Just Random thoughts…

Farewell!

It is said, ‘the reason it hurts so much to separate is because our souls are connected’. With just two months short of eight years from the day I joined Parmalat Zambia Limited, my soul is so much connected to the organization and its people, it hurts to say goodbye. Yet, nothing on earth is permanent so this day was still going to come, as fate decrees even the dearest friends to inevitably one day part.

The process of saying goodbye to colleagues whom I have over the years grown to behold as family is not an easy one. I once witnessed a former colleague shed tears when bidding farewell after ten years of service and, I had then dismissed that as either a stunt or exaggeration of emotions until when it dawned on me today. Just writing this short farewell piece to add to the Random thoughts piece which I had been writing the preceding two days took me another two days. The entire blog post took four days to type, of which two days was dedicated to just the farewell piece.

There are very few times when I run out of things to write about. Nevertheless, I can still say my thanks to all my colleagues at the Distribution Department (current and past). More appreciation to Parmalat Zambia management team for the opportunities accorded me to serve in various appointments over the years. My last thanks go to the rest of the Parmalat family as I have had the opportunity to interact with many from all Parmalat Zambia business units in Kitwe, Livingstone and Chipata as well as outside Zambia from Parmalat South Africa, Italy and France.

My role has always been to give the best I can, because working for an organization which is a market leader requires nothing short of service par excellence. To maintain the status quo of market leader for the organisation, I as an employee had to uphold the highest ethical standards every day in order to fit into the organisation’s culture. This work culture engraved in me from this organization can only spur me to greater things.

I joined Parmalat on 19^th September 2007 and over the years spent a lot of my time with colleagues I regard as family. There are some experiences that leave footprints in our hearts and Parmalat has done just that to me. I joined the organization fairly young and inexperienced having worked for just a cumulative two years for Drake & Gorham and Chizsoft Systems both as a Marketing Executive. In between that I had taken to I.T. private jobs and consultancy.

Eight years at Parmalat has really been the real ‘gig’ for me and I will forever cherish my time with the organization. I have had a lot of experiences such that when the time to bid farewell has come forth, there are no suitable words to state my exact feelings. All I can say is that I am filled with gratitude. I am extremely grateful to everyone who accorded me the opportunity and privilege to work at this wonderful organization.

The bloke that is leaving today is definitely not the same fella who came through the gates of Parmalat Zambia head office on Mungwi road to be interviewed by Steven Nyangu 8 years ago. Still, not even the lad who would make an impression on Sajid Chohan and a few months later sat on the opposite side of his table getting to know each other before the formal interview.

Despite opening a new chapter now, I will forever cherish the time I have been with Parmalat.

Thank you all.

Sales Pitch!

Without getting entangled in the age old debate of whether the best salesmen are born or made, I’d like to say that some people are naturally suited to the jobs of sales than others. The old debate itself rages on without a conclusive culmination, of course.

My position though is that salespeople are actually made, even though others it is more naturally. However they are not made by just sitting behind a desk and listening to a professor rumble about and then later sit for an examination which they pass. Of course the aspect of training is important, but it takes many years of nurturing and development to acquire that "certain gusto" for sales. Even the most gifted orators can make terrible salesmen if they don’t perfect the art.

My take is that there are people more naturally suited to acquire the sales persona than others. There are two people I have in mind and I will share my encounters with them as I ruminate on some of the most important traits or great sales people.

The first person is an elderly lady probably in her sixties who sells cooking sticks around the areas of Northmead and Jesmondine in Lusaka. I don’t know her name but I will refer to her as Madam Minkos. I choose to refer to her as Madam Minkos because that is always how she approaches people. “Darling, here’s some minkos!”, she says a number of times.

Her area of operation is usually the car park outside Peco and Flamingo supermarkets in Jesmondine. Madam minkos’ strategy is to approach motorists upon arrival or when about to leave. She approaches with a very jovial greeting that immediately takes the encounter into some sort of conversation as if between close longtime friends. She exhibits traits of a great sales person by that gesture alone.

