Which of your five fingers is the best?

Working in China and learning to manage a Chinese team has got to be one of the most challenging thing I have to do so far in my career.  It's challenging because in addition to the issue of lacking good talent I faced in Africa, the organization in China has grown to a size where chaos is much more difficult to get under control.  Moreover, culturally speaking, the Chinese are much more delicate and sensitive than Africans to deal with. Perhaps it's because of years of evolution, I find that the Chinese pay much more attention to the "intention" behind the words rather than taking the words literally.  The danger of this is that these "intention" is derived/speculated based on one individual's experience of another, and there is no way to validate if one's speculation is correct or not; so if one is not careful, he/she can be quickly misunderstood and a rift could be built between 2 people.  Lastly, the one child policy seem to have create a generation of young professionals that (1) believe they are the best and smartest, even though from many perspective, there are still much room for improvement, (2) doesn't take criticism very well since they've been praised by parents and grandparents growing up, and (3) has a very different work ethic, having grown up pampered by 3 sets of adults.  For the good talents, the abundance of job opportunities in China seem to perpetuate these beliefs; and for the not-so-great talents, there seem to be a way to simply refuse to accept the truth.  Case in point, more than one incident have I heard cases in China where employees refused to get fired even though they were dismissed for proper reasons and in accordance to the labor law.  People may still show up at the office to protest in silence, send threats to their supervisors, and sometimes policemen need to be involved.   Sucks being a boss in China, right!?

Although I grew up in Taiwan, from a professional stand point, I am quite blunt and direct with my opinions - in another word, very American.  What's worse is that I have a pretty high standard and require a significant amount of details to be convinced.  This, combined with the cultural reality on the ground, is a lethal combination.  Even though my comments are pointed towards the issue, part of me is pretty sure people are taking my comments quite personally.  Slowly, my days begin to be filled with passive-aggressive conflicts, alignment and realignment, yet despite of my best effort to push things through, not much progress seem to be made.

So, what to do?  How might I make the best out of a sub-optimal workforce and make them 'work'!?  How could I find better people to work with me or make them better?  A wise Taiwanese colleague responded to my challenge with an intriguing question: "which of your five fingers is the best one?"  As he expected, I couldn't answer the question.  "They are all different!" I said.  "That is the point.  Each finger has its purpose, and they cannot substitute the other.  It's the leader's job to figure out when to use the index finger, when to use the thumb, so on and so forth."  So, instead of trying to make everyone perfect, the best thing to do, might be to figure out what each person is good at, and instead of improving their weakness, utilize their strength.  For example, some people are great presenters.  Then make them present, but be sure you check what they're presenting if they are not good thinkers and can't come up with good contents.   Others are great thinkers but cannot put their thoughts down on paper, then give them tasks to think, but coach them on writing skills.  This theory makes perfect sense!  It reminds me of books like Strength Finder, which I have reference in my past for personal development, but in this case, it's also quite applicable for managing people!

In fact, as leaders, it's not possible to be good at everything either.  So we should leverage resources around us to supplement areas we're not good at.  These resources could be our subordinates, but it could also be external agencies, people from other departments...etc., smart leaders get creative about how and where they get their resources and are quite strategic about it.  Also, a good leader doesn't necessarily have all the answers, but he/she is good at mobilizing resources around him/her to maximize results.  And to gain these skills, it requires one to spend time with people, and develop broad experience and "database" of different types of people and when they work best (similar to how many large corporations utilizes Myers-Briggs).  For someone like me who are so accustomed to spending time dealing with "issues", while this is an obvious point, it requires a shift in mindset and focus that is still a work in progress.

Another interesting idea prompted by the "five finger" question is the idea of hiring a team vs. hiring the top talents into the company.  Having a hand with 5 middle finger wouldn't be very helpful even though you've got 5 of the longest fingers.  Perhaps sometimes mindfully hiring a team where each member complement each other would yield better results, especially when there is good dynamic between them.

