EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE: What you should know, precautions to take!!

By Clive Mutame SIACHIYAKO

KEY FACTS
• Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans.
• EVD outbreaks have a case fatality rate of up to 90%.
• EVD outbreaks occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests.
• The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.
• Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are considered to be the natural host of the Ebola virus.
• Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care. No licensed specific treatment or vaccine is available for use in people or animals.

HISTORY OF EVD
Ebola first appeared in 1976 in 2 simultaneous outbreaks, in Nzara, Sudan, and in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo. The latter was in a village situated near the Ebola River, from which the disease derives its name.
Genus Ebolavirus is 1 of 3 members of the Filoviridae family (filovirus), along with genus Marburgvirus and genus Cuevavirus. Genus Ebolavirus comprises 5 distinct species:
• Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV)
• Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV)
• Reston ebolavirus (RESTV)
• Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV)
• Taï Forest ebolavirus (TAFV).

BDBV, EBOV, and SUDV have been associated with large EVD outbreaks in Africa, whereas RESTV and TAFV have not. The RESTV species, found in Philippines and the People’s Republic of China, can infect humans, but no illness or death in humans from this species has been reported to date.

TRANSMISSION
Ebola is introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals. In Africa, infection has been documented through the handling of infected chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines found ill or dead or in the rainforest.

Ebola then spreads in the community through human-to-human transmission, with infection resulting from direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and indirect contact with environments contaminated with such fluids. Burial ceremonies in which mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased person can also play a role in the transmission of Ebola. Men who have recovered from the disease can still transmit the virus through their semen for up to 7 weeks after recovery from illness.

Health-care workers have frequently been infected while treating patients with suspected or confirmed EVD. This has occurred through close contact with patients when infection control precautions are not strictly practiced.

Among workers in contact with monkeys or pigs infected with Reston ebolavirus, several infections have been documented in people who were clinically asymptomatic. Thus, RESTV appears less capable of causing disease in humans than other Ebola species.

However, the only available evidence available comes from healthy adult males. It would be premature to extrapolate the health effects of the virus to all population groups, such as immuno-compromised persons, persons with underlying medical conditions, pregnant women and children. More studies of RESTV are needed before definitive conclusions can be drawn about the pathogenicity and virulence of this virus in humans.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
EVD is a severe acute viral illness often characterized by the sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding. Laboratory findings include low white blood cell and platelet counts and elevated liver enzymes.

People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus. Ebola virus was isolated from semen 61 days after onset of illness in a man who was infected in a laboratory.

The incubation period, that is, the time interval from infection with the virus to onset of symptoms is 2 to 21 days.

DIAGNOSIS
Other diseases that should be ruled out before a diagnosis of EVD can be made include: malaria, typhoid fever, shigellosis, cholera, leptospirosis, plague, rickettsiosis, relapsing fever, meningitis, hepatitis and other viral haemorrhagic fevers.

Ebola virus infections can be diagnosed definitively in a laboratory through several types of tests:
• antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
• antigen detection tests
• serum neutralization test
• reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay
• electron microscopy
• virus isolation by cell culture.

Samples from patients are an extreme biohazard risk; testing should be conducted under maximum biological containment conditions.

VACCINE AND TREATMENT
No licensed vaccine for EVD is available. Several vaccines are being tested, but none are available for clinical use.

Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care. Patients are frequently dehydrated and require oral rehydration with solutions containing electrolytes or intravenous fluids.

No specific treatment is available. New drug therapies are being evaluated.

NATURAL HOST OF EBOLA VIRUS
In Africa, fruit bats, particularly species of the genera Hypsignathus monstrosus, Epomops franqueti and Myonycteris torquata, are considered possible natural hosts for Ebola virus. As a result, the geographic distribution of Ebolaviruses may overlap with the range of the fruit bats.

EBOLA VIRUS IN ANIMALS
Although non-human primates have been a source of infection for humans, they are not thought to be the reservoir but rather an accidental host like human beings. Since 1994, Ebola outbreaks from the EBOV and TAFV species have been observed in chimpanzees and gorillas.

RESTV has caused severe EVD outbreaks in macaque monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) farmed in Philippines and detected in monkeys imported into the USA in 1989, 1990 and 1996, and in monkeys imported to Italy from Philippines in 1992.

Since 2008, RESTV viruses have been detected during several outbreaks of a deadly disease in pigs in People’s Republic of China and Philippines. Asymptomatic infection in pigs has been reported and experimental inoculations have shown that RESTV cannot cause disease in pigs.

PREVENTION AND CONTROL
Controlling Reston ebolavirus in domestic animals

No animal vaccine against RESTV is available. Routine cleaning and disinfection of pig or monkey farms (with sodium hypochlorite or other detergents) should be effective in inactivating the virus.

If an outbreak is suspected, the premises should be quarantined immediately. Culling of infected animals, with close supervision of burial or incineration of carcasses, may be necessary to reduce the risk of animal-to-human transmission. Restricting or banning the movement of animals from infected farms to other areas can reduce the spread of the disease.

As RESTV outbreaks in pigs and monkeys have preceded human infections, the establishment of an active animal health surveillance system to detect new cases is essential in providing early warning for veterinary and human public health authorities.

Reducing the risk of Ebola infection in people

In the absence of effective treatment and a human vaccine, raising awareness of the risk factors for Ebola infection and the protective measures individuals can take is the only way to reduce human infection and death.

