Two Dozen Basic Management Principles (Pt. 12)

The fourth New York snapshot involved another meeting with Rob and Barb Rogers in the Fall of 2001.

The weather turned cold early his first fall in Syracuse. At least he thought it was cold. When you grow up in a place that sits just above the equator with an average temperature of 104 degrees twelve months a year, any temperature below eighty feels like an arctic blast. By October, the temperature in upstate New York rarely climbs above seventy. Lopez thought he had moved to the North Pole.

One Saturday in October, he caught a break. The sun came out, the temperature warmed, and the Rogers suggested they take advantage of the weather and spend the day on the lake.

As they ate chicken and floated on the lake, Rob said: “You know, this is pretty much a perfect day.”

“We never had days like this in Kakuma,” Lopez said. “It was always hot and dry. The wind kicked up dust storms that made it hard to breathe. We didn’t have any grass, only dirt.”

“That had to be a hard place to live,” Barb said. Lopez could tell she had a lot of questions, but she didn’t ask them. This was the first time that Lopez talked about what life was like in the refugee camp. The Rogers never tried to get Lopez to open up about what he’d been through. Lopez didn’t want to talk much about it either. The past was the past. He had a new life in America.

However, after four months in the Rogers’ home, Lopez realized he was not here by mistake. Mom and Dad wanted him here. A little light clicked on for him during the cross-country season. They came to every single meet. They never missed one. No other parents came to all the meets. And they weren’t just there; they cheered for him and celebrated when he won like he was their real son. That’s when he started to understand that they genuinely loved and cared about him.

“Very hard,” Lopez said. He took a deep breath and started talking. He talked for a long time. The Rogers sat and listened. Lopez told them how the soldiers stole him from his mother’s arms at church and took him to a prison camp. He told them about the horrors in the prison camp. He told them about escaping in the night with his three angels and his three-day run across the savannah. He talked about day-to-day life in Kakuma and how he looked forward to Tuesday trash day for his best meal of the week.

He talked and talked. Barb cried. Rob fought back tears. That day on the lake, Rob and Barbara Rogers stopped being two very nice but naïve people who allowed him to live in their house. They became Lopez’ mom and dad.

Management Lesson #15 – Show Compassion

Compassion is one of the most overlooked of all project management leadership traits. There is a tremendous opportunity for your compassion to make a difference in how people view you and how they view themselves. Showing compassion will lead to a better experience with your staffs, create an experience that people remember (and like), create commitment, and buy forgiveness – all of which make you a more effective project manager.

The final New York snapshot during these years, occurred in the early summer of 2003. Lopez was sitting in the backyard with two other lost boys that the Rogers’ had adopted (both Sudanese from Kakuma) when an older Kakuma friend in Syracuse called him. “Joseph, someone was in Kakuma today looking for you,” he said.

“For me,” Lopez asked. “Who could possibly have been looking for me in Kakuma?”

“Your mother.”

At the urging of Barb, Lopez called his mother on a cell phone of an official at the refugee camp. His mother had not heard his voice since he was six years old. He was now eighteen. She expected the voice of a child, not a full-grown man. “No, this does not sound like my Lopepe. You must be the wrong child.”

“Mother, it is me. Lopepe. The soldiers tore me from your arms when I was six years old.” His voice cracked. Tears flowed down his face.

“Lopepe….you’re alive,” his mother said.

“Yes, Mother, I am alive.” Lopez wept. “And Father, is he…?” Lopez could not finish his sentence.

“Yes, he is alive. Where are you?”

“America,” Lopez said.

This encounter started a regular series of phone calls between Lopez and his mother. She always asked when he was coming home. He answered that he cannot come back to Africa now. She never understood how far away America was from Kakuma.  They had a variation of this conversation at the end of every phone call. She wanted Lopez back home. But Lopez could not go back to Africa. He had a dream. He needed to run in the Olympics for the USA.

Two Dozen Basic Management Principles (Pt. 11)

The third New York snapshot involved 9-11. One day in September, the mood in the hallway felt different to Lopez. Something odd seemed to be going on but he had no idea what. He overheard a few people talking about a plane crash but Lopez did not stop to ask questions.

In the middle of second period, the bell rang. Everyone jumped, startled. It rang again, stopped, then rang again and again and again. Everyone had the same confused look as Lopez.

The principal came over the intercom. “All students proceed as quickly as possible to the auditorium. Leave your books in the room and leave now.”

