smutama

[smutama]

Professional Evolution

As an infant I was blessed with infinite curiosity to understand how things worked. My experiments mostly consisted of inserting any handy objects, keys and utensils mostly, into the nearest electrical outlet to see what would happen. You can imagine how those experiments turned out. Being equally mischievous and curious, I quickly learned to separate myself from the devious events and their consequences.

Somehow, along the way, I transferred my desire to understand how things worked to trying to understand numbers and all kinds of puzzles. I still wanted to understand how things work but it was more specific to numbers and puzzling any conundrum out. Further along, I picked up an obsession to be the best. The last thing I picked up during those formative years was a passion for all things computing starting with my father tentatively showing me how DOS worked then playing the Basic  game Gorilla with my elder brother but really catching fire when I was introduced to the GUI with the Apple Macintosh IIx. Look it up you young’uns.

So into the working world I was unleashed as a self-taught computer whizz who did everything, from databases, programming, networking and systems administration. Quite early in that trajectory, I was handed the reins of a young IT department. I actually asked for the responsibility since I knew I was the best. And I set about building the tech department in my own image. The common complaint was that IT staff were arrogant and lacked customer care skills.

Was feeling very good about that first year managing the tech team but apparently, I was the only one. My review brought me down to earth and I had to figure out how to lead better.

Auriga was the title given to a slave charged with accompanying Roman Generals awarded a Triumph through the streets of Rome. Appointed by the Senate, each Auriga was charged with a relatively simple task: continuously whispering into the ear of the General, "You’re just a man… just a man,” to keep him humble.

Lesson One: I needed an Auriga!

Following my blunt end-of-year assessment, I thought about how I could be a better leader for the team. I still wanted to be great but I understood that being technically competent does not necessarily make for a good tech leader. I needed to ensure that the team was the best it could be. And each member of the team was the best we could get that fit the team. This meant that if I did my job right as team leader, most of my team should be technically better than me! (Lesson Two)

Recruitment and Interviewing are difficult time-consuming tasks. And sometimes as a manager, you end up selecting the wrong candidate which only becomes apparent during or after the on-boarding process.

Paul Glen, of Leading Geeks fame, go-to solution to the hiring conundrum is rent-to-own-hiring. I call it paid internship programmes. A contractor or internship programme is a smart tactic that gives both the employer and employee the opportunity to determine if there is a good fit for both in a real world working environment without entering into a long-term relationship. Either is in a position to terminate the working relationship without severe consequences to either side. Having a good fit is paramount as good team chemistry is essential especially among we finicky IT lot.

Additionally, the technical abilities of the potential hire are tested in a real production environment and any questions about the ability to do the job are answered prior to long-term hire.

Lesson Three: Use the Internship Shortcut as much as possible

So now you have a smart team with good chemistry and all-round expertise in the arcane sciences of the digital world! Question is, how do you keep them motivated for the long term?

The answer is surprisingly simple though it is very hard to pull off. The smart geek leader should have one eye on the long-term engagement, growth and motivation of staff and to this end should ensure that each team member has some kind of defined growth pathway. This should address personal growth while also positioning the organization to succeed. As a leader the onus is upon you to work with each team member to mutually agree on that pathway.

That said, most of the team are experts in areas in which their manager is a generalist. So how does one bridge the gap? The internets and LinkedIn all say; ‘Find a mentor!!’ (Lesson Four)

This is where it gets very interesting. I have had numerous mentors throughout my career thus far but most of them do not know me. Most of my learning was a combination of thinking about the many mistakes my managers and bosses pointed out to me as well as shamelessly reading and copying virtual mentors like Joel Spolsky, Patrick Lencioni and Scott Adams. They have no idea I exist but the beauty of the internet is that I can get to learn from them and share their lessons.

About 44 years ago, my boss and I were in charge of a very large network of over 500 PCs with about 20 servers – a mix of Windows and UNIX servers. My boss did not do much management but what was great about him was the challenges he regularly issued me. Remember, I said I like to figure things out.

Yeah, we are back to those experiments. He often said to me ‘You can change anything on our network and servers. You are free to break anything! BUT, YOU have to fix it afterwards!’  Then he would disappear into the African bush! It was tough but within a short time I knew everything about that network and could any issues within minutes. This gave my boss even more time to ponder the natural wonders our land is blessed with.

Because he gave me a freehand, I set up an experimental environment to mimic our network environment and look at ways of testing and improving our tools and serving our customers better.

Lesson Five: Develop a culture of learning.

There is no language police! But, maybe there should be. Tech guys love their jargon and their acronyms. This may be well and good in a geek only setting but quickly boils down to unintelligible in mixed company. While it may seem clever and sophisticated it, unfortunately, distracts from the message one wishes to convey and instead places focus on the language and the speaker. Key stakeholders and executives may thus resort to dismissing techies as pompous or condescending. The tech leader should dedicate time to ensure translation and conveyance of information to/from the tech team to key stakeholders within the organization. Better yet, it is important to ensure the team learns to tailor language appropriately for the intended audience.

Lesson Six: There is no language police - KISS.

AS a reforming perfectionist, this last lesson is one I am still trying to make stick. Arguably, it’s the most important. Leadership is about taking responsibility for a team; their successes, definitely, But most especially their failures. Leadership is about being accountable for the growth and improvement of the collective. Well, there can be no growth with mistakes and failures. Mind, it's important to realize that not all the mistakes and failures you learn from must be yours. Hence the culture of learning should ensure the team learns from the mistakes of others through reading and research. Inevitably though, members of the team including the leader will make mistakes and suffer failures.

Lesson Seven: Mistakes will happen and failures will occur. That’s okay. It is NOT the rapture.