In Africa, during EVD outbreaks, educational public health messages for risk reduction should focus on several factors:

• Reducing the risk of wildlife-to-human transmission from contact with infected fruit bats or monkeys/apes and the consumption of their raw meat. Animals should be handled with gloves and other appropriate protective clothing. Animal products (blood and meat) should be thoroughly cooked before consumption.

• Reducing the risk of human-to-human transmission in the community arising from direct or close contact with infected patients, particularly with their bodily fluids. Close physical contact with Ebola patients should be avoided. Gloves and appropriate personal protective equipment should be worn when taking care of ill patients at home. Regular hand washing is required after visiting patients in hospital, as well as after taking care of patients at home.

• Communities affected by Ebola should inform the population about the nature of the disease and about outbreak containment measures, including burial of the dead. People who have died from Ebola should be promptly and safely buried.

Pig farms in Africa can play a role in the amplification of infection because of the presence of fruit bats on these farms. Appropriate biosecurity measures should be in place to limit transmission. For RESTV, educational public health messages should focus on reducing the risk of pig-to-human transmission as a result of unsafe animal husbandry and slaughtering practices, and unsafe consumption of fresh blood, raw milk or animal tissue. Gloves and other appropriate protective clothing should be worn when handling sick animals or their tissues and when slaughtering animals. In regions where RESTV has been reported in pigs, all animal products (blood, meat and milk) should be thoroughly cooked before eating.

CONTROLLING INFECTION IN HEALTH-CARE SETTINGS
Human-to-human transmission of the Ebola virus is primarily associated with direct or indirect contact with blood and body fluids.

Transmission to health-care workers has been reported when appropriate infection control measures have not been observed.

It is not always possible to identify patients with EBV early because initial symptoms may be non-specific. For this reason, it is important that health-care workers apply standard precautions consistently with all patients – regardless of their diagnosis – in all work practices at all times. These include basic hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, the use of personal protective equipment (according to the risk of splashes or other contact with infected materials), safe injection practices and safe burial practices.

Health-care workers caring for patients with suspected or confirmed Ebola virus should apply, in addition to standard precautions, other infection control measures to avoid any exposure to the patient’s blood and body fluids and direct unprotected contact with the possibly contaminated environment. When in close contact (within 1 metre) of patients with EBV, health-care workers should wear face protection (a face shield or a medical mask and goggles), a clean, non-sterile long-sleeved gown, and gloves (sterile gloves for some procedures).

Laboratory workers are also at risk. Samples taken from suspected human and animal Ebola cases for diagnosis should be handled by trained staff and processed in suitably equipped laboratories.

W.H.O. RESPONSE
WHO provides expertise and documentation to support disease investigation and control.

Recommendations for infection control while providing care to patients with suspected or confirmed Ebola haemorrhagic fever are provided in: Interim infection control recommendations for care of patients with suspected or confirmed Filovirus (Ebola, Marburg) haemorrhagic fever, March 2008. This document is currently being updated.

WHO has created an aide–memoire on standard precautions in health care (currently being updated). Standard precautions are meant to reduce the risk of transmission of blood borne and other pathogens. If universally applied, the precautions would help prevent most transmission through exposure to blood and body fluids.

Standard precautions are recommended in the care and treatment of all patients regardless of their perceived or confirmed infectious status. They include the basic level of infection control-hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment to avoid direct contact with blood and body fluids, prevention of needle stick and injuries from other sharp instruments, and a set of environmental controls. Courtesy of Madison Health Solutions

3 leadership lessons from FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 – What Zambian ICT companies cannot afford to ignore!

Arguably the greatest sporting event on the planet with over a billion viewers and the most lucrative sponsorship deals, FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 has taken ICT to next level. With some 32.1 million tweets at a rate of 618,725 tweets per minute, the World Cup final between Germany and Argentina set a world record in tweets, communication and connectivity.

Success does not come by mistake or chance, it is a well orchestrated, prepared for outcome culminating from hard behind the scenes work. Here is glimpse at some of 3 of these fundamentals, which you may choose to ignore at your own peril;

Team building: The words of German coach Joachim Low beautifully capture a fundamental leadership lesson and I quote “We’ve been together as a squad now for 55 days, but we started this project 10 years ago, beginning with Jurgen Klinsmann”. Every team at the World cup would have been together for 50 plus days in preparation, but how many started their preparation 10 years ago, and which coach or leader will give credit to his predecessor in the pinnacle moment of his career? The symptoms of success were sown and tested in South Africa in 2010. They came to fruition in Brazil in 2014.

The MNO’s in Zambia are some 15 years old. From the humble origins of Celtel to Zain and now Airtel, from CellZ to MTN, from Zamtel to LapGreen to Zamtel. There has been little time to settle down to do any form of meaningful team building, let alone planning to get a world class quality of service. A view from the terraces would say the least amount of ownership changes you have, the better the team, the better quality of service, the better the performance. Given that it is a “young” and dynamic industry where brand changes are the order of the day, the challenge is how to manage these changes in the best interests of the team. Each brand change is accompanied by a culture change, which is the single biggest shock any team can get. It becomes even more traumatic when culture is accompanied by frequent management changes every other day. Scoring goals in this arena will be much more difficult than Maracana in Rio de Janeiro. Maybe they just need extra time to get that winning goal and spark off the celebrations of world class service.

Team vs. Collection of individuals: Soft spoken German captain Philipp Lahm quips, “Whether we have the best individual players or whatever does not matter: you have to have the best team”. There is a fundamental difference between team and collection of individuals. Brazil is a collection of very talented individuals but were decimated by Germans and humbled by a team of Dutchmen. Had Brazil been a team they would have had a mental fall back position which would allow them to regroup and salvage a bad situation. Such was the depth of the German team that they could field last minute changes, make substitutions that improved the on-field performance. The Dutch were able to play all 23 players during the tournament. The Germans and the Dutch had defenders scoring goals at will. Arguably there was no “superstar” they were all “superstars” and believed it.

