The value of differences

I just returned from a walk outside the White House in Washington DC on a hot summer day in August. As I passed by the White House, I reflected on the current national discourse in the United States and elsewhere regarding the aftermath of the clash in Charlottesville, Virginia. For those just joining us from their mobile devices and Whatsapp groups, a few weeks ago, White supremacists and other neo-nazi groups marched in Charlottesville against plans by the city to bring down one of the statue of Robert E. Lee. Robert  E. Lee was a confederate Army General from America's south who fought for segregation and slavery. 

During the march, a white supremacist drove his vehicle into the line of counter protesters resulting the death of one American woman. Three other Virginia police officers where killed in a related Helicopter crash. 

My reflection took me back to my own personal experiences with race in America. Firstly, As a young officer candidate in the New State Military Academy, one of the Instructors told me openly that "if this was the US Army of old, there is no way we will commission you!". I am not sure the basis for this and I can not remember what led to this. And I remember this encounter made me more committed to graduating and ended up as the distinguished Academic Honor Graduate. 

Secondly, as a New York Army National Guardsman supporting the then Presidential War in Drugs, I was posted to support the US Marshals Office in Syracuse, New York and I remember reporting for my first duty and the Field Officer in Charge of the office said, "I thought you were White". I quickly responded that we have several white support people and will be glad to request for a substitute.

Thirdly, as a non-commissioned officer (this was before I got into the Empire State Academy), I returned from the US Army Chemical School to my unit at the 10th Mountain Division in Syracuse (Active Duty unit was in Fort Drum, Watertown). I remember my recruiter said "we are overjoyed that you passed AIT (Advanced Individual Training) because a lot of our black folks did not succeed in the past".

So an African who studied and worked in the US, the whole Charlottesville episode is another reminder that the forces and symbols that communicate that we are either not good enough or should not be here are real. My walk by the White House today made me think more deeply about my own experiences.

This past few weeks, my family is here with me on vacation. We vacation to a number of places but The US still holds the possibility and hope it offers everyone from every nation, Charlottesville not withstanding. 

To those who will march with torches, please know that the greatness of America is in our differences.  New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman who at the time of writing is concluding a trip to the Middle East as guest of the US Air force writes in a beautiful piece a couple of weeks ago "I look around me and see our Air Force chief, who is of Eastern European Jewish descent, reporting to a woman Air Force secretary, who was among the early women graduates of the Air Force Academy and whose senior aide is an African-American woman lieutenant colonel. The base commander here in Qatar, overseeing the whole air war, is of Armenian descent, and his top deputy is of Lebanese descent"

My long time friend and best man at my wedding Victor Edozien, though an American citizen of Nigerian descent, came to the US and got his education in Engineering and Business and today is majority owner of one of America's largest manufacturing companies. 

And these stories are what make US truly great not great again. The US is great not because of military might or the size of the economy. America is great because of its capacity to open its doors to people of all races and creed. And that is principle that torch bearers of Charlottesville need to understand.

We can counter protest and we should. However, our greatest weapon against hate and bigotry is love. The love, to reach out to the torch bearers of Charlottesville to engage in civil discourse about the American promise and what we can all do to make it accessible to all.

Customer Experience Matters - Again

During a recent breakfast meeting with my friend, Abdulahi Ahmed, we spent talking about the taste of the Cappuccino, which this time was made with Cadamine. Abdulahi felt that taste of the Cappuccino was unusual, It tasted like the espresso to milk ratio was imbalanced, not to mention the delicate addition of Cadamine.

Experts on this advise that It is essential that you establish how to make the perfect espresso before moving on to other drinks such as cappuccino, as this is the base of the whole drink. If your espresso is bad it doesn’t matter how well you froth or pour your milk, it will never make a good cappuccino.

At about the same time the senior manager in charge came and quickly ordered another cup for our Abdulahi. And this time, the Barrister got the proportions right.

Now, you may wonder why the fuss over a cup of Cappuccino, after all its just coffee and milk right?. Wrong. The quality of that Cappuccino could be the difference between a satisfied or dissatisfied customer. What we now know is that the attention we pay to the customer experience – from check in to check out is the single most important predictor of customer loyalty, which in turn drives profitable growth. And when customers are loyal they become an extension of your marketing department.