I suppose at the end of the day, running a team is a bit like playing chess.  Each chess piece has its function, and the player must decide how to use each piece to win the game.  For the most part, a game is not won by a few super star moves, instead, a game is won through a series of moves carefully plotted by the player and executed by a "team" of chess pieces.  It seems to me that having a true understanding of the strengths and weakness of the team and figuring out a way to organize them in an effective manner is half the battle to an organization's success.

Inspiring Leaders: IVDP's Kulandei Francis

In my recent work trip to Tamil Urdu in Southern India, I had the good fortune of meeting Mr. Kulandei Francis, the founder of Integrated Village Development Project (IVDP) in Krishnagiri district.  It's not very often that one gets to meet inspirational leaders who are truly making a difference in their community, and I felt very lucky to have a chance to be in Mr. Francis' presence.

Mr. Francis is the 2012 winner of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award, and has an amazing life story.  He was the only child in his poor family to have an university degree, and started out as a pastor.  After preaching Christianity for awhile, he decided that preaching is not enough...he wanted to do more!  He eloquently said, "helping hands are holier than praying lips", pulled up his sleeves, and in 1979 started IVDP, a network of self-help women group.  He painstakingly educated the community about issues that will help the community and made available products that will improve their lives (i.e. sanitary napkins, d.light solar lanterns, water purifier...etc.)  Just imagine how a man can start discussing the topic of menstrual cycle and use of sanitary napkins in a community where the topic is taboo and women don't even wear underwear!  THAT is an extreme behavior change and a marketer's ultimate challenge!

His organization is now entirely self-sustaining, and he re-invest any profit back to the community. All the women in his community now uses sanitary napkin, and he has boldly proclaimed that he wants to eradicate kerosene in his district; in fact, he's already 1/3 way there!!!  It's truly amazing what 1 individual, with determination and strategic approach, can achieve.  In the international development space, "scale" is the talk of the town; however, have we underestimated the power of   changes drip by drip, which ultimately change the world?

Being "nice" vs. being "a doormat"

During my first year in Africa, I have been told on several occasions that I am more accommodating than most expats.  One example is that I don't make a fuss if a driver is 10 minutes late or have a less than pristine car.  Service is EVERYWHERE in Nairobi, and basic service is pretty decent here as far as taxi...etc. small things go!  So technically, if someone is not prompt, there are many others waiting in line to serve and take my money.  I have been told by other expats that I shouldn't tolerate that, but I guess unless I really need to get somewhere, I didn't find a reason to make a big deal, well, except to assert "I'm the client, you're the service provider" power dynamic.  For whatever reason, I just haven't felt the need to do that!  I've dealt with way more difficult/annoying situations that a lot of things just seems pretty minor and tolerable at this point.  The only time I felt the need to assert myself was when I was in India and in Turkey because people are generally more aggressive and almost intruding into my personal space.  But in Kenya, I found most people very easy-going, and the people I work with are not really "lazy"...they may be joggling multiple jobs and could get caught in the horrible traffic on the way, but the tardiness usually was the result of poor planning (re: Africa time), not malicious intention to take advantage of me....at least, this was my impression...I could be wrong...and to me, while not ideal, those are fairly acceptable excuses.  Perhaps I have set my expectation too low...am I being "too" nice or not demanding enough?   I was warned that people will take advantage of your "niceness" if you let them, but somehow I just have trouble with anything that resembles a "master-servant" relationship... 

At what point does "being nice" turn into "being a doormat" and losing respect?

My more affluent African colleagues have advised that if you are being too "nice", the boss-subordinate relationship quickly becomes blurred, and trouble will soon follow as people quickly begin to believe they are indispensable...why else would you be so nice to them?   Once that mindset begin to take place, they start to show up late and slack off (because they know you won't reprehend them in any way)...it's a bit like disciplining a child, only that it's an adult that you're dealing with and the normal Western view is to treat them as equals, and assume they know what's "right" and what's "wrong"...

I think perhaps the later assumption of Africans (especially less educated ones) have the same definition of what's "right" and what's "wrong" as the "westerners" is erroneous.  Over the course of my time here, I've observed that what's right and what's wrong is actually a fairly fluid concept.  And for the most part, what's going to give me pleasure and pride now is the right thing.  For a taxi driver, it is "right" to rush between 2 jobs even if it means that one client could be waiting for long if traffic is bad (which it almost certainly will be) because this is the way to make more money.   For an employee, it is more "right" to sit in the office twiddling his/her thumbs vs. going out in the field and make things happen, because he gets paid the same anyway, so why put unnecessary strain to oneself?  Life is too short to be wasted on uncomfortable and un-glamorous work!