Getting “superstars” to work as a team is a big challenge in the ICT sector. This is especially true where there are huge specialist skills gaps. The subject specialists need to be managed the same way a football team is. Look at a German free kick and the number of players standing over the ball. That is team work at working! As long as you fail to mix the ingredients correctly you will always get a poor tasting dish. The same people in your company can give you a better a result if blended together correctly. This calls for exemplary leadership. Not master-and-slave management styles but hand-in-glove team work. It’s about walking the talk, its about being accessible, approachable, standing up to be counted. It’s about speaking and acting freely with accountability and responsibility. If you have these simple ingredients in your business then the goals will keep coming. 7 goals to 1 is just the tip of the iceberg and the margin of victory will be greater.

Coaching: “Go out there and show the world you are better than Messi” the words of Joachim Low to winning goal scorer 22 year old Mario Goetze. There is no way that Goetze can even be compared to the great Lionel Messi. For a player who had a challenging pre-World Cup season in the Bundesliga, Mario Goetze wrote himself into football history. He believed and he delivered one of the most classic goals of the tournament. Great chest control on the run followed up with a left foot volley into the net sending Romero the wrong way! How great was that!

Making your team members larger than life itself can and does get you extraordinary results. Getting ordinary people to do extra ordinary things is itself a winning leadership characteristic. When was the last time your boss made you feel like Mario Goetze? When was the last time you were given those inspirational words of wisdom that made you overcome even the greatest odds? When this becomes common place in your business then the floods gates will open, goals galore! The ICT Sector has a significant amount of people “new” to the industry from all different backgrounds. The need for coaching the newcomers and hand-holding them is paramount. Newcomers if introduced at the right time can be an asset to your team. Look at the German substitutions in the final, they brought results! The Argentine substitutions in my opinion were too little too late to make any meaningful change to the tempo of the play. Bringing in newcomers for the sake of newcomers does not yield a result. Look at Brazil, change the team from a 7 – 1 whipping to a 3 – 0 thrashing side. The net result is the same, a humiliation that there may be new FIFA rules and no runners up play off in the next World Cup! Do you feel your organization is making German tactical moves or Brazilian pain killing decisions? Ask your CEO.

Now that the arenas have emptied and the fans make their way back home, let us take time to ponder on some of these brief glimpses in the ever changing kaleidoscope of the beautiful game of football. There is no difference being a national team football coach and a leader in the ICT sector. Do it right and your customers will love you. Slip up and you get booed for the next 4 years till the opportunity to redeem yourself presents itself, if you qualify!

So for now, let’s play hardball! http://www.techtrends.co.zm

The Ten Commandments Of Black Economic Empowerment.

My grandmother never had the chance to finish college and she never earned more than $25,000 per year.  But in all of those years, after raising four kids without a husband, I never once saw her borrow money from anyone.  She always had perfect credit.  She owned her own home and car.  Relatives earning five times more than she was would come to her to borrow money.  Her financial situation was in perfect order on the day she died, all the way down to the Louisville Cardinal red dress she wore when they put her in her casket.

In other words, my grandmother went out like a baller.   I also realize that, in hindsight, she was my first finance professor.

So, it is in the spirit of my late grandmother that I share some of what I learned from our thousands of conversations, from all of those thick text books I studied in school, and also from the game of life which led to me create what I call “The 10 Commandments of Black Economic Empowerment.”  If just 10% of all black people followed the rules written in this article, we would become the mighiest economic force on the planet:

1) Never get all of your income from one source: Most people choose a job by asking themselves one simple question – “How much money am I going to make?”

By choosing your career path based solely on how much money you’ll make, you’re missing the vast majority of all of the benefits that come with choosing the right career.  Another factor that people often overlook is the importance of factoring in financial security as one of the primaryDrBoyce2014 measuring sticks of what might determine the right career decision.  When you earn all of your income from one source, you are ultimately controlled by the person or entity that is providing your family’s means of survival.  In other words, you’ve effectively sold yourself into slavery.  For some people, slavery is much more acceptable if they get to keep the money themselves.

My greatest economic freedom came when I found ways to make money outside of my job.  This not only filled my pockets, but it also filled my spirit.  When I was attacked by Bill O’Reilly years ago, and threatened with job loss for being an outspoken black man, I was able to tell my bosses (and O’Reilly) to go to hell.  You can’t put a price tag on being a free black man, it has literally kept me out of the insane asylum.

2) Never go through life without adequate training and education:  Running away from education effectively means that you’re running right toward slavery.  Any person who doesn’t want to put in the work to get additional education and training is going to pay a very high price with all of the stress, hard work and heartache they will endure playing catch up for their entire life.  The fact that it’s easier to get some people to turn on an episode of “Scandal” or the NBA finals than it is to get them to crack a book is indicative of the fact that our priorities are all screwed up.

I get disgusted when I receive an email from a college student whose friends have told her that she’s a nerd for wanting to study on a Saturday night.  These so-called “nerds” in college are the ones who are running the world 20 years later.  We can’t just be known as the people who will spend 10 hours a day on the basketball court and five hours at the after party.  There’s a lot more to life than getting “turnt up.”

Your hard work today is that which protects you from volatility and turmoil tomorrow.  You should always be working to learn something new, all the time.  Laziness will get you nothing but self-pity when your life is falling apart and you have no idea why.