The early encounters my wife and I had with Madam Minkos were enough for us to get away with something from her collection of items on sale. Later on, because we had paid for one too many cooking sticks and couldn’t continue buying more, nonetheless on the encounters that followed, we parted away with minimum amounts - just to give her – she had created that bond. She creates a bond with her customers such that even though she may have saturated her market with her produscts, she still goes away with just free money which I imagine she gets from more people.

She definitely has a great sales pitch than most professional sales people. Sales should not just be about being able to recite the benefits, specs and features a product one is selling. One must be able to go beyond the benefits story which in some cases is told with technical jargon. Madam Minkos never tells you how her cooking sticks can prepare the best Nshima south of the equator. All she does is approach you in a way that immediately creates a great rapport between you, just there and then and a conversation will ensue.

What she does demonstrate is a high level of expertise and competence by being able to decode her pitch into a friendly conversation that influences a buyer’s decision. I suppose because of the number of times we run into her I’d have reached a point of feeling bothered every time we find her. To the contrary, she amazes me every time she approaches us. She behaves the same way every time you meet her regardless of the number of times you have encountered her.

The other natural sales person is a gentleman usually found around Northmead area. He too I assume is not a trained sales person but does have the aura of a high profile sales individual. The gentleman, whom I will call Kardashian Guy, because of his constant reference to American socialite and fashion icon Kim Kardashian, has obviously with time and experience learned the important sales technique of STP (segmentation, Targeting and positioning). Kardashian Guy has tried to just concentrate on the market segment of women’s fashion.

My assumption is that Kardashian guy buys cheap salaula (imported second hand clothes) and takes such clothes for laundry and then starts to target ladies around Northmead, selling the clothes as imported designers. Kardashian Guy has a comical way of selling his clothes by referring to each design by various Hollywood names among them Kim Kardashian, Jeniffer Lopez and Britteney Spears, regardless of what the actual design could be.

One classic moment was when he pointed to one specific garment he was carrying and said that he actually took it off ‘rich kids of Beverly hills’. The Kardashian Guy definitely does connect with his target market in a special way and they keep him in business. The gentleman has also got a great ability to translate past experience to predict sales trends and consumer behavior. After doing what he has been doing for what I presume is a long time, direct sales and interaction with clients has made him develop a knowledge base that can be retrieved at a snap of a finger to determine the best course of action.

It doesn’t matter if the buyer is not a Kim Kardashian fan, but this guy will pull out of his bag sales pitch stories, something about a garment having been used on a set of a box office movie. I assume that Kardashian Guy faces rejection during his many cold call conversations with strangers everyday but the great sense of humour which he possesses obviously makes him handle these situations.

The examples of people with little or no sales training being successful at sales may not stop at Madam Minkos and Kardashian Guy. I believe there are even much more accomplished ones I’ve never met. However, what nature gives them in terms of great oratory skills or charisma; they need to develop that with training and experience. In other words, nature which is nurtured is unrivaled.

Madam Minkos and Kardashian guy also clearly do love what they do hence they really get good at it. This is true for any job. You only become good at it if you love the job. Forget the amount of papers you have, with your name printed on them that you are certified as having undergone training. Practical work is different from studying.

Miracle seekers and Miracle makers

When I read the story of the pastor who miraculously credited talk time into the phones of his flock, the first thought that came to mind was ZICTA. I don’t know which network between Airtel, Zamtel and MTN the lucky devotees got their phone air time, but I just thought this man needs to get a license from ZICTA (Zambia Information Communication Technology Authority), for regulation. Otherwise the man will put Airtel, MTN and Zamtel out of business. ZICTA must define his role as it is not clear whether he is a competitor to the three companies or he is just a partner.

The fact remains that if the man is miraculously ‘creating’ talk time, he must be registered by ZICTA. Maybe my random thoughts are slightly out of context and really unfair to this one individual as there are more people I should ask for registration to other regulatory authorities. There are reports of ‘men of God’ who miraculously credit the bank accounts of staunch believers. I suspect these staunch believers must be those who have ‘sown financial seeds’ for substantial periods, by depositing percentages of their earnings into the pastors’ personal bank account.

Certainly the Bank of Zambia (BOZ) must know about this money miraculously being credited into people’s bank accounts. I am sure the banks whose customers miraculously receive money can provide the bank with audit trails of money that just finds itself in certain accounts without any deposit or transfer. Maybe this miraculous money needs more than just BOZ regulation but also the anti-money laundering unit of the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC). As a matter of fact, I miss Mukutulu Sinyani, he was the best the DEC has had in my lifetime. I am convinced he would have certainly taken note of this miracle money trails.