His teacher led them to the auditorium. A group of girls walked by, all of them crying. Lopez glanced around. Even some guys were crying. Someone mentioned the words attack and war. Lopez thought: “Why would anyone in America use such words?”  Fear filled the hallway. The looks on the faces reminded Lopez of his days long ago of running into caves with his family when the Sudanese jets flew over his village. Lopez had no idea of what was going on.

The students filed into the auditorium and sat down. Televisions had been placed on the stage where everyone could see them. All the talk died down. Everyone stared at the televisions. Lopez remembered seeing New York when his plane circled the city to land at JFK. This New York looked nothing like that city. People on the streets ran in fear. A few stopped and looked up. Most cried hysterically. Up above them all, smoke poured out of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. The television announcers explained that the buildings had been attacked by terrorists. Lopez thought: “How could war follow me here?”

The principal kept them in the auditorium until one of the towers collapsed. Then they dismissed the students and told them to go home. No one was home when Lopez got off the bus. He called Barb and asked her what he should do. “Stay inside,” she said. “Dad and I will be there soon.”

Lopez turned on the television and watched the news coverage until the second building collapsed. Smoke and dust covered New York City. Lopez was scared. This looked worse than anything he’d heard about in Sudan. He turned off the TV.

Rob and Barb arrived a short time later. Both were visibly shaken. Lopez had experienced war. Watching the start of another did not appeal to him.

Over the next few days he discovered how different America was from Sudan. Back home, he had to run and hide. Sudan didn’t have a way to stand up and fight. Then Lopez saw President Bush on television, standing in the midst of the carnage in New York, a bullhorn in his hand. Lopez could hardly understand anything he said, but the image of him standing there was the most powerful thing Lopez had ever seen. President Bush inspired Lopez more than words can describe. Watching him there, Lopez knew he was safe.

The next day, Lopez went to school and bought a T-shirt with the words, “United We Stand.” with an American flag in the background. Lopez wore the shirt the rest of the week. This was another change for him. He realized the American people love their country and were proud of it. He had never been proud to live in Sudan. He never knew it was possible to be proud of a country. Now he was. He would not become a citizen of the United States until 2007, but after September 11^th, he was an American!

Management Lesson #14 – Become Part of a Team

It is critical to be a part of a team. Attempting to be the one and only or attempting to do all of the work yourself is simply impossible. Be intellectually honest. Recognize that you do not have all of the answers. Listen to the criticism and suggestions of others. Become part of a team!

Two Dozen Basic Management Principles (Pt. 10)

Coach continued: “I tell you what. In the next race I want you to run alongside the race leaders. Stay right at the front. Then, if you feel up to it, you can run as hard as you want the last mile.”

A week later, Lopez ran his second meet. This time he did exactly what his coach told him to do. When the gun sounded, he took off but did not break away from the pack. Instead, he paced himself with the leaders. He enjoyed jogging along with them so much that he tried talking to them throughout the entire race. “Hey, guys, my name is Lopez…How long have you been running?....Do you play soccer?” He talked and talked and talked, even though his English was broken. However, the other runners did not answer. The more he tried talking to them, the more they looked at him like he was nuts.

Lopez ran along, talking away until he saw his mom and dad standing at the one-mile marker. Coach had told him that they would be there so that he would know when to start running hard. Barbara yelled: “Yea, Joseph, you can do it!”

“Hey guys,” Lopez said to the other boys at the front of the pack, “there’s my mom and dad. I gotta go. See you at the finish line.” With that, Lopez stopped jogging and took off running. He won the meet, beating around four hundred runners from across upstate New York. He received his first gold medal and wore it all the way home.

The Rogers’ next door neighbors were outside when they pulled up to the house. Tom and Fran were around eighty years old. Tom saw the medal and said: “What do you have there.” Lopez proudly showed off the gold medal while Rob explained that he had beat a field of four hundred runners.

“You know, I bet you can run in the Olympics someday for the USA,” Fran said. Those words took Lopez right back to watching Michael Johnson on the black-and-white television. “Yes,” he said. “That is my goal. One day I will run in the Olympics for the USA.”

The second New York snapshot involved Barbara Rogers and her plans for Lopez’ education. Within days of his arrival, she told Lopez: “You may be behind now with your education, but we will make sure you catch up. You will graduate from high school on time, and you will go on and get a college education.” She did not ask Lopez’ opinion. There was no discussion. There was no debate. This was just the way it was going to be.

