  Sometimes I adore Nigerians for this "living in the moment" thing, and appreciate that you can have a HUGE argument with someone, but the next day, they completely forget about it, and you're happy again!  Coming from a society where everyone has to follow a certain protocol, be polite, don't stick out to be different, have manners...etc..  A lot of the behaviors I see can be judged as "childish" "irresponsible" or plain "stupid".  However, labeling Nigerians as such would be unfair because I will be judging their way of life by my foreign standard, and frankly, the society and education level here just hasn't gotten to that point, and "development" has been very one-sided in the oil sector while everybody else are wildly neglected.  Although sometimes I scream "there's got to be a better way!!", the fact that this is a larger, cultural and national issue is slowly sinking in, and I'm beginning to ask myself, how should I deal with someone whose focus is getting the most out of today and may do anything to make sure he takes care of his family today.  The carrots that used to work for me no longer works with this group of people, and the carrots they want isn't something I am able or want to offer.

I suppose the biggest moment of truth for me in all these discussions was...sometimes, it's important to take out the "stick", and using the stick can be very difficult... in all my professional work previously, you get things done by building relationships, give and receive favors, and generally by being nice to people and focus on getting things done and doing your job well. I spent a lot of time thinking about what the "carrot" should be and how to motivate people using positive reinforcements, yet, I have spent virtually no time thinking about how I could use punishment to shape behavior.

Here in Nigeria, especially outside a multinational company, a lot of time what's keeping you in a job is not the result you can deliver/competency, but if you're favored by your superior...So, many people focus their energy not in delivering what they're supposed to deliver based on their job description, but focus on making their boss happy.  In the meantime, I suppose you can never be sure if you can stay in favor forever, they milk their job as much as they can...In my instance, I found out this trip that there was a strong belief by a couple key people that one of my direct liaison in Nigeria was focusing more on giving out contract to her friends using the work we need to get done vs. finding someone who can do the job effectively at the lowest costs (a.k.a. what she was hired to do).  Because I'm remote, and she's supposed to be fairly experienced, I've been mostly relying on her to do these execution and trusting that she's doing it to the best of her ability...so, I usually just chime in on a higher strategic level...and when something is not on par of the standard I would typically hold my work to, a "this is Nigeria/Africa" sort of explanation is usually enough to persuade me to accept what we can get and move on.  I never suspected that all these other ulterior motives related to personal benefit could be coming into play because I liked and trusted the person.  By being too nice and easily persuaded, I'm actually encouraging her to take her bad behavior to the next level and further take advantage of the situation.  I was completely blindsided. And even after realizing that, I was still struggling to figure out the best way to "discipline" the person because the effective way just seem too harsh for me.  Eventually, a decision was made.  It is so upsetting to know that someone I liked is making such a stupid mistake (and likely will repeat such mistake)...and it is also difficult to continue working with her knowing fully well what she was actually doing as well as what will eventually happen to her.  I guess there are certain traits that cannot be corrected so once you see the warning sign, you're better off letting the person go than trying to make them change because it's often not so logical why they're doing what they're doing therefore isn't a behavior we can change using a line of reasoning/logic.  I know it's not personal, it's business...however, for me, it's still hard to detach the person (and his family) from the matter...

It was a difficult week, but I learned so much about people, management, and my own weakness...I don't know how this will change how I deal with people, but am glad that as the immigration stamp my passport, I'm leaving this country just a little bit wiser...

Do I have ATM written on my forehead?

Perhaps the initial excitement of moving to a new country is wearing off, my tolerance for some aspects of living in Africa as a "mzungu" (foreigner) is wearing off slowly but surely.

One of the biggest annoyance about living in Africa is constantly being treated as though I have a "withdraw money here" sign on my forehead. I have been asked persistently by my old housekeeper to "give her something" despite she was forbidden by management to do so.  I have been told that I should just give my products to people for free.  I am often expected by people to pay for their meals.  And, my African business partners seem to think that we have unlimited amount of fund and treats the investment that we've put into their business as "aid money" that does not have any strings attached.