So when you think you're being "nice" and making compromises, perhaps that's not how others are perceiving it?  Maybe they think that's the norm?  And why is it so important that other recognize I'm being "nice" anyway?

I've learned that being nice or not, it's important to #1: set boundaries.  People become doormats when there is no boundaries.  I am OK when someone is late if I'm going somewhere on my own, but NOT when I'm going to a business meeting.  I make that clear and create huge drama when someone is late taking me to a business meeting just so the point is made.  #2: consistency is key.  Only through a consistent message can one create habit and drive behavioral change.  This is not the most flattering comparison, but it's kind of like training a dog! (after all, we're all creatures of habit).  With that said, the only way one CAN be consistent is when one has drawn a clear mental line of boundary and be serious about it, so point #1 is still most important.  #3: create meaningful consequences.  People will only take you seriously and change their behaviors when there are consequences.  Pure yelling can only get you so far.  Understand what people care about and what they cannot stand to lose is key to put in place a meaningful and effective consequence to drive the desired behavior.  I haven't done so well in #3, it's something that takes time & energy to figure out, and usually at the heat of the moment, figuring out what motivates someone isn't my number one priority, expressing my anger is.  But perhaps with better discipline and self-control, I can be more effective in this area!

It's not you, it's me!

Dear Africa,

I want to apologize for complaining about your inefficiencies and turning into such a micro-managers always breathing down your neck (yet still not achieving as much as I'd like).  This week, I realized -- the problem is not you, it's me.  I have failed to understand how you think, how you work, and how you are motivated so that I communicate in the manner you can relate/understand.  Specifically, 

• I show you the big picture and then immediately demand that you aggressively work towards achieving visible results; however, I did not take into consideration that what may seem like a small step based on my experience may actually be a big, scary leap for you. To feel confident to take action, you need to be shown the stepping stones to get to the other side, receive reassurance that it will be OK, and time to get comfortable; otherwise, you will feel overwhelmed and paralyzed.
• I expect you to connect the dots, think critically, and question existing conditions; however, I did not realize that it's not something you are accustomed to doing growing up.  I need to create opportunities where you can take leadership roles and be encouraged to do more than taking orders; only through actual experiences can you build confidence, become empowered, and appreciate your ability to influence your environment.
• I have been impatient and want to do everything NOW; however, time is what's required for new thoughts and habits to set in, and no amount of extra effort and push can substitute for time.  As Warren Buffet famously put, you can't have a baby in 1 month if you get 9 women pregnant.
• I get frustrated when you can't understand what I'm saying, without realizing the issue may actually be that I've failed to communicate clearly and simply.  It is not fair to expect you to have perfect English comprehension (or always think with logic), after all, I'm in your country, not the other way around.
• I did not understand that the solution to the problem may not always be a straight path with a clearly defined timeline, sometimes, it's important to put the players in their right position to help shape the situation into a favorable environment, wait for the perfect moment, then strike.
• I am quick to "tell you" the solution rather than allowing time, seeding ideas, and allowing you the time to think through the problem yourself.  I am so eager to tell you what I know that I forget what I know is irrelevant until it becomes what you know as well.  You deserve the time and this is the only way you can understand and truly absorb the knowledge.
• I expected focus to come intrinsically and have not taken the time to put down tight management routines and align the incentives.  These things are critical so you can be effective and be held accountable.
• I have not keep my radar up and look for patterns and irregularities so I can figure out a way to handle bad behaviors appropriately; this encourages continued corrupt practices, and I actually become a culprit (even if unknowingly)

We're going to interact a bit differently from now on so that hopefully thing will not be as frustrating for the both of us anymore.  Let's make the continent to a better place together.

Sincerely yours...

80% of the world is run by C minus people?