At that time, Barb’s goal seemed impossible. For starters, Lopez spoke almost no English, and he could read even less. To graduate on time he had to start off in tenth grade. Age-wise he was a tenth grader. Academically, he was a kindergartner. He struggled to read: “See Jane. See Jane run. Run, Jane, run.” He did not know a consonant from a vowel, and the sounds these strange letters made did not match his Swahili patterns of speech. His math skills were not much better. As for science and history, he did not have a clue.

Barb did not see why such minor details should stand in the way. She made hard and fast academic goals for Lopez and she would accept nothing less than everything Lopez could give.

From day one she worked with Lopez on his English. At the same time, she pushed the school administrators and counselors just as hard. Tully High School did not have an ESL program when Lopez arrived in the U.S. in July, 2001. They did by the time he started school that Fall! She pushed and pushed until the school gave in and started the program. Once classes started, she pushed the school even harder. Whenever a problem arose, she insisted the staff meet with her and settle the issue. After a while, the counselors grew afraid of her. Lopez never had anyone work so hard for him in his life.

His first semester didn’t go so well. Lopez failed a few of his classes. Adjusting to the classroom and the constant barrage of English presented enough challenges, and the school environment made life even harder. He had never seen such displays of public affection like he saw in the halls of Tully High School! That type of behavior would never have been allowed in Sudan.

Barb didn’t care. She marched up to the school and announced that he would be given the opportunity to take his failed classes the following summer. No one argued the point with her. The following summer, Lopez passed every class he had failed before.

Management Lesson #13 – Fight for Your Staff

Barbara Rogers was relentless in fighting for Lopez. Likewise, an overlooked management trait is the failure of senior IT leaders to fight for their staffs. You need to fight for resources, recognition, and reality. There should not be a contradiction between stewardship and the staff in your department. Work to make sure they are aligned and then fight for your staff.

Two Dozen Basic Management Principles (Pt. 9)

The time in New York can be captured by looking at five snapshots. The first involved Jim Paccia and the cross-country team.

“I coach the cross-country team at Tully High School.” Lopez looked at Jim Paccia with a blank expression. “That’s a running team,” Rob added. “The cross-country team runs five-kilometer footraces against teams from other schools.”

“I am a soccer player,” Lopez said.

“Lopez,” Coach Paccia said, “after what I saw yesterday, you need to be on the cross-country team. You have a real gift. It would be a shame to waste it.”

Lopez hated to disappoint anyone. “Perhaps one race for you,” he said.

“I had something more in mind,” Coach said. He reached into his bag. “Lopez, I had this made for you. It’s yours if you come out for the cross-country team and commit to run the entire season.” Coach Paccia held up a Tully High School team jersey and jacket. The white letters popped off of the all-black background. Lopez was impressed. Then Coach Paccia turned the jacket around and Lopez’ jaw dropped. There, across the back, were the letters L-O-M-O-N-G! For a boy who grew up wearing hand-me-down clothes courtesy of Goodwill, this was the most beautiful piece of clothing Lopez had ever seen.

“Okay,” Lopez said, “I will run cross-country.”

Less than two months later Lopez ran his first race. Rob and Barbara were there cheering for Lopez. Lopez was surprised. The sight of them convinced Lopez that he had to win this race, not for himself, but for them. This race was his chance to validate his place in America.

However, he had a problem. Although his English had improved somewhat, he did not fully grasp all the nuances of high school cross-country. In this particular race, a golf cart led the runners around the course. Everyone seemed to understand this little detail except Lopez. Lopez thought he was supposed to beat the golf cart to the finish line.

The moment the gun sounded, Lopez took off after the cart like his life depended upon it. Within a few hundred meters he zipped right by it. Once he passed it, he did not think it could catch him. He was right. However, the golf cart cheated. It took a shortcut and pulled around back in front of him.

That just made Lopez run even harder. He passed the cart a second time only to see the golf cart cheat again. Over the course of the first four kilometers of the race, Lopez passed the golf cart several times. Lopez passed him so often that he completely ran out of gas stumbling across the finish line in third place.

Coach Paccia ran over to Lopez. Lopez was fuming. He believed that he would have won the race if the golf cart had not cheated so many times. Coach Paccia grabbed Lopez and said: “Lopez, you ran a great race, but you don’t have to run against the cart. You only race the other runners.”

“Great,” Lopez thought. “Now you tell me!”