There is another pastor who is miraculously filling up fuel tanks of his flock’s cars. This one should register with the Energy Regulation board (ERB). Better still the government could consider partnering with this man to supply Indeni Oil refinery with cheaper fuel since international market forces are pushing the cost up. As long as the miracle crude oil will not be highly acidic, low density feed, high soluble Iron content, or any other such jargon making newspaper headlines recently; I can proudly give my thumbs up.

A lot of regulatory organisations should take note of these men. The Kitwe city council must also take note of the man who is reportedly turning water into wine. I am aware that this miracle was performed in ‘biblical’ times, but times have since changed. The context in which that was done is different.

This random thought doesn’t seek to undermine the capabilities of some pastors to perform miracles, but that since these miracles are performed on earth, they must adhere to the earthly regulations that govern the areas of their miracle making. Give Caesar what belongs to Caesar. This was the teaching of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, as long as this is being done on earth where Caesar is in charge; give him what belong to him.

The miracle makers are ever so becoming a very popular species of priests in Zambia. Their popularity is ever being fueled by a growing audience in need of these miracles. This is an audience in need of jobs even when they are not qualified for them. An audience in search of potential marriage partners who are stinking rich. This breed, trust me wants to get paid without supplying a product or service. They wish to stay home in front of a huge television just switching channels with periodic breaks taking walks to either a very huge balcony or even a state of the art kitchen for a bite.

Miracles have always been performed since Christian religion has been in existence hence my random thoughts are not in any way an affront on religion. In fact, miracles in many ways are a pinnacle of Christian religion. My take though is that some unscrupulous individuals are really bringing religion and Christianity in particular, into disrepute.

Adding to the unscrupulous dudes are the weird fellas like the guy who was recently arrested in South Africa for telling his followers to feed on live snakes. Followers have also been asked to eat green grass before, which isn’t in any way related to the vocation of evangelism or winning of souls. Jesus multiplied bread and fish to feed multitudes and this dude goes to ask his followers to eat grass!

What happened to the messages of salvation?

Life is a beach!

So there I was taking my evening walk at the beach as had become my custom every day.

As I walked while enjoying the breeze of the Indian Ocean, I saw this elderly white man jogging alongside his dog in what I presumed was also his daily routine. As he was getting closer to me, the dog suddenly changed direction and sprinted towards me.

My first instinct was to run for safety. But then I thought to myself that outrunning a dog is one of the hardest things a man can ever do, besides I was better off facing in the direction it was coming from rather than give it my back. “Is it not Shaka who said never leave an enemy behind?” , I asked myself. In that moment the dog had become an enemy. So once again I elected not to run and I stood still.

But the dog was quickly approaching and my mind was not processing solutions quick enough. I stood still and immediately, I thought to shout FUSEKE! FUSEKE!

Then again it dawned on me that this dog would never understand those words. I would probably just provoke it. So I elected to be still once more. But the dog was almost where I had been standing.

Then the owner of the dog shouted at me; "don't run, it won't hurt you!"

Finally... the dog reached where I had been standing and it stood in front of me and flapped its tail as it jumped around before turning and running towards it's owner.

At that moment the man shouted at me saying, "I told you it wouldn't hurt you as long as you didn't run!"

"Fuseke", I almost shouted back at the dog owner and not the dog. Then I remembered a certain Zambian politician who used the term, ‘muzungu opusa’. Was the man racist to have used that term? I don’t think so. Whether Caucasian, black, chinese, Indian or Japanese, there are individuals ‘bo pusa’.

Previn Naicker - PhD BioScientist at 23

Over the last year and a half, I've been involved with a South-African magazine, The African Scholar. My association with this publication has given me a new look at academics and careers as I have come across very young and accomplished individuals and one really gets a different outlook of life in general. In this blog, I reproduce one story I was involved in, this is a story of 23 year old scientist Previn Naicker. The story can be found on the magazine's online copy in the link below.

http://issuu.com/theafricanscholarmagazine/docs/african_scholar_magazine_-_january

Imagine being an eighth grader at junior high school one day, and the next day working up having skipped three grades into grade 11. It’s pretty much hard to wrap your mind around. For Previn, this is reality as it has been. By age 23, Previn had earned his PhD degree, despite the fact that he took a gap year after attaining his under graduate honours degree.