Last night, (Chinese New Years Eve), this came up again.  This time it bothered me more than normal for some reason.   One of the night guards called my apartment around 9:30p, just after I had returned from dinner.  He asked me for 1000ksh (~$12).  He said, he has some chest pain, and he wants to go to the hospital but doesn't have money.  There are roughly 20 units in my apartment complex.  Although I have been friendly with the guards, I would say our "friendship" stops at the basic greeting level.  I was a little bit taken back for being singled out, and I was very much torn as to whether I should trust the person on the phone or not since the person looked very much fine when I saw him just 10 minutes ago!  I asked him, "are you OK, are you going to the hospital now?"  He said, "no, I want to go to the hospital tomorrow".  "Pheww, good, this is not urgent", I thought to myself.  I then asked, "this is very strange to me, do you normally ask tenants for money?", and he confirmed that he was told by the company that the employees are not allowed to ask the tenants for money. (even though that rule clearly had no bearing on their actual behavior).  I am not sure if it's the annoyance that has been built up over the last 5 months, or if it's good judgement, I decided that since it's not OK to set a precedence, I should not give him the money, so I told him I can't give him money because it'll be breaking the rule his company specifically told him.  He said, "OK"...

After I hung up the phone, I had this good angel vs. evil angel moment.  One is saying, so what that he could be lying? What IF with the 5% chance he really had chest pain and doesn't have money to go to the hospital?  It's only $12, how much does a human life cost to you, what's there to lose, really?  The other one is saying, it is not your problem, you'll be setting a bad precedence, and more of this kind of scenario will come up in the future to you and other tenants, it's just not something you want to encourage.  Doesn't he have families and friends?  Why is he asking YOU for money?  This is Nairobi, and 1000ksh IS affordable for a night guard.  This morning, I left early for the airport, both guards looked perfectly healthy, so I guess that shuts the 2nd angel up...nonetheless, I still can't get this out of my head.

To me, asking someone for money is such a difficult, and even shameful thing to do...It's difficult because in the sense, you're admitting to someone that you cannot even take care of yourself, and are being a burden to others.  However, that just doesn't seem to be a problem here.  Asking someone for something seems commonplace and even expected.  Africans have no problem asking family members or friends who have good jobs and make better income.  And given the frequency I'm asked for stuff, clearly they have no question asking complete strangers for money as well even though they are not beggars.  I remember meeting this one salesperson in Kano, Nigeria, the next time I see him, the first words he said to me was "what did you bring for me?"  I hardly know the guy!

What makes me particularly angry and frustrated is that tourists, particularly American tourists, are perpetuating the problem by sprinkling $ bills everywhere they go.  Exorbitant tipping (compared to local standards), passing out candies/pen/dollar bills to street kids, taking people's photo and turning it into a "transaction"...etc.  All these behaviors are just perpetuating the belief that foreigners have money, and we are going to continue to participate in this unequal, dependent relationship that has its ill root since colonial times.  Most Africans are not sophisticated to tell the difference between American, European, Asian people, let along if you are wealthy, budget backpackers, or flat out broke!  To them, we are all "Europeans"!  I sincerely hope that I will live to see the day that African can hold themselves as equals to the foreigners, despite of their GDP.  I simply refuse to believe that dignity and pride can only belong to people with bank accounts.

Democracy is NOT for everyone!

The ICC ruling on January 23rd was met with much anticipation, and frankly with a bit of nervousness on the potential explosive effect the ruling may have on security as well as the upcoming 2012 election.  My friend Helen & Dan did a wonderful synopsis where you can get a cliff notes version of what happened during the 2007 post-election violence and the ICC hearings.