And that is why people go to great lengths to get the customer experience right. Take for example, the experience of the late Joel Kuztman, former Editor of the Harvard Business Review as well as Strategy and Business Magazines. He was invited by his clients to visit an Italian restaurant in Kyoto, Japan. Joel Kuztman tells the story in his latest book, ‘’Common Purpose – How Great Leaders Get the Organization to Achieve the Extraordinary’’, “Once a year, the owner of this restaurant closes his doors for ten days and takes all of his employees on a trip to Italy. They go to a different region each year. The waiters go, the chefs go, even the dishwashers go. As they travel the country, they of course pay attention to the food. But they also pay attention to the ambiance, to the way the plates are prepared, to the service, and to the way each different food is served. They go to Italy for the experience, and when they return, they recreate that experience in this restaurant.”

“Isn’t that quite expensive?” Joel Kurtzman asked, “Yes,” his host replied. “But when the owner and the restaurant staff return, everyone in town is excited about what they learned and about the new dishes they will soon be serving. Business always picks up,” Kurtzman's host noted. Additionally,  these visits to Italy rebuild the restaurant’s esprit de corps. Everyone who works there feels special — as if they are on a mission on behalf of their clients to discover what will delight them. ''The restaurant’s owner is not a wealthy man. Closing his doors for almost two weeks comes at a price. But he decided when he opened his restaurant that he wanted it to be the best and most authentic Italian restaurant in Kyoto — perhaps in all of Japan. He wanted his restaurant to be authentic not just with regard to cuisine, but also with regard to the experience he provided to his guests. As a leader, it was explained to me, the owner did not really care that his restaurant cost more to run than other restaurants that got their recipes from books. He knew that by making a regular pilgrimage to Italy, he was creating a mystique for his endeavour and that customers would pay more for the experience of tasting something novel and good.’’

Wow now that is something – maybe that is the point Abdulahi made by highlighting the difference in taste between the two cups of Cappuccino. Customers who go to a coffee shop want more that the Coffee, if it was just coffee, we will brew in our offices and add milk, and we will be done. But when we go to the local coffee shop, we expect everything about the Cappuccino or meal to be perfect – in taste and in experience.

We expect knowledgeable waiters and waitresses, who know the menu and wine pairings. We expect prompt, courteous and accurate service. Not the waiter who spends ten minutes taking and reciting the order, only to serve the Spanish omelette with yoke instead of egg whites.

To quote Mike Maddock , Forbes Magazine blogger on innovation and problem solving, ‘’Customer experience experts understand that a “love affair” with your consumers is the ultimate brand advantage because in life and business, love conquers all.’’

The Gift

I am grateful to God 

For the privilege to traverse

The continent, from Kigali to Juba

And Kampala to Harare.

From the majestic views of the Kilimanjaro 

To the rain soaked aroma of spices in Zanzibar.

Our continent is truly beautiful, from the rainbows 

Into the crackling sound of the of the Atlantic In Dakar.

And the beautiful skyline on descent Into Maputo.

While the headlines talk of despots, hunger and crime,

Africa still boasts creativity, youthful exuberance and a future. 

While the sound of terror in Maiduguri reminds us of the perilous times,

Energy of software developers in Nairobi and Lagos

Tell us of the future yet achieved. 

The Headlines can be discouraging but we know

That the inside pages can be re-written

The editorial maybe be dire, but the feature is our choice.

The economic statistics are familiar but it is the

Statistics of the heart that count. And we have plenty of heart.

Our future is ours to headline with our hearts filled with love and dedicated

To building a different legacy. One of courage and an unflinching desire

To herald a narrative of peace and prosperity.

My Life

I thank God that I am alive to experience family with my best friend Ayele and our beautiful children, Joshua, Jonathan, David and bubbly Annabelle. From a rocky start in Syracuse New York to a lovely wedding 20 years ago in Silver Spring Maryland, we are experiencing God’s grace and mercy in sustaining us.

What a gift life is and my life has been. You see in July-August of 1979, I felt intense abdominal pain, lost appetite and could barely walk or stand up straight. Late afternoon, a relative of ours, who was then a medical student at the University of Benin came to visit. Brother Ghandhi as we called him, inquired about me and he was led to the dimly lit room where I was lying in pain. Ghandhi did a preliminary diagnosis and ran upstairs to alert my father that I needed to see a Doctor that night. So, my father drove us to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH). We went straight to the offices of a Doctor Densa who was an anesthesiologist. 