With a Bio Medical Science BSc degree from the University of Kwazulu Natal, a Master’s degree in protein biochemistry and structural biology at the School of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of the Witwatersrand and Master’s degree looking at the structural, functional and dynamics characteristics of variants of the protease enzyme of HIV in 2011 which was later converted to a PhD and completed in August 2014, Previn is no budding scientist but stands heads and shoulders with the gurus in the world of science and bio-chemistry.

This is the story of Previn Naicker a young scientist and researcher. Previn was born on the 14^th of March 1991 in Durban, South Africa. He is the youngest of three siblings, in what he calls “a close-knit family which has always been my support structure and vice versa.”

Both his parents, Jay (Father) and Kamal (Mother) are teachers and he heavily credits them for having instilled in him and his siblings, a good work ethic and social responsibility. His eldest brother, Pergan, is currently a hedge fund manager, while his sister, Prisha, is currently a bioprocess engineer.

Previn narrates that he grew up in the ex-Indian community of Reservoir Hills in Durban. One could say that this was a middle class suburb which was not very well developed, but Previn recounts that the suburb had good basic facilities and infrastructure. “There was a great focus on education and self-improvement in my community, as parents wanted the best lives for their children. My parents being teachers meant that we lead a modest lifestyle, however, could still ensure that my siblings and I had the same opportunities as others through hard work and saving”, recounts Previn.

The road of academic genius that led Previn to an admirable feat of earning a doctorate degree by age 23 did not start very early despite the obvious encouragement and oomph that his parents gave him from a very young age. He actually discloses that at the level of primary school he had little or no much expectation of school, especially in the foundation grades. According to him, School at the time was more about having fun and enjoying the fundamental content that was being taught.

Toward the latter stages of primary school, Previn recounts that he started to discover the smaller side of nature and understanding that everything we see consists of well-ordered micro environments. By this stage, he had started to participate in many Mathematics and Science Olympiads such that in the 6^th grade he had won a full scholarship to Star College in Durban after performing well in their Mathematics Olympiad. Star College is a privately funded high school with a strong focus on Mathematics and Science.

Previn Naicker on the cover of The African Scholar January 2015 Edition

It was at Star College that Previn would develop the enviable habit of ‘skipping’ grades. First he was given the opportunity to ‘skip’ grade 7 and start grade 8 curriculum after completing grade 6. At Star College, Previn was among a group of nine pupils who undertook an accelerated program in which they supplemented the curriculum with after hours and holiday schooling. The extra school hours catapulted them to a position where they reached a level with pupils in grades above them. At the end of the year in his 8^th grade and after consultation with parents, Previn and his other 8 compatriots got a triple promotion skipping grades 9 and 10.

Besides the habit of skipping grades, Previn also acknowledges that it was at high school where he gained a firm interest in Biology and where he expected to expand his knowledge. Despite the fact that skipping grades is at times regarded as a detriment on the learning progression of many pupils, Previn and most of his fellow grade skippers passed the test and achieved overall distinctions pass in the Matric year (Grade 12) in 2005. It is thus not surprising that Previn names Mr Ismail Bayinder, his high school teacher, as his role model. He points out the traits of being very humble helpful as the major reason of his choice. He further names both his siblings who he says set a good precedent for him.

Upon completion of high school, Previn was already captivated by human biology and the complexity of life. Even though he wasn’t sure what he wanted to specialize in, he always knew he wanted to discover more and through that solve health problems in society. After a little help from his parents, they settled for him to pursue a BSc Biomedical Science degree at UKZN which he says gave him a broad insight into the diseases and other environmental issues that are detrimental to the health of living organisms. Thereafter he pursued an honours degree in Medical Biochemistry at UKZN where he vividly confirms he learnt an array of practical molecular biology techniques.

In 2010, only 5years after he left high school, he decided to take a gap year, probably to recharge his batteries.