Kenyan politics and tribal conflict is a topic of massive intrigue for me.  Pretty much throughout Africa, people identify first and foremost with their tribe, then maybe with their country.  While this may be hard to comprehend for some, but it won't be too difficult to understand when they all speak different tribal languages and have different tribal practices.  For example, some tribes perform circumcision, others don't.  And while everyone speaks Swahili, one can always pick out the tribal "accent"...Swahili isn't really a national language like French is for France...it act more like English in the international community.  Both Englishman and French speak English, but at the end of the day, the language is a tool for two very different "tribes" to communicate, and when they go home, they are still British and French, and they live very different lives.

Even though my Chinese culture is one that's largely collectivist where one's behavior is largely influenced by how it will impact the society (or how the society will react to it) vs. the Western individualistic culture whereby the focus is more on the individual pursuit of happiness, I think African tribal collectivists takes it even one step further...I am not sure if this is something that's cultural to begin with, or it has been reinforced by the lack of trustworthy authority, thus the community (and sometimes mob justice) come to play a more important rule in people's lives, and in a way, it is almost instinctual for someone to give absolute loyalty and support to another person from his community, simply for the fact that they are from the same community, irregardless of the person has the merits to warrant the support.

How does this translate into politics?  When it comes to President, Kenyan most likely will vote for someone from their tribe, even if they don't like the person or believe the other candidate from a different tribe has better intention for the nation.  But it doesn't matter, one must support one's own tribe...kind of similar to the psychology behind who supports whom during the World Cup.  If your tribe is not represented during the election, then people will vote for someone from a tribe that has more of an "alliance" with their own based on common enemy or similar cultural practices...etc.  So, this begs the question, what's the point of an election? because you can almost predict the outcome based on how the demography of the population, and one can win by manipulating voter turnout.  Is it democracy when the majority of the population (based purely on race vs. personal interests) can almost certainly dominate the minority and tilt the government policy further to their interest?  The Western society place such high importance on the act of voting as the ultimate expression of democracy, but I am skeptical.  Can you truly have democracy through the means of election when most of the population is not educated enough to critically think about each candidate's "ability" to run the country and vote based on emotion and irrational tribal alliance?  Is that truly what's best for a country?  Take Rwanda as an example, Paul Kagame can be borderline characterized as a benign dictator, and because of that, he is able to take Rwanda in unbelievable speed from the wreckage from the 1994 genocide to the example it is setting for the African continent today (no corruption, no litter, strong economic progress...almost "Singapore-like").  In fact, Rwanda actually cut its poverty rate by 12% in 6 years! I am almost certain that without his leadership and iron fist, Rwanda will not be able to achieve what it has achieved today.  Same case can be made for the more obviously example of China, who does not embrace democracy, but has made tremendous economic progress through a totalitarian government.

I'm not arguing against democracy, but I strongly believe that democracy is only suitable when a nation has reached a certain level of literacy and maturity so the act of voting can actually serve its original purpose rather than becoming a tool for politicians to use for personal political gains.  Just as economic progress will take time, political progress will also take time.  Just looking back at history, how many times has it actually work when American troops goes into a country, "liberate" them from a dictator, set up a voting booth, and then expect a country who has been under dictatorship for decades to turn into a working democracy overnight?  It's always exciting to see people raising their purple thumb on TV, proud to have been given the power to vote and get their "voice" heard, makes great TV...however, what doesn't show on TV much is what happens afterwards?  Giving a power to someone who does not know how to use it wisely can be more dangerous than not giving them the power at all.  It's like giving a 5 year old a sharp knife, one can do great things with the knife, but because he doesn't know how to use it, he could end up hurting himself in ways that he couldn't imagine, despite of feeling great about having the power to handle a knife when you gave it to him.

To me, Kenya is going through the growing pain of democracy, perhaps all the corruption and violence are just the necessary evil to put a jolt into the system and get people to critically think about how they claim and exercise their power as citizens.  Hopefully with a new, more educated generations, I will see a day this country becomes a true, functioning democracy.  

Life is short, live your dream!