I remember attending an Asian leadership panel a few years back, a very senior executive from EcoLab shared an advice given to him when he was a young chap working at one of the top investment banks. He was a rising star, bright, driven, hardworking, but he was frustrated by people around him who are going at a slower pace than him. His mentor said to him, "there is no doubt that you are an A+ person; however, 80% of the world is run by C- people, so if you want to get anything done, you better find a way to motivate, develop, and enroll them in your vision. Otherwise, despite of your strong ability, you will fail to get anything done as a leader." While I found it a bit elitist to call others "C-", there is an insight here that really made me think and his words have stuck with me ever since.

If we think about it, most “smart” people we meet are not people who were born with the highest IQ. I mean, how many Stephen Hawking’s have you met in your lifetime? In fact, most of us become more intelligent by building up a reservoir of diverse experiences. These experiences help our brain develop schemas (i.e. mental frameworks) that allow us to recognize similar circumstances and to make connections between disparate parts of a situation, which makes problem-solving seem effortless. Diverse cultural experiences also help us broaden our experience of the world, allow us to feel things we were previously unable to feel due to the limit of our languages, and sensitize us to non-verbal cues that we were unable to pick up before.

There are not that many people in the world that is as lucky as me (and my peers) to be endowed with the intellect, education, professional training, and international exposure we had. Because of these valuable and extraordinary experiences, we have developed a unique perspective that enables us to excel in life. So rather than the “elitist” angle that someone is inherently better than 80% of the world (which reminds me a bit of the Nazi’s), one could argue that many of us so-called “A+” people in the world is “A+” because of our lucky circumstances (plus some level of personal initiative), and the “C-“people are at the bottom of the curve greatly because of their lack of exposure and the resulting ignorance.

So, the world is not fair and we’re not all born equal - that’s the reality! But, for anyone who feels a sense of obligation to make the world better due to his/her good fortune, how can we effectively lead the other 80% into success and a better world? For me, there are 3 questions I’ve been asking myself regularly:

1. How can we emulate our experience and simplify something that took us years and years to develop in one meeting so our subordinates/co-workers can gain the same perspective and understand what we are trying to do and why?
This challenge rarely came up when I was working in the US because I was privileged to have worked in a Fortune 100 company where only top talents were recruited. All my team members were well-educated and extremely intellectual/logical; as a result, even when there are gaps to be closed, it’s usually a matter of a couple hours of discussion, and we’ll be on the same page, ready to move forward. Now I’m in Africa, where 40% of the population is illiterate (let alone getting an Ivy League education), I contemplate this challenge pretty much during my every waking moment. I get frustrated on a weekly, if not a daily basis, for my inability to make my colleagues understand why there are so many other more efficient ways to do something. What is clear as day to me usually is clear as mud after several days, weeks, and sometimes months of explanation. I am often upset at my ultra-complex view of the world (and its problems) and more so, at my failure to simplify and articulate all that is in my head in a simple, easy-to-follow manner. To me, the task feels a little bit like asking a marine scientist to give a 1 minute overview on “the ocean”; it can surely be done, however, it feels wrong because so much of the important things will be lost this way! But, what’s the point of giving all the details if you’re going to lose your entire audience by minute 3 anyway?

2. What motivates people? and How do I leverage what motivates them to align their action with my objectives?

We often assume what motivates other is the same as what motivates us. I am guilty of this big time! Having drunk the corporate America cool-aid for so long, I assumed everyone is motivated by a combination of a few things in a work setting: personal/professional development, career advancement, sense of accomplishment, recognition, or financial rewards. After working in Africa for awhile, I discovered a whole new sets of motivation that I did not realize existed. To give a couple examples, some people show up to work because they like being social; work is a great place where you can have a community of people who share something similar that you can talk to and spend your day in an enjoyable, social way.  These guys are always walking around, talking to people, and you wonder if they get any work done at all during the day.  Some others feel a sense of pride working for a multinational, they are willing to take lower salary in exchange to be able to tell others that they work in a foreign company, even if it’s sweeping floors.