Further diagnosis confirmed what Brother Ghandhi feared. I faintly heard Doctor Densa say something like "Appendicitis, surgery tonight". According to WebMD, Appendicitis is a medical emergency that requires prompt surgery to remove the appendix. Left untreated, an inflamed appendix will eventually burst, or perforate, spilling infectious materials into the abdominal cavity, this can lead to a serious inflammation of the abdominal cavity's lining that can be fatal unless it is treated quickly with strong antibiotics.

So from Doctor Densa's home, that also doubled as consulting room, I was wheeled to the emergency room. By this time I had been undressed and shaved. I recall the ride to the emergency room and the soft voice of Doctor Densa as he administered the anesthetic. The next thing I knew was the sound of voices and as I looked at the door I could see the rim of my father's eye glasses straining against it. I just came out of surgery where my appendix was removed. I was later told that the appendix had almost ruptured.

Looking back, I am grateful to God for keeping me. You see in those days and even now, anything could have happened. My father could have been out of town and that would have meant lying in that poorly lit room downstairs. The room (boys quarters) use be sanctuary to wind down after most of the days chores were done.

So instead of an untimely epitaph in 1979 God gave me the opportunity to see through that year and to travel to Syracuse New York four years later where I met Ayele. So, my life today is one massive gratitude to a God who truly knows our end from the beginning.

So As we are about to head to Blantyre, Malawi, I am in a reflective of God's grace, mercy and provision. I know that despite my imperfections, my God came into this world so that I can have life and have it more abundantly and when my work is done here, we can look to eternity with great hope and satisfaction.

Don't Believe The Hype

That was the title of a popular rap and hip hop song by the then militant group, Public Enemy. The songs basically say to ignore the media, marketing, buzz, or rumors around a story, object or person – it’s nothing special. From the 1988 Public Enemy single “Don’t Believe The Hype”, which fought back against negative press about the band. And that is he feeling I got about Harare Zimbabwe after spending three nights there.

With the negative headlines about Zimbabwe's leader, Robert Mugabe's over 35 years in power and the attendant corruption, state violence against the opposition, not to mention massive rigging of last election, most international media outlets painted Zimbabwe as a wasteland.

So I was surprised when we landed in Harare. The airport is second fastest I have been through in my recent travels. Travels that took to me to some six Countries in the Southern African Development Council (SADC) area. The Immigration Officer was polite and made effort to return the change. In one country a while ago, the Immigration Agent said there was to change from the visa fee. When we protested he calmly said, "you can go back".

The drive from the hotel to my clients’ office was through double lane roads with trees that provided overhead shade. Wide tree lined roads with street lights. My client was quick to add that not all was rosy with Zimbabwe. With unemployment estimated at 73% and a currency that had a trillion dollar note a while ago, Zimbabwe is in deep economic crisis. One of the people I met said if what happened to Zimbabwe had happened to a business, it would have "packed up".

We stayed at Meikels Hotel, built in 1915 and is a leading hotel of the world. Beautifully furnished with timeless pieces of furniture and adorned with sculptures made from Stones - art that I discovered Zimbabwe is famous for. The service was remarkable with housekeeping, restaurant and other Food and Beverage staff, who took time to offer help and deliver room service in record time. The voice on the phone offered the customary "we will deliver your food in 20-30 minutes". But the food actually came unless time. In one occasion, when I ordered the traditional maize meal called Sadza, it arrived in 12 minutes or so. Sadza in Shona or phaletšhe in Botswana, is a cooked cornmeal that is the staple food in Zimbabwe and other parts of Southern Africa. Sadza is made with finely ground dry maize/corn maize (Mealie-Meal).

It is hard to tell that Zimbabwe is in the midst of one of the worst economic crisis. Dinner was at restaurant called Victoria 12. Tucked in a stately compound and ran by what appeared to be a husband and wife team. The food was a culinary delight accompanied by a Waterford Chardonnay.

I know beneath all these are the deep issues that come with sit tight political leaders who will rather die in office than leave a legacy of peaceful transition and economic prosperity. Of the five leaders in the world with records of the longest serving leaders, Africa has 4 with President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe at number 4 with 37 years in power. The top five account for a total of 187 years as Heads of state. Africa alone account for 152 of the 187 years. The leaders are from Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Angola and Zimbabwe. And these countries rank amongst the poorest countries by all major economic indicators.

However, I choose to remember Zimbabwe for what it was and could be. Despite having 40% of its population in economic exile, Zimbabwe struck me like a land that will rebound in a significant way. The resilience of the people and a nation with most of its infrastructure intact, Zimbabwe will rebound, its a matter of when. For now, please don't believe the hype of some of the international media.