I'm a huge fan of HOLSTEE's manifesto, and they've now made it into a nice, little ad appropriately in the New Year!  It's quite inspiring, enjoy!

This clip has made it to shortlist of "ads worth spreading" by TED.  Click here to see other ads that are also nominated. 

Amazing adventures of a nobody

Amazing Adventures of a Nobody

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.  Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it - Goethe

Leon Logothetis was running a business in the UK.  He was jaded, burnt out, and felt out of touch with others.  So he made a bold decision; he left his job, and decided to travel from New York City to Hollywood on $5 a day.  He forced himself to connect with people, and was able to make this amazing journey relying on the kindness of strangers.

I recently read his book about this life-changing experience.  While I will never have Leon's bravado to embark on a similar adventure, the thrill from a sense of "danger and generosity intertwined" was something I could relate to from my own travels.  I think the "danger" often time originate from a combination of the reality (e.g. political instability, poverty, being the obvious foreign tourist target...etc.) as well as our own biased perception of our travel destination tainted by horror stories or what we see on the news (e.g. Africa being the dark continent with poor people everywhere, corrupt immigration officers...etc.).  In a way, the danger in traveling to foreign, particularly developing countries, is quite real, but I think many time it's blown out of proportion by our own ignorance and tainted view from subjective descriptions of the places.  I think this is what makes the "generosity" feel that much more endearing when we experience it.  It hits us at the most unexpected moments, and as a result, make the deepest mark on our hearts.

I also found a few other things Leon mentioned in the book quite thought provoking on a personal level: 

[why we travel]

• Hypothesis 1: "the reason we like travelling so much is because it places us in a position of control we don’t often find for ourselves in our daily lives.  When we are home in our routine, we go where we’re told, or where we must, on someone else’s time, at someone else’s pace – to work, to school, to the shop…but when we travel, we go where we wish"
• Hypothesis 2: perhaps we "travel to run away from the only ones who could hurt [us]. Traveling was a way to be safe and alone." I think there could be a grain of truth to this observation.  I find some chronic travelers, particularly those after their mid-30's, almost are in this endless search of something else.  They are constantly moving from one destination to another, which means a lot of short, enjoyable relationships with locals and fellow travelers, but very few of those relationships have staying power.  While I would agree that those relationship could be meaningful connection, the level of commitment from these relationship cannot be compared to someone from your home country, who's known you for several years, and will pick up your call late at night to hear you vent about something.  Sometimes I wonder if some of us constant travelers are searching for something or are actually running away from something, someone, or some situation?

[how we travel]

• De-emphasize the destination: "The destination is the obstacle; it draws such attention from us that we aren’t allowed to think about what happens in the middle, between here and there." I definitely find this more and more true as I travel more and get older.  While the "sites" are still very interesting, I noticed that the little incidents and various experiences en route to the sites are often what I remember most fondly upon after I return.  After all, I can always download a photo of the rice terraces in Sapa, Vietnam, but the people I met on the train ride there was what made the trip most special and cannot be replaced!
• Mode of transportation: "Efficiency is the enemy of connection.  We have connected less and less; talked less and less…Now, the journeys are just about speed – getting someplace as fast as possible."   Consider slower mode of transportation, it helps allows us to connect with others and enjoy our surrounding more.  

Amazing Adventures of a Nobody is a quick, easy read, and probably would resonate with many young professionals who feel disenchanted and wants more.  I think one may not need to do what Leon did to find happiness.  Traveling might not even be the right approach to get there.  However, I think the element of human connection and boldness to go after one's dream are key component to life's content. 

Ethiopia, a land with much much more than 13 months of sunshine!

Ethiopia is probably one of the most interesting country I've visited (and one I would go back again).  There are simply so many things to see and do in Ethiopia that our 10 pitiful days just can't do it justice. So, I decided to split up the trip into 2: first do the Northern historical circuit visiting Bahir Dar (a lakeside town with many monasteries), Gondar (the last capital), Lalibela (capital before Gondar famous for its rock-hewn churches), and Axum (the earliest capital for the Axumites, with mysterious stalaes); then do the Southern Omo Valley + Harar (the 3rd holiest muslim city famous for tamed hyenas roaming around town) in the summer.