Take the lesson, move on, and keep getting better. GROW.

[smutama]

The Human Condition

Since social media exploded about two years ago there have been numerous posts shared on relationships and how they go in this Uganda. Women complain about men and men complain about women. More specifically, women complain about poor men wanting to or actually taking them out and men complain about how the women are all about the money.

Social media and more especially Whatsapp and the giant Facebook are filled with hundreds of stories of dates gone wrong for one reason or the other, daters and suitors criticizing some aspect of the outing and how they did not ‘feel’ the other guy. Then there are the numerous debates on FM radio stations about the same issues. Spotted on social media and used to spark further debate over the airwaves. Incidentally, is FM Radio also classified as social media?

The way I see it, both groups are right and both are wrong. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a woman expecting her man, or any man that considers himself a potential mate, to be the family bread winner, meet all expenses and ensure that the family achieves the standard of living she expects. There is also nothing wrong with a man expecting his mate to make a monetary contribution towards family upkeep and well being; such are the times.

The issue is that these groups of people rarely articulate their expectations prior to the first meeting. And if one is to consider social etiquette as it is now, the first meeting is where such subjects are first broached and discussed to see whether there is a fit.

Seeing as that is the case, neither the ladies nor the gentlemen on the ‘dating’ scene should complain after the first date. It is okay to be disappointed or even angry but surely why complain? The mindset for a first date should be open; you are there to find out if there is hope, chemistry and/or an immediate deal breaker. In the words of Jerry Springer, you are there to find out what baggage the other person has and whether you can get over it or not.

The best case scenario would be where both parties come ready, able and willing to pay for the whole shebang, irrespective of gender. But, in this world (Uganda) that is not going to happen! Realistically, the guy should be ready to pay for both and walk away with whatever lessons learned. The lady should be prepared to foot her share of the bill, but hope, that he will be such a sucker of a gentlemen that he pays for them both; whatever his mood after the date.

I believe we are in a period of transition. What it meant to be a woman/man 40 years ago is not what it means to be a woman/man today. Some people are stuck in the past, others are moving forward while others are the very definition of the future wo(man). Given this, anyone on the ‘dating’ scene will meet all kinds and should be adequately prepared mentally. Whoever you encounter, whatever you do, listen and learn, avoid complaints and most especially KNOW what you WANT and be prepared to walk away at the drop of a hat from anything less.

As for euphemisms/misnomers such as Women’s Rights and Gender Based Violence, Rights are Rights, Violence is Violence. Though I abhor violence, in some situations, I entertain the thought of beating some sense into some stubborn Ugandan, but first I check if they are smaller than me; whatever the gender! And how come I have not heard of people fighting for Equal Rights to PAY the bill?

[smutama]

A Guide to Kampala Traffic

Since this is straight from the source, I will straight up let you know that the title of this post is misleading. This is not a guide to traffic in Kampala. It is more like my thoughts on why we suffer from sometimes prolonged traffic jams in Kampala.

Years ago, I was enjoying a backstreets cruise with my boss in his sleek land cruiser. For those not in the know, backstreets in this city means narrow with the occasional water-filled crater spotting the road. Before long, we found ourselves in a sort of stand-off. We were on the wrong side of the road blocking an oncoming small sedan. Sensing that the driver of the sedan was one of those stubborn Ugandans like me and seeing that we were in the wrong, I suggested to my boss that we yield to allow mutual progress. His response; ‘But my car is bigger!’

The Uganda Road Sector Support initiative cites that in the decade between 2000 and 2010, the number of cars in Uganda increased from 300,000 to 800,000. I could not find an independent source to verify this figure so the science behind the stats eludes me. Anyhow, this is not an academic paper but simply my thoughts based on years of residence, driving and observation.

So, I believe the causes of traffic grid lock in this citi yaffe Kampala are 3 fold:

Selfishness - the ultimate rule when driving in this traffic regulation free environment is – I got here first! In such an environment, this rule is unbeatable because it is based on PHYSICS - Two solid objects cannot occupy the exact same space at exactly the same time. The other two rules that help the selfish festoon us with traffic jams are: - My car is bigger than yours :-) (See incident above) and it’s variant - My car is more expensive than yours.

Stupidity – there is really no need to say anything more on this point as it would be futile.

Complacency and Lack of Initiative – Of course not all Ugandans are selfish and/or stupid but fully 90% of us are either complacent, lack initiative or both. The 90% allow the rest to cause traffic jams and get away with it. We all know what happens when bad behavior gets rewarded. The police say and do nothing and  the instigator gets away scot-free. I say and do nothing. You say and do nothing!

I have been thinking about it for years, all that time inching forward and fuming towards the 4-way junction of Muwafu Road and Kyadondo Road; Yes, where Arirang Restaurant is (used to be?). Asking myself why the traffic speeds up to a crawl after I pass that crossroads. And how come when I finally go past the Fairway Hotel roundabout suddenly the road is open and traffic free flowing. I have talked to friends many times about it. One day I decided to do something about it.

At the Muwafu – Kyadondo junction, I stopped and started directing the traffic one evening. They say evil thrives when good people do nothing. The Police say and do nothing to traffic offends in such cases. You and I are also the problem. Without us, that 10% would NOT DARE!

A footnote for your consideration: Narrow roads, potholes, too many cars (whatever number there may be) or lack of adequate traffic lights, etc. may very well be contributing factors but we should be able to plan accordingly and use available resources and infrastructure to cut the downtime and losses resulting from traffic delays. Ask yourself 2 questions – Why are there minimal traffic jams when schools close for holidays? Why does a traffic jam in one or two areas mean absolutely no traffic in other parts of the city?