Management Lesson # 12 – Know the Rules

Lopez suffered needlessly. Knowing the rules is an important aspect of being a successful senior IT leader. I am not speaking of the obvious – laws, ethics, and budgets. I am speaking about the “rules” – who is the real decision-maker, who has real influence, who can be trusted, how much credibility do you have?, etc. Knowing the “rules” provides you with a clear understanding of the environment in which you are managing a department.

Two Dozen Basic Management Principles (Pt. 8)

“Dad,” Lopez said, I would like to run, then play football, er, soccer.” “Okay, Lopez. You can do that. How far would you like to run?” Dad said. “Thirty kilometers.”

Rob Rogers looked at Barbara with a very puzzled expression. “Don’t look at me,” Barbara said. “I have no idea how far thirty kilometers are. You should give Jim Paccia a call. He will know.” Jim was the coach of the high school cross-country team. Rob pulled out his cell phone and left the room. He returned a few moments later with a very shocked look on his face. “You’re sure you want to run thirty kilometers?” he asked Lopez. “Thirty, yes.” Rob’s eyes got very big. Thirty kilometers was nearly 19 miles! Lopez did not understand what the big deal was. Every boy in the camp who played soccer ran thirty kilometers before he was allowed on the field. That was the distance one had to run to complete one lap around the refugee camp. Lopez’ request seemed perfectly normal to him. “Well, if you take a right out of the house and run to the dam and back, it will be about 14 miles.”

Lopez shot out the door and took off running down the road in a borrowed set of running shoes. The shoes made his feet feel heavy and out of control – since he always ran barefoot. He thought that the shoes were in the way. But soon the heat of the blacktop was evident even with the shoes on. “Maybe, they are not such a bad idea,” he thought. It felt good to run again. The air rushing into his lungs seemed heavier, more humid than what he lived with in Kenya. At the same time, he discovered that he could run harder without losing his breath. Only later did he learn that he’d spent his entire life in a high elevation and Syracuse, NY sits at only 380 feet. He felt like he could run forever here and never grow tired. Before he knew it, he reached the dam and turned back toward home. The run back took him up a hill, but he did not mind. Running set him free from all his worries and cares.

About a kilometer and a half from the Rogers’ house, a man stood waiting for him. He knew he was waiting for him because when Lopez ran past him, this man started running with Lopez. “Hi, Lopez, I am Jim Paccia. I am a friend of your parents.” “Hi,” Lopez said, not breaking stride. The man began breathing hard. He seemed to have a little trouble speaking. “Wow, you sure are running fast,” he said between breaths. Thinking that Jim told him that he was running too slow, Lopez kicked it into another gear. The man disappeared in the distance behind Lopez.

After his first run, Lopez begged the Rogers to let him run every day. His first lesson in America came on the second day in the Rogers’ home. Rob came into his room carrying a lamp. “I picked this up for you,” he said. “It will be a little more comfortable for you to sleep with this on instead of the overhead light.” He plugged in the lamp and set it on the table. After turning on the lamp, Rob walked over and flipped the light switch down, turning off the overhead light. “So that’s how you turn that thing off!” Lopez thought. He never slept with either the overhead light or the lamp on ever again.

The next lesson came a few days later. After enduring frigid shower after frigid shower, Lopez found a large pot in the kitchen and filled it with hot water. Rob walked in. “What are you doing, Lopez?” “Getting hot water for the shower.” “We have hot water upstairs too,” he said. “No problem,” Lopez answered, “I can use this.” “Come on, I’ll show you,” he said. He led Lopez upstairs and showed Lopez how to turn the lever in the shower and change temperature of the water. Thank God! Lopez knew that he could not take one more cold shower. Once he had the lever set in the perfect position – he never changed the setting!

 Management Lesson #11 – Ask for Help
While it laughable to hear how Lopez suffered because he did not ask for help, we often to the same. Many project managers fail to ask for help due to pride, fear, or laziness. Recognize that you are not expected to work on an island. You are a part of a team. You have been given stewardship over a project and/or group of assets. When faced with the unknown or the unexpected – be willing to ask for help!