I made the mistake of assuming that others come to work to do "work".  I assumed that, like me, they want to do a good job and keep on improving, if not for getting the job done's sake, at least for the prospect of a promotion/higher salary.  As a result, I kept pushing them to do better, which probably created a lot of stress for them (and make me look like a slave driver).  It only occurred to me recently that most of my colleague don't think like that.  It's just a job, they like showing up, they spend their day, it's not complicated.  If things get done, things get done.  If not, oh well, they'll get done eventually, it's not important.  People do get worried if their job may be on the line, but no one seem to lose sleep over the prospect of unemployment.

I don't think coming to work to socialize is a wrong motivation; however, having to manage people with a completely different sets of motivation is definitely a challenging, and very interesting task.  I hope that as time goes on, I can gain some wisdom here, and am definitely welcoming advise/suggestions!

3. How do you focus people on the right things?

When the motivation isn’t on getting things done in the best way possible to drive business results, people focus on all sorts of things that’s fun to do, but unproductive for the business.  For example, one thing I found I never need to nag people on is sending me invoices, which is an activity I find extremely tedious and try to avoid at all cost.  On several occasion, nothing has been agreed yet, and I get a bill.  But thinking from a different angle, I guess sending an invoice is one of those thing that's quick to do (just put in a number in the letter head and hit send), and extremely rewarding (what's not rewarding about getting some moo-lah in the bank?)  However, among all other fires that needs to be put out, this seem to be the first thing people care about.

Also, because of the focus on the short-term, people spend lots of energy chasing after something very small.  For example, sending a personal car km away to deliver 1 carton that doesn't even make enough profit to cover the cost of the petrol.  However, being able to say that I've made that 1 carton of sales make people feel good, since they don't personally feel the cost associated with the transport until much much later.

So training people to develop a strategic mindset and the ability to prioritize and focus on 20% of the activities that can deliver 80% of the results is important. But again, when it's not standard practice, how do you drive that behavior without sounding like a broken record after awhile?

Showing signs of a Tiger Mom...

Today, I came to the stark realization that I probably won’t be able to stay in Africa and work on a long-term basis because it's too stressful.  I care too much to not let it be personal.  And while sometimes I long for a nice, easy lifestyle, I will never let myself live the type of luxurious lifestyle one would observe from many UN/foreign service officers. I am inherently too much against inequity and entitlement that I will never be able to feel comfortable earning the type of salary by basically sustaining a bureaucracy without accomplishing much impact.

Why the sudden realization? I realized today that I’ve been letting my inner Tiger Mom creep out…I didn’t even know it’s there! I’ve been very critical of our business partner and basically have shown my dissatisfaction with their sub-optimal standard almost daily as I strive to make them better. Despite of my best intention, my effort is being met with mixed results. On one hand, I feel that increasing the pressure and basically begin “demanding” certain things to happen in a prescriptive way is working. At least at a mechanical level, I get the information I need on time, and we get to start at a level that’s closer to the standard I need it to be vs. negotiating from a ridiculously low level and feeling like there’s no point. Conclusion here…they ARE capable of delivering, as long as you lay out Step 1, 2, 3 and be very clear with the consequence if they do not follow your instruction specifically.  Sometimes, even when you lay out the path in front of them, they still need a little push to move forward, then a little more push to move forward more.  While tiring, at least there's some sort of solution.  So that’s the good news…

The not-so-good news is that I’m realizing that I’m always criticizing and always pointing out problems. In business, I’ve always made decision based on what’s “right” vs. what’s “popular”. However, I can understand, even when someone agrees with you that you’re right, it can be frustrating and de-motivating when you’re always proven “wrong”… I get super excited when I see progress from people and do praise excessively to let them know that they’re doing a good job and they should keep it up; however, when there are always more problems than successes, it’s hard to find something to celebrate without being disingenuous.

This is when I have this mental image of me being the Tiger Mom and the kids are revolting, basically screaming “I don’t care if I’m wrong, it’s not fair that you always yell at me, I can never be good enough for you!”. I suppose the reason for the criticisms is that we have hope that they can do better. If we don’t, we would have just walked away. However, if you’re in the situation and are on the receiving end of the criticism, then it may not feel so positive.