3) Never allow yourself to become addicted to money:  Money is valuable and it is powerful.  You should never underestimate its significance in your life.  But if you allow yourself to become someone who worships money or will do anything for another dollar, you’ve basically watered down your entire existence.  I’ve seen rich financial addicts, who define themselves by how much money they have.  I’ve seen poor financial addicts who will do anything to have a chance to live like rich people do.  I’ve seen rappers who will write a thousand lyrics about how much money they’ve made, as if it somehow makes them a more worthy human being.  Then, they’ll write another thousand lyrics about how they turned around and gave it right back to the white man.  Let’s please stop celebrating this kind of coonery….it’s not cool, it’s not masculine, it’s not productive.  It’s f–king stupid.

The problem with financial addiction is that any black person choosing to become addicted to a commodity that is primarily controlled by whites is basically putting himself into a position where someone is going to be able to control their very existence.  This means that, whenever your spirit tells you to take a stand for your community, you’re going to be told to sit right back down because in the eyes of those who own you, you’re not a man, you’re just a weak, dependent little boy.   As the rapper Immortal Technique likes to say, “Not all money is good money,” and we should train our minds to know the difference.

4) Never allow your self-esteem to be contingent upon validation from predominantly white institutions:  One way that black people are consistently hypnotized by racist institutions is that we’ve somehow concluded that we are more worthy than other black people if white people like us.  So, if I’ve got a prominent position at a white-owned university, I am always “more successful” than the scholars teaching black students at HBCUs.  If I am a vice president at IBM, I’m somehow more accomplished than the black entrepeneur who earns half of my salary.  By allowing professional carrots to be held above our heads, we are effectively giving power to the person who controls the carrot.  It is critical to realize that you are an important person, even if white people don’t like you.  Malcolm X figured this out a long time ago.

5) Avoid allowing yourself to go deep into debt, especially for the wrong reasons:  Debt is not always a bad thing.  It can actually give you the chance to take advantage of good investment opportunities.  If used appropriately, debt is actually a financial time machine:  Allowing you to do things today that might take years to do if you had to wait until you’ve accumulated all of the capital yourself.  But in addition to these other things, debt is also an OBLIGATION.  With any obligation, there is a great deal of power in the hands of the entity to which you owe that debt.  The United States government is vulnerable to the Chinese government because

a) We’ve accumulated far too much debt and

b) much of that debt is held by Chinese citizens.  That’s bad for our national security.

If you’re deep in debt like most Americans, you probably have to keep pushing just to make your interest payments and avoid default.  This means that, if you have just one job supplying all of your income, you are that much more beholden (and enslaved) by your employer because your overwhelming debt has precluded your ability to walk away from your existing situation.  The point here is that if you’re not careful, debt can make you feel financially trapped, which is not a good place to be.

6) Always save your money, no matter what:  Everyone can save, I don’t care how broke you are.  If you can give tithes to your pastor, then you can also give tithes to your family, your community, your future and yourself.  Saving your money and getting rid of debt if possible are ways to create the kind of financial cushion that protects you from sudden shocks in your economic situation.  A person who has been saving her money, cutting down her debt, building her skillset and creating alternative revenue streams is almost always going to be better able to handle an economic downturn than someone who has done the opposite.

7) Always think like an investor:  Investing doesn’t always relate to money.  In fact, it rarely does.  The most valuable resources we have in our lives relate to things that are non-financial:  Our health, happiness, freedom, relationships, etc.  Every time you allocate a resource toward a long-term goal, you’re making an investment.  You’re investing when you spend time with your children, when you go to the gym, when you take a business meeting, when you pick up a book, when you buy a savings bond, when you start a small business.  The list goes on and on.

FACT:  Buying a new pair of Air Jordans is NOT an investment.   It only adds to the wealth of Nike and Michael Jordan.  Consumption can certainly be a part of your financial plan, but it can’t be the only part.  Before you give all of your money away to the big white companies that enjoy making fun of black people, ask yourself:  What am I putting money, time and energy into that is going to give me a good payoff tomorrow?  What ventures are out there that I can put a few hundred dollars into today that will pay me a few thousand dollars back in a few years?  Malcolm X once said that the future belongs to those who prepare for it today.  In other words, he was saying that you want to think like an investor.

8) Find a way to own something:  America is run by people who own things, not by those who rent them.  So, whether it’s your first home, a small business or even a website, find something that you can obtain that belongs to you.  Ownership also allows you to get into a financial situation where your money is working for you.  You shouldn’t be breaking your back into old age in order to pay the bills.  The thing I’ve loved most about owning things is that it breeds an awesomely powerful sense that I control my own environment.  I am not an extraordinarily brave man, but I don’t wake up with the same trepidation in my heart that is felt by many of my scholarly colleagues.  Much of this “liquid courage” comes from the high of owning my own “stuff.”

Another community benefit of breeding the value of ownership in our children is that this is the ONLY cure for the black unemployment crisis affecting America.  Part of the reason that black people (especially black men) can’t get jobs is because we are begging for jobs from white people.  White people are never going to hire us before they hire other white people, that just doesn’t happen in America.  So, the best way to get access to an opportunity is to create the opportunity yourself.  We must control our own economic destiny.

9) Never allow yourself to be infected with the disease of laziness:  I worry about those who are afraid of hard work.  Laziness and complacency are death traps when it comes to reaching your goals or building wealth.  By always attacking your situation over and over again, constantly reassessing your targets and adding good old-fashioned hustle to your game, you’d be amazed at how many obstacles you can overcome.