Two Dozen Basic Management Principles (Pt. 7)

His new family greeted him with hugs and kisses. They introduced themselves as Rob and Barbara Rogers. “But you can call us Mom and Dad,” they said. “Do you have any luggage?” Dad asked. “Yes,” Lopez replied. Lopez had no idea what luggage was but he said yes anyway. Yes was the one word he knew he could use and never sound impolite. The last thing he wanted to do was offend these people. After waiting for a piece of luggage that never came, Rob came over and looked at Lopez’ ticket. He gave Barbara a look and then said, “I’ll go get the car.” Rob pulled up in the most amazing car Lopez had ever seen. This car was so sleek, so new, Lopez felt like a king climbing inside. “Joseph, are you hungry?” Rob asked. “Yes,” Lopez said even though his stomach did not feel much like eating. They pulled into a restaurant and walked inside. They walked up to the counter where photos of everything were on a menu. Lopez had no idea what was what. So much food from which to choose! He knew that this had to be one of the nicest restaurants in all of America. Only later did he discover the truth about McDonald’s. The drive up to the house was even a bigger shock. The house set next to a lake. Boats and Jet Skis covered the water. The house itself was huge. For starters, there were three other vehicles in the driveway in addition to the car he came in. The house itself stretched back out of sight for a very long distance. Home? No, someone had to have made a mistake. “Come on, Joseph. Let’s show you around,” Rob said. “This is the garage.” Throwing open a large overhead door revealed more equipment than Lopez had ever seen. Most of the equipment Lopez didn’t even know what they were for. But he did recognize the four bicycles. Rob pointed out who owned the first three bicycles. The fourth, looking at Lopez, was his. “Mine?” “Sure, if you want it.” Lopez had seen many bicycles but only the wealthy in Sudan and Kenya owned a bicycle. “This is the shed.” Lopez’ jaw dropped to the ground. Inside the shed were enough soccer balls for a year in Kakuma. “How did I get here?” Lopez thought. Thirty-six hours earlier, he was a poor kid, a lost boy of Sudan with one pair of pants, one shirt, and one pair of shoes. Now he found himself surrounded by riches unlike anything he ever dared to dream about. “What did I ever do to deserve to be in such a place?” Lopez thought. “This is your room.” Lopez was confused. “My room?” Lopez asked. “Of course,” Barbara said. “Where did you think you would sleep?” He had expected that he would be sleeping out in the shed. He did not dare tell her that. They should have known the answer but they were clueless! Rob and Barbara left the room and Lopez collapsed on the bed. He had never slept on anything so comfortable ever. He thought about moving to the floor but did not want to upset the Rogers. They told him this bed was for him, so that’s where he had to stay. He did not plan on braking the rules his first night in America. His body screamed for sleep and he wanted to give in. However, the light overhead hurt his eyes. Apparently in America, people slept with light shining in their eyes. He just pulled the cover over his head and fell fast asleep. Management Lesson #10 – Undeserving Ultimately, we are undeserving of much of what we have. As such, we should be very grateful for the incredible gifts that we do have.

Two Dozen Basic Management Principles (Pt. 6)

The flight to America was quite a learning experience. First, he got on a airplane that was large enough to hold his entire village – a 747. The plane had two aisles and four seats in the middle section. Second, he learned about airplane food. When the airline attendant asked him if he wanted any food, Lopez responded, “No, thank you.” After landing in Cairo, the plane took off again. Again an airline attendant asked him if he wanted any food. Lopez responded, “No, thank you.” After landing in Beijing, the plane took off again. Lopez was wondering if he was ever going to get to America. Again an airline attendant asked him if he wanted any food. Lopez responded, “No, thank you.” This flight attendant chose to press Lopez. “Please, take the food.” But how could he? How would he pay for it? “I have no money,” Lopez said in his best English. The flight attendant smiled. “Free,” she said. “Free?” That was one English word Lopez knew. He promptly ate two whole meals and part of a third. After deplaning from the 747, he was led to a terminal to await the flight to Syracuse, New York. This is where he learned a third lesson – not every American was white. Lopez was thrilled. The melting pot that is America – Americans from Puerto Rico, Africa, Latin America, Asia, etc. -- was a pleasant surprise. Management Lesson #9 – Don’t Be Narrow-Minded The plane finally landed in Syracuse. Lopez waited until everyone got off and he followed the crowd. The jetway led to the airport gate area. He paused for a moment looking for one of the workers like those who helped him in New York. That’s when he saw it. Right in front of the gate area was a white man and woman. Both wore huge grins. The woman held up a sign with words of English Lopez could understand. There were only three words on it but they were the best words Lopez had ever read – “Welcome Home, Joseph.” Ten years after the rebel soldiers had ripped him out of his mother’s arms, Lopez finally had a place to call home.