I’m feeling like my patience is running out. My fuse gets shorter and shorter on a daily basis, and I sometimes cannot have a nice response when it feels like a kid asking you for the 100th time if he can eat candy before dinner, despite of you telling them NO 100 times and explaining the rationale. Saying that no for the 101st time, just seem like an useless effort.

Perhaps I just need to recharge somewhere...work with competent people and get things done, then come back to deal with the more challenging ones...

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...

Alternative career planning strategy?

Lately I began questioning my approach to career planning to-date.  Don't get me wrong, I think I've made good decisions, enjoyed the work in all my previous jobs, and have grown a lot professionally.  No regrets there.  However, my approach has always been very structured, "planful", and goal oriented.  I first identify what "my interests" are, what "my salary requirements" are, where "I want to be" in 5 years.  Then I would narrow down my options and backed out a path whereby specific education/credentials or experiences in certain companies would be identified and pursued so that I can explore an area of interest or fill certain skill gaps.  This way, I am sure to be able to put a certain bullet point on my resume to get to the next job I've got my eyes set on.  This approach has worked very well for me, but I noticed a few potentially troublesome themes: (a) my career is all about developing "me"; I pick a job because it serves my desire to get to the next job, which will get me to the next job vs. I'm doing this job because I love it and it allows me to fulfill a purpose now (b) since a job is picked to get to the next job, I'm forever postponing that perfect job that I will stay with (c) this method of career planning puts control 100% on me, which means that it is possible that I overlook certain opportunities simply because I wasn't in the right mindset when that opportunity came along or I was too focused on a different direction. (d) this approach assumes the career path will forever lead/advance somewhere; however, the reality is, the path will end at one point since not everyone can be the CEO.  So, when career progression feels a little bit like playing the Angry Bird game where you're always working to pass the next level, how would one feel when there's no more next level?  Will there be a sense of void? or sense of defeat? How can one recognize the end of the "path" when it's presented to you?

After working in Africa for almost 4 months now, I see so many opportunities, and so many places I could contribute my skills.  I'm definitely not the smartest person I know; however, I am probably among the top 1% best educated people within a 100 mile radius here.  With that comes a sense of responsibility to do something good/useful with this precious knowledge and skill I've been bestowed.  Already, I felt that I'm making an impact and helping a small organization progress little by little.  And while doing so, I am also learning and growing.  I'm learning about things that I wouldn't normally put on a corporate individual development plan or consider "career development" based on my typical way of career planning.  I'm learning about people, culture, and random things that I can never articulate on a resume.  How do you put into a bullet point when a lady int he village tells you how your lights have transformed her life?  How do you summarize in a "situation-action-result" format in a few words the craziness one will have to put up with to get a certain paperwork through to be able to do your job?  All these are unexpected experiences that I would never actively seek out if I'm left in charge to "manage" my own career.  However, all these are invaluable experiences that not only made me grow as an individual, but also allow me to do something bigger than myself.

So the question is...rather than continue to seize full control and manage my career the way I would manage a business, would it be better for me to give the control away to the universe and forget about career paths, to throw away career development plans, and just go where I are needed most and where my skills will make the most impact (with certain base criteria such as "being able to financially support myself" of course)?  Will this be a career suicide or career liberation?  What do you think?

Balancing getting it done NOW and sustaining LATER...

If you know me, you'll know that patience is definitely not one of my virtues...I have a strong bias for action, and definitely find a strange satisfaction in "checking boxes" on my to-do list.  I am happy to share what I know with others, but usually after explaining something about 3 times, my patience would have run out...

Working in Africa has been great in the sense that because the markets are so under-developed, if you just get a few things right, you could make a huge impact.  Contrary to the ultra-developed markets in the West, where lots and lots of effort is required to move the dial just a little bit.  Everyday, I am excited by the large number of opportunities I see here, but at the same time, I struggle  to accept the slow pace at which we're taking to capture those opportunities.