He who hustles hardest will almost always end up ahead.  Hustlers also tend to have the best luck.  Never waste your life being timid, passive or unfocused.  That’s what they want you to be.

10) Choose your mate and family situation wisely:  Bad family planning is one of the easiest ways for any person to find themselves in the poor house.  For men, choosing the pretty girl who drains you financially can ruin your economic life.  For women, it might mean getting so excited about a marriage proposal that you find yourself strapped ont0 an economic dud.  Additionally, having children out of wedlock can be a financial train wreck for both the man and the woman involved in this tempting sexual transaction.  For men, child support courts DESTROY your bank account.  For most women, the struggles of being a single mom and working full-time are enough to drive you insane.  Choosing the right mate and having your kids in the right way can open the door to wealth building and a powerful intergenerational transfer.  Doing it the wrong way can leave you frustrated, broke and embarrassed.  Don’t make the wrong choice.

Here’s a bonus commandment:

11) Avoid the legal system if at all possible:  The legal, educational and healthcare systems in America are the biggest financial drains imaginable.  Thousands of families give away all of their home equity trying to fight a losing legal battle against a criminal justice system that is hellbent on locking up as many black men as possible.  Universities leave students swimming in debt after receiving a mediocre education.  I won’t even go into how the healthcare system has manipulated the price of drugs to the point that almost no one can afford them.

Some of this can’t be avoided, but it can be managed.  When it comes to the legal system, it is a good idea to try to stay out of it.  This might mean avoiding unecessary legal problems that come from violating the law. Educationally, it might mean choosing a state university over a private school or pushing your kids to make good grades so they become eligible for scholarships.   At the very least, the child can share the financial burden which might come from massive student loans.

This list of tools for economic empowerment is not at all exhaustive, but is a start in getting the right mindset for wealth building.  We should be sick and tired of black people always starting over, always feeling left behind, and allowing ourselves to be trained to throw away every asset that we have in our possession.  Oppression is real, we know that.  But we should also know that your oppressor is almost NEVER going to voluntarily stop oppressing you.  So, if you’re waiting for racist institutions to give you what you need to survive, you’re going to be waiting a long time.

Our economic future belongs to us and any goal is within reach of a community that is determined.  But the undeniable and consistent fact is that we must grab this destiny ourselves.  No one is going to give it to us.

Staff Writer; Dr. Boyce Watkins (ThyBlackMan.com)

Millennial Traits…..Know them before recruiting them into your company!

By Clive M. SIACHIYAKO

“Millennials,” “Generation Y,” “Generation WE,” “The Boomerang Generation,” “The Peter Pan Generation,” – goes by many names. They were born roughly between 1980 and 2000. Born in 1990, one fall right smack in the middle of this generation. This generation is a heated debate either as a:  a blessing or a curse?

A lot of people seem to think millennials are a painful nuisance. The Time Magazine once called “Millennials: the Me Me Me Generation,” lazy, entitled, self-obsessed narcissists. Ouch! On the other hand, it has been called open-minded, liberal, self-expressive, upbeat, and overtly passionate about equality. Naturally, they don’t want to be described as in the former description. But, the truth is both arguments hold some grounds for belief. The reality must fall somewhere in between.

There are several do’s and don’ts of working with Millennials because they have unique overall characteristics and desires. Therefore, every recruiter (recruiting students in tertiary education or employment) should emphasize when talking to this new generation.

Generally, millennials are…

Multi-taskers
Millennials are multitasking pros and can juggle many responsibilities at once. This also means that they are easily distracted and find social media and texting hard to resist.

What this means for you: keep millennials on track by being upfront about your expectations and establishing both daily and weekly goals. If your millennial employees have deadlines to meet, you will be less likely to find them playing on their phones at the office. During the recruiting process, be sure to tell them that the job will have variety and that every day will vary.

Connected
Millennials know everything there is to know about social media because they are living it. They are constantly perusing Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.  This is how they share and get information. They get information on almost anything through social networking; ranging from job opportunities to a hit song on the market.

What this means for you: If your company isn’t employing social media effectively, millennials will think you’re irrelevant. Keep your social media outlets active at all times. This doesn’t mean constantly posting jobs or product updates – try to start conversations that will engage your audience. Talk about topics that relate to your company or will interest your followers. It is important to allow your millennial employees to help you with your social media strategy. After all, they are the experts.

 

Tech-Savvy
There’s no doubt that the majority of millennials are more tech-savvy than other generations.

What this means for you: Make sure that your company and team stay up to date technologically. Also, ensure that your company and career sites are mobile-optimized so that you can easily be found online from any device at any time. In addition, make the application process fast and easy by allowing people to apply for positions with content from LinkedIn or other sources.  You can learn more about mobile recruiting strategies in LinkedIn’s Mobile Recruiting Playbook.

In addition, millennials want…

Instant Gratification and Recognition
Millennials need to feel like what they are doing is important and that they are on the right track.  Yes, it sounds a little needy…and it is. But, many millennials grew up with constant praise from their Baby Boomer parents. It’s what they know.

What this means for you: During the recruiting process, tell them about how important the position is and that they will be making a valuable contribution to the company. Once hired, recognize their accomplishments publicly. This type of recognition encourages them to work hard and increases their job satisfaction.

Work-Life Balance and Flexibility
Millennials aren’t as willing as former generations to sacrifice their personal life in order to advance their careers. They like to “work hard – play hard” and want to be at a company that appreciates this desire for balance. They also expect a more flexible work environment than previous generations and want to work for a company that supports various causes.