“It is quite easy to go through studies not knowing exactly where you are going to end up but simple just doing what seems like the next sensible step. After my honours degree I needed time to reflect.” Says Previn

“I took gap year in 2010, taking some time off but also using this time to look at opportunities in science. It was then that I decided that I did not want to enter the working world immediately but wanted to pursue a career as a researcher.” Previn recounted the days after the gap year.

Eventually, Previn decided to pursue a Master’s degree in protein biochemistry and structural biology at the School of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of the Witwatersrand.

“I wanted to look at pathogens, disease causing organisms, in more detail. I started a Master’s degree looking at the structural, functional and dynamics characteristics of variants of the protease enzyme of HIV in 2011 which was later converted to a PhD which I completed in August 2014.” He say, assuredly.

Previn further admits, “My family and friends have always been supportive of me throughout my academic career and hold great hope for my future. My major influencing factor for my study and career choice has been my curiosity toward complex health issues and my desire to help solve socio-economic problems.”

The road to a doctorate degree was not an easy one though as Previn says that a PhD, especially one that is dependent on ever-elusive laboratory results, can be quite demanding mentally and emotionally. He mentions that there were times during his studies when he found it hard to see the bigger picture and had thoughts of an easier route in life. However, he advises that at such moments the best one can do is to simply persevere and count all the smaller blessings in life. He outlines that there was no point during his studies when he felt like quitting. According to him, tough times were overcome through the support his family and loving fiancé.

Besides the support of his family and fiancé, Previn also mentions a number of motivations that enabled him complete his studies whenever stakes got seemingly out of reach. “There no single experience that motivates above others. The experiences that motivate me to be the best scientist I can is when speaking to other scientists and budding researchers.”, he confidently declares.

“There a lot of folk who have a negative outlook of research in the country, mainly due to a lack of funding and jobs and the politics which slows down research and prevents vital collaboration. Too often is the enthusiasm shown by undergraduate students depleted after experiencing a lack of enthusiasm by employers. This has truly motivated to be the best researcher I can despite the current state of affairs and help change this to support promising scientists in the making.”, Previn seems to be complaining, but showing great assertiveness that he draws motivation to forge ahead with science because of this.

The cover story of The African Scholar Magazine 2015 January edition

Previn shows more attributes of great character when he looks back at his journey and showers praise at Wit University. He is definitely not a man who forsakes his roots. He describes the University of the Witwatersrand as a well-organized institution that facilitates undergraduate and postgraduate training.  He points out that his PhD was completed at the School of Molecular and Cell Biology which is well equipped with a variety of instruments required for solid disease related research. According to his experience, the school provides excellent high-standard training for molecular biologists despite not having the same resources as some of the top 100 universities.

Previn further pays tribute to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), by declaring that he has enjoyed his experience thus far. He further expresses optimism that he will get the necessary training and opportunities at CSIR which will enable him advance in his career as a researcher.

“My research prior to my post at the CSIR has guided me to specialize in the high demand yet scarce field of protein mass spectrometry. During my PhD I had collaborated with excellent researchers at the CSIR and learnt more about some of the sophisticated applications of protein mass spectrometry. I know that in the future some projects that I work on will be multi-disciplinary in order to have maximum impact , however, I will remain a specialist biochemist. The great thing about the CSIR is that there is a host of expertise across many different scientific and industrial fields which facilitate multi-disciplinary research,” he says.

On his career trajectory, Previn hopes to use some of the research skills he is learning now as a stepping stone for formulating his own translational research and assisting with other projects in the years ahead. He explains that he is currently working as a post-doctoral researcher and will continue to work hard and attain and disseminate skills as best as he can. He also points out that toward the end of his PhD, he reflected on how research can truly impact positively on people’s lives. According to him, fundamental research is truly important for advancing science. However, he feels the need to do work which is closer to impacting people’s lives even if it revolves around simple concepts is not yet fully fulfilled.

For the many graduates who are considering whether to embark on a postgraduate degree in science or not, Previn says there is no reason for buckling down because of the fear of some rigorous research. He advises young people to do their own research, speak to other people who are informed and shadow people that can provide help. For those who are currently studying, he says, “do your research and find something you are passionate about and are feasible for the lifestyle you wish to have.”