One of my quandaries is the fact that it's not possible (or sustainable) for me to be doing everything since there is limited amount of hours I can work yet there are so many things I can see myself just go and do!  Because the capacity of the human capital here is quite a bit lower than what I'm used to in the US, I spend a good portion of my day training and explaining to people what they are supposed to do and how they are supposed to do them.  Consequently, I found myself frequently in a frustrating situation where I am spending hours and hours repeatedly explaining to the same person something I could easily complete in 30 minutes  and STILL am not sure if the message has gotten through.  At that point, the temptation to just do it myself becomes quite difficult to resist.   (sometimes, I wonder if this is what parenting difficult children feels like...)

this is what I felt like after explaining how to do
management accounting to my accountant for the 10th time

With the disclaimer that this is a broad generalization, what I found is that African are very entrepreneurial, creative, and flexible, but they lack planning skills, detail orientation, and strategic focus in general.  This is almost the exact opposite of my background in Corporate America where excessive planning nearly stifles creativity.

What I am facing in Africa probably isn't too different from what one may find in a start up; however, unlike a start up where you can hire someone with a more "CEO-like" skill once the organization grow large enough so he can help institute better process to fuel further growth, Africa as a continent have to gain such skill set over time on its own since it cannot just "import" a CEO to run the country...that was called colonialism, and we all know how that turned out...

I had a long discussion with my manager on the difference between competency and skills...he argues that competency cannot be trained while skill can, and in his mind, planning and detail orientation is a competency, not a skill...in his word, "there is no point trying to train a porcupine into a lamb"...this is a bit discouraging to me as I really believe that planning and strategic focus are such important skills to leverage limited resources for maximum growth, and I am a little bit more optimistic in the sense that people can stretch their competencies over time.

To me, doing capacity building type work is quite rewarding.  I feel as though I'm stretching the value of my expensive education by extending the beneficiary beyond just myself to everyone I have worked with along the way.   I just need to constantly remind myself to treat my work as capacity building, so that if the deadline is not met or the end result is sub-optimal, I could accept that is just part of the learning process and is a necessary evil and that in the long run, it will pay off because I would have more appropriately transferred the knowledge vs. just doing everything by myself, to perfection and on time, but no one will be here to replicate the work when I am gone...

Defining "Success"

Steve Jobs passed away at age 56 on Oct 5th, 2011.  I heard the news first from my driver Carlos when he picked me up, then for the whole day, that's the only thing people talked about on Facebook and the news.  Based on the amount of Facebook posts and video tribunes made on the same day, Steve Job's death felt like it triggered a magnitude of aftershock and media coverage that rivals 9-11 attack...dwarfing mentions of Osama bin Laden's death several months ago, as well as Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai's passing, which was just a weekly earlier.  Osama bin Laden, Wangari Maathai, and Steve Jobs are all influential people, but the contrast on how the world reacted to their deaths made me wonder: what made Steve Jobs more endearing/successful than the others to people?  Do we marvel at geniuses more than philanthropists?  Geniuses often make impacts that are more tangible (i.e. an iPhone, an airplane, E=MC^2), they also do so in a way that's got a big reveal, a WOW element to it so it's highly memorable for the audience.  A revolutionary product is memorable, has a specific time/date associated with its debut that can be talked about as a historical moment, but a successful movement is only more successful when it just become part of people's life and that people stop talking about it (except from history books).  Its impact (such as civil right) is far broader than an iPad per se, but somehow, iPad is more top of mind for people.  Philanthropists or activists' work are more steady and out of the spotlight most of the time, and even when they do appear in the spotlight, their work is talked about in a way that's more about their ability to mobilize and tap into the collective powers of the masses rather than about their individual contribution.  The other thing with Steve Jobs is that his work touches people on a daily basis in a top of mind sort of way.  Apple's footprint is everywhere, and because those products are so synonymous with him, how can one not be reminded of him and feel connected to him every time he uses his iPhone or Mac?

Going back to the question of how would one define "success", I suppose there's a few different dimension to consider...
1) Do you want to be known more for your work/intellect or your character?
2) Would you rather have a broad but shallow impact? or a narrow but deep impact?
3) Is having the spotlight on you as an individual important? or would you be happy being behind the scene orchestrating positive change?