What this means for you: Communicate that your company values work-life balance and tell them about sponsored events outside the work place, benefits, charity and volunteer work you support, and any fitness or health related programmes that you provide for your employees. In addition, let them know that as long as they are meeting deadlines and goals and attending meetings, their time-in/time-out is up to them. If possible, give them the option to work from home on occasion.

Exposing millennials to a rigid, length and non-weekend work environment puts them off and reduces their efficiency. Do not make their life revolve around work through-out.

Collaboration
Millennials are extremely team-oriented and enjoy collaborating and building friendships with colleagues.

What this means for you: During the recruiting process, let them know that there will be plenty of opportunities for collaboration and team projects. You should also design your office space to allow for teamwork and easy idea sharing (think open cubicles, white boards, and drop-in rooms that can be used for group meetings). Confining them in an old-style closed office is like enslaving them.

Transparency
Millennials want to feel like they have an open and honest relationship with their manager and co-workers and that there won’t be any nasty surprises when they join a company. Once they’ve signed on, they want assurance that their opinion is valued and both give and receive a good deal of feedback.

What this means for you: Make certain that there is unrevised information about your company available online and let them know about any downsides that the position they are applying for may have. They will appreciate your honesty, knowing that no job is perfect. Furthermore, tell them what their performance review process will be like. Once they are hired, provide them with the ongoing feedback that they desire.

Trying to be secretive may backfire because this is an E-generation. It is capable of using unorthodox means to obtain the information they need. They are more tech-savvy. They know more than the old generation on how to use IT to get around things. They may hack into your system and lay bare your ‘secrets.’

Career Advancement
Millennials want to know that they will have the opportunity to advance and develop their careers within the company they choose to join.

What this means for you: During the recruiting process, tell them about opportunities that they will have to move-up in the ranks. If possible, have a reliable staff development plan or have a programme whereby they can rotate through different divisions of the organization in order to find the best fit.

REMEMBER! Every generation presents its own challenges and, clearly millennials are no different. But, they are really not so bad! And just think: a whole new batch of millennials will be graduating and entering the workforce every year. The more you know about them now, the better off your company will be. Courtesy: forbes.com

5 Most Annoying Kinds of Women....challenges of millennials!

Clive M SIACHIYAKO

Our women adamantly complain about the lack of seriousness men portray when it comes to taking them out on dates. Listening to such rants one may be inclined to believe that the problem lies entirely with men, a total fallacy if you ask me. The next time a guy asks you out only to take you to a shady bar don’t be quick to admonish him. Sit back and reflect on how you acted during the previous date. Chances are that you are so annoying that the only way he can sit through the date is when he has his beer goggles on. The following are the 5 most annoying kinds of women to take out on a dinner date.

1) The pompous superwoman
The modern woman that has successfully metamorphosed from her timid predecessors whose main role was bearing kids and taking care of their husbands to becoming the bread winners. If there is anything a man can do, the new age woman can too, if not better. The unwritten rule is that a man must foot the bill on the first date to show he is capable of providing for his future family, you can decide to go Dutch on subsequent dates but never the first. The superwoman not only insists on picking the tab she also offers to pay your cab fare back home.

No malice against independent ladies; however, there is no need to blast a guy with your long list of accomplishments. We are amazed by how you graduated top on your class, got promoted to management before turning 25 and have been to a dozen countries we’ve only read about. Please don’t rub this in our face as it only makes us feel emasculated. Such women completely vanquish a man’s ego and erode his sense of self-worth.

2) The social media queen
Apparently having 10,000+ followers on twitter, a well-endowed derrière and regularly posting nudes makes one a socialite in this part of the world. This ‘coveted’ occupation requires one to maintain very high standards, inflate the buying price of their accessories and constantly keep the world abreast on the on goings of their amazing life on the fast lane.

When dinner is served, a typical guy would immediately dive into the meal with uttermost speed. Just before you pick the juiciest ribs she goes like “Clive! Wait!” For a moment you think she is about to ask you to say “God bless our food” only to have her whip out a phone and snap pictures of the food and wine from all angles. Worst of all, she asks the waiter to capture you both holding the forks and knives, the pictures are then hurriedly uploaded on Instagram “My boo and I having dinner at #fancyjoint”

We would gladly take pictures holding a samurai sword like some bad ass but not a dinner knife and smiling broadly before a mouthwatering dish as it makes us look stupid before our boys.

3)  The fashion cop

The fashion cop will pick a spot with a vantage view of the entire restaurant dining area. Whenever a better looking or well-dressed lady walks in she will find something awful about her sense of fashion. “Clive look at that lady; she must borrowed those pants from her little sister…seriously how do you dye your her hair blond when you are that dark?…just see how she is strutting around with confidence yet how she is so ugly”

Dear fashion cops, pointing out other ladies fashion faux pas will not elevate your standing before our eyes if anything we might realize they are a lot more appealing than you and wish you would leave so we can hit on them.

4) The loquacious lady
Do you like my new hairstyle? Do I look good in orange? Are you ashamed of holding my hand in public? Do you find that girl attractive? I’m I talking too much? This kind of lady asks endless questions without giving the poor guy a chance to answer back. You don’t have to prod the guy to compliment your looks, let him do that at his own time. Constantly seeking approval and turning the conversation into a monologue sends red flags that you have deep underlying psychological issues. What happened to women using their uncanny ability to have guys do their bidding without asking directly?

5)  The Prima donna
Everything about her attire is aimed at making a statement; there is even an inspiration to the kind of handkerchief she carries. She only dons accessories from particular designers, shops and only hangs out in certain places. A prima donna only associates with people within her perceived class, anyone short of that isn’t worth a minute of her time.