Despite the short trip, the land of Habesha already mesmerized me beyond imagination.  It has one of the most awe-inspiring, unspoiled landscape I've seen

Beautiful Lake Tana in Bahir Dar

The Magnificent Simien Mountain Range

In addition, one can observe rich history, deeply-rooted culture and national pride in Ethiopia.  Ethiopians believe that they are descendants of King Solomon as described by the book of Kebra Nagast.  It described how Queen of Sheba met Solomon, gave birth to Menalik I, as well as how the Ark of Covenant arrived in Ethiopia as God's intended place for the Ark's final resting place.  This special connection gave rise to tremendous pride for the Ethiopian people, and as we visit around the many churches and monasteries, we see more and more mystical elements connected to (but not described in the Bible) which made the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church that much more mysterious and intriguing.

Castle in Gondar

Intriguing Stelae in Axum

Remote monastery around Lake Tana

Beautiful religious paintings found all over Ethiopia

   

St. George's rock-hewn church in Lalibela

Proudly passing the "I have not sinned" test in Lalibela

It's not surprising, with the amount of churches around the country, that religion is deeply rooted in the lives in Ethiopia (at least in the towns we visited in the Northern circuit).  The dedication people have for their religion and God is admirable.  We were visiting just a few days before the Ethiopian Christmas and the Epiphany celebration, so pilgrims from around the country were just gathering in various holy places.  People walk miles and miles to get to be part of this celebration; given the heat and dusty condition, if that is not dedication, I'm not sure what is.

 

 

Being one of only 2 African countries never been colonized (the other being Liberia), Ethiopians are able to maintain its traditions and strong identity.  As a ferengi (foreigner in amharic), it is also extremely refreshing to visit an East African country where I am treated as an equal rather than an assumed superior individual (given my "foreigner" credential).  While the "you are a wealthy tourist, give me some money" mentality is understandably still there, and that we still get a lot of attention and constantly hassled by people going "you! you! you! you! you!", the awkward African and non-African social divide so prevalent in the rest of Africa seems to be missing in Ethiopia, and that was very nice.

And of course, the normal developing country hustle and bustle 

 


as well as things that makes you scratch your head can also be observed here.  We expected crowded bus rides, the pro is that for some reason, although equally pungent, B.O. seem less prevalent among Ethiopians (compare to Kenyans). The con is that the infrastructure is also less developed in Ethiopia.  Buses are old and constantly breaking down (4 times for our ride from Gondar to Axum).  Roads are dusty, bumpy and dangerous.  And all sorts of things get carried on public transportation: 5 guns, 1 huge carpet, several bags of grains to name a few from our trip (the only thing we were missing were some livestocks).  The prevalent of firearms carried by average civilians was particularly intriguing to me.  Given the crowded (and bumpy) condition, there were several moments I thought the guns have a high chance of misfiring, and that will be the end of me.  However, it seems like us foreigners were the only one concerned about guns on board.  The Ethiopians were so nonchalant about it that at one point, some guy literally asked another unaffiliated passenger next to him to hold his gun while he can make a phone call.

  

My travel-mate Toba summed up the highlights of our trip best appropriately to the tune of 12 days of Christmas (since we were traveling over Christmas):

The 12 Days of Ethiopia
(although the trip was technically 10 days)

1 bus a blazing

2 pans of coffee beans a roasting

3 bottles of tej and angry men a staring

4 traveling ferenge (foreigner in Amahric)

5 armed men

6 trotting donkeys

7 pantless men a waving

8 gelada baboons a roaming  

9 images of st. george a fighting

10 you! you! you!

11 rock hewn churches

12 fasting meals

Amesegenallo, Ethiopia! I shall be back!