A couple days after Jobs' death, I learned of the passing of a good friend, Hector.  I met Hector while studying abroad in Tokyo. He was a smart, soft-spoken, and kind person.  He has been living with cancer for awhile but finally lost the battle on Oct 7th, 2011.  Most of the news I get from friends these days are mostly happy ones like engagements, wedding, and babies.  While I know death is always a possibility, sad news like that have been limited to people's parents, grandparents, or co-workers.  Never had I expect an age-mate I know personally would be passing on.  It is a sobering knock back into reality, and my false sense of invincibility definitely got shaken a bit.  This may be a bid morbid, but if you only have the next 10, 20 years to live, what would you be doing with your life?  How would you want people to remember you?  How would you define a "successful life", a life well lived, at the last moment on your deathbed? What would you need to do or start doing now in order to be able to feel content and at peace when you swallow your last breath?

I suppose, for me, I would consider a life well lived if:

• I have spent as many moment of my life as possible to learn about different people, different schools of thoughts, to understand myself, and to build my capacity for empathy and compassion...and more importantly, use those wisdom to do something good
• Made a positive difference in at least 5 people's lives (narrow but deep) 
• I stay true to my values so friends and families will remember me for my heart and character 
• Always pour my heart into everything I do 
• Be able to be truly happy for things that I'm blessed with in my life and accept things that I just won't have in my life despite my efforts

Relevant Reads:

• Steve Job's 12 Rules of Success

What are you running from?

Met a Kenyan chap called Daniel D'uwa at the Storymoja Hay Festival over the weekend, he was helping a friend at the event, but is a producer/writer.  We started talking about what we do, why we are where we are...etc.  I explained that I've moved around the world, and am now in Kenya because I was interested in doing something more social...he asked me politely afterwards "what are you running from?"  The question caught me off guard because I didn't get the relevancy, so we got into a bit of bantering on whether or not I'm running from anything at all.  In my mind, I wasn't running away from things, but on a journey searching for something bigger and more meaningful.  I don't know what it is, but figuring that out is part of the journey.  However, the more we talked about this "running away" subject, the more it starts to make me think.  Daniel believes that everyone is running from something, they may not know it, but they are.  Putting aside whether that theory is valid or not, I think the question is worth asking oneself even if the eventual answer is "I'm not running away from anything"...

Since I can't answer the question myself, I asked him what is HE running from?  He said, "I'm not sure, but I think I'm running from greatness"...while I found the answer a bit arrogant, I always find it admirable to see confidence from people who have had very little compare to the rest of the world yet believe they can achieve so much.

The idea of running away from "greatness" was intriguing, and struck a chord with me.  To me, "greatness" as the ability to achieve great things through leadership, to mobilize resource beyond oneself, and to guide others to achieve greatness themselves.  People that have achieved this that come to mind are Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, and the likes.  There are many people in the world who are extremely intelligent, compassionate and capable to make a big difference, but there are very few that has the courage to lead and actually achieve "greatness".  (of course, on the flip side, there are also lots of people who has the courage to lead, but are leading without a lot of capability/intellect/compassion, so end up screwing up the world). "Greatness" is not scary when it's so far out of one's reach, it's something romantic, something to aspire to.  Greatness is also not scary when you're already determine to achieve it, despite of whether you will succeed or not. To me, "greatness" is scariest at the inflection point when someone is in a position where he/she realizes there's a potential for him/her to achieve greatness, and I believe the sense of tremendous responsibility and the risk of failing, of disappointing others is what make it scary...

Thinking back, I can think of many people I've met who are extremely smart, well educated, and decided to stick to a well-paid 8 to 5 job and a stable suburban life, nothing wrong with that, however, many of them are deeply dissatisfied with all the things going on around their community and in the world despite of their nice lives.  I belong to this camp myself, and think that eventually I just want a simple job, a simple family life...however, are we running from achieving greatness by settling for an easy life?  We are all very lucky to have what we have and get to where we are today...great education, secure jobs, good network of successful friends...isn't there a level of burden and responsibility that comes with it, especially if we are seeing things in the world that's unjust and bothers us...if we have the ability to make a change, even if it's a small one, should we go for it because if we don't, who will?  Are we running from our own version of "greatness" sometimes?

So, what are you running from?