From afar, she may appear full of confidence but beneath that unruffled exterior lies an insecure lady who is desperately trying to impress anyone and everyone. She is easily the most annoying kind to take out on a date. So you drive a Japanese car? Most of my friends own rides that make yours look like a toolbox on wheels. You listen to soul music? Dude, that’s so 1950’s. What’s your favorite meal? Yuck! That tastes like ash! That’s your favorite Movie? C’mon, how can anyone sit through such a boring movie? Nothing you like is good enough for her.

We all come from different backgrounds and have different personalities so just because someone has different tastes don’t necessarily mean they are decrepit. What’s the most annoying date you’ve ever had? Courtesy: Mark Maina

 

TVET and entrepreneurship education (EPE)

By Clive SIACHIYAKO

We are currently living in the ‘knowledge era’ of human history. Knowledge societies and knowledge economies are the main characteristics of the knowledge era, but more important is the ‘knowledge mindset’ of individuals. The knowledge mindset helps individuals to navigate today’s uncertainties and tomorrow’s unknown developments, not only in labour markets but in all aspects of life. Twenty-first-century citizens, regardless of their occupation, must be well equipped to navigate oceans of fast changes and developments. It is the responsibility of TVET to equip individuals to meet current and future challenges and expectations. This is a huge responsibility, but one that must be fulfilled. Education is the main vehicle used by societies to develop their new generations, and education reforms should be oriented to providing students with a knowledge mindset. Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and entrepreneurship education (EPE) have a particular role to play in this context.

Time is ripe for integrating education aimed at helping individuals acquire occupation-related technical skills through TVET with those for instilling transferable skills through EPE. The growing trends towards many career changes in the course of people’s lives add to the importance of them acquiring good generic transferable skills. Because of this growing awareness of the role of entrepreneurship in growth and employment, issues of redefining entrepreneurship, and consequently entrepreneurship education and training, have become prominent in the 21st century.

Entrepreneurship education (EPE)
Initiatives to use the power of education to enhance individuals’ entrepreneurial mindsets, and raise awareness of entrepreneurship as a viable alternative to paid employment, gave rise to educational programmes that can be grouped together under the heading of entrepreneurship education and training. EPE has existed for decades and a wide variety of courses have been introduced in many systems of education around the globe.

Special EPE programmes are tailored to job seekers, to unemployed people, and to scientists, engineers and researchers to encourage them to commercialize their intellectual property. EPE is often a link in a chain of support offered to those who decide to explore self-employment and establish a small enterprise. Other links of the chain include technical, legal and administrative support, as well as incubation, franchise and networking support services.

The first decade of the new millennium witnessed the birth of a broader concept of entrepreneurship as a generic skill for everyone, and not just for exceptional entrepreneurs. In that vein EPE was adopted in many regions, but the new concept is still in its infancy. The new concept of EPE is closely linked to innovation and knowledge-based action, thus it stimulates the ‘entrepreneurial mindset’ of learners. In this new sense, it is advisable that EPE start early in the lives of learners.  It is envisaged that introducing entrepreneurial thinking and entrepreneurship education early at all levels could go very far in nurturing a culture that rewarded prudent risk-taking.

TVET and EPE: where we stand today?
There are new trends and developments in the concept, coverage, policies and modalities of both TVET and EPE. To meet the growing demand for skills, many education systems are adopting policies that clearly focus on skill development and TVET as means to ensure that people were more employable and more productive once they were employed or employed themselves.

TVET strives to prepare tomorrow’s workforce for competitive labour markets, most of which are dominated by small and micro enterprises (SMEs). In many countries SMEs amount to more than 90 per cent of the total number of enterprises, and employ more than two-thirds of the labour force.

 

Innovation in SMEs is crucial to their success and sustainability. Enterprises characterised by innovation are more likely to survive in the market than enterprises that do not innovate. Innovation should be the responsibility not only of entrepreneurs but of all employees, particularly in high-tech enterprises where many are typically TVET graduates.

EPE for SMEs to complement TVET
One of the challenges for educators and policy-makers working in TVET is to assess the extent to which their programmes are preparing students for the whole spectrum of working life, including paid employment, work in cooperatives, self-employment, setting up businesses, family work, social work and voluntary work. Currently, most TVET programmes are basically designed to prepare people for paid employment and many focus on employment in large enterprises.

Public Private Partnerships could help TVET planners and providers to improve the relevance of offerings, by ensuring that the private sector viewpoint is heard and considered in skills training. EPE was also needed to ensure that students learn entrepreneurship. A combination of entrepreneurship skills and occupation-specific skills should act as a major tool in mitigating unemployment and opening opportunities for self-employment and SME development. Therefore, EPE is needed alongside TVET to address the challenge.

TVET and EPE have traits of real-life experience which help expose learners to the reality of entrepreneurship, and to see self-employment or starting up a business as a viable employment alternative. Secondly, some of the occupations for which TVET programmes provide training lend themselves particularly to self-employment and the establishment of SMEs. Thirdly, many TVET programmes and activities already include some of the main EPE skills, such as working in teams, problem-solving and thinking innovatively.

TVET students with practical work experience are already familiar with the rules of preserving the work environment (that is, with occupational health and safety) and the wider environment (being aware of issues such as pollution and the degradation of natural resources), as well as having some awareness of the sustainability of work opportunities and the economy in general. For these reasons (and many others) EPE is crucial to TVET students, trainees, and equally important to their teachers and other educational personnel.

EPE and TVET are two types of education that aim directly at increasing the employability of students and trainees in two major types of employment: self-employment (which includes establishing and developing SMEs) and paid employment. Both types of education directly link the educational programmes to the labour market, widen the scope of choices for students and graduates, optimise the utilisation of individuals’ potential, and contribute to the comprehensive development of society, both economically and socially. 

 EPE is a major cornerstone in promoting the establishment and development of SMEs. It can usefully be provided at secondary and tertiary education levels, and to graduates, the unemployed (including both the never-employed and those who have been laid off as a result of economic difficulties) and many other groups.

The current emphasis on Entrepreneurship Education reflects the fact that entrepreneurship has never been as important as it is today when the world is confronted with big challenges that extend well beyond the global economy. Entrepreneurship is a tremendous force that can have a big impact in growth, recovery, and societal progress by fuelling innovation, employment generation and social empowerment.

EPE as generic skills for all is best started early in schools
If generic Entrepreneurship Education was offered to students as part of the basic education cycle, entrants to TVET would normally enroll in the programmes on a sound basis of appropriate labour market information and an accurate analysis of their own abilities and interests. Their education choice of TVET would ensure their motivation lead to better achievement of the required skills, both personal and technical, and increase their opportunities to enjoy satisfaction in their jobs and life.

With such a background, during their programme of study, learners would continue to use their acquired entrepreneurship skills in mastering skills and acquiring knowledge that would enable them to become self-employed, establish their own business, or become more productive in paid employment. EPE would help them become more mature employees and possible entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, EPE is not part of the education system in most education systems in the world.

 

EPE should be an integral part of life-long learning
Life-long Entrepreneurship Education would mean that students and trainees enrolled in TVET, at any level and age, would continue to receive relevant support to master entrepreneurship skills. Addressing TVET and EPE in an integrated way, for example using a multidisciplinary team teaching approach, would allow students and trainees to organize what they learn, in terms of skills, knowledge or attitudes, in a way that facilitates recalling and using it, as appropriate, in different types of employment. It would also help them to think about using these competencies in an innovative way in their work and in their life more generally. Courtesy: UNESCO

Simple Entrepreneurship Lessons from Martin Luther King

By Clive SIACHIYAKO

FIFTY years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s death, the world is still honouring the visionary leader who is inspiring many lives forever. The larger-than-life leadership lessons that Dr. King gave the world are as important for entrepreneurs today as they were during his life.

Dr. King was a visionary. He was a man who had a dream bigger than the times in which he lived. That is, after all, what real visionary leaders are all about. His "I have a Dream" speech brought awareness and humanity to the national consciousness about civil rights. He led a social movement of equality during a time when he was not supported by many. In fact, he was threatened and despised by many. But he stayed committed to the vision he held.

Are you bringing that kind of total commitment to your cause? Not to say get arrested, but are you bringing that level of intensity and dedication to your work? Dr. King’s actions were backed his vision and he shook up the popular culture of the time.

Sometimes doing things completely different is what is necessary for evolution and innovation. These paradigm shifts are crucial in every aspect of social, cultural and technological change. The same way of thinking always wields the same results. Dr. King never accepted that just because things were a certain way, it made them the right way.

How can you shake up the status quo in your industry? How about in your corporate culture or business values? Be a leader and set the new standard by changing an outdated status quo in your life. How can Dr. King help you become a better entrepreneur? Here are seven simple entrepreneurship lessons from Dr. Martin Luther King:

1. Dream big
Dr. King is best known for his "I have a dream" at the March on Washington in 1963. A great entrepreneur always dreams big, and shares their vision with employees, investors, customers, prospects and the world. You have to have a dream- and a big one which takes the huge entrepreneurial chance. What are you dreaming up now, and how will you share it?

Make your dream reality. Of course, many people have dreams. Some even have great dreams. But most them do not work to make their dreams a reality as did Dr. King. Great ideas for new products, businesses, and works of science and art die every day with their inventors. To be an entrepreneur is to dream – but it is more in making the dream reality.

2. Persuade without power
Using non-violent civil disobedience, Dr. King was able to persuade millions of Americans to join the civil rights movement and support his dream.

As an entrepreneur, you have to get a lot of people on your side: investors, customers, and most of all, employees. You can try to be powerful and aggressive; to be the "boss" in the traditional sense of the world. But this is increasingly ineffective. The best way to persuade people to get what you want is to be kind, passionate, supportive and grateful.

3. Give people something to believe in
Dr. King was one of the best leaders in modern history in getting people to believe in his dream…to get people to embrace his vision and mission and support him unconditionally.

As an entrepreneur, you too can and must give people something to believe in. Make your core values, mission, strategy and strategic plan be known by everyone in the company. You can hang them up on the walls for all to see and embrace.

4. Embrace fear and be courageous anyway
Dr. King was never shy about admitting his fears. He was afraid that his points wouldn't be well received. Moreover, he was worried about violence breaking out.

Many people, especially men, are taught from a young age, "Don’t be afraid." But the truth is, we all have fear, and that is alright. As Dr. King taught us, it is better to admit you have fear, and find a way to be courageous in spite of that fear.

As an entrepreneur, there are so many things to be afraid of e.g. running out of money, your product not working, a key employee leaving, bankruptcy, low clientele, etc. But if you embrace those fears, you will be better off. How can you embrace your fears?

You embrace your fear by recognising that it exists. After recognising it, confront your fears with courage and commitment. To assist with this endeavor, you must realise that the fear is derived from your minds. Before your body experiences the fear, your brain tells you what to fear and the possible reasons why you should fear it. Once you understand this, then you could use courage and commitment to counteract the fear so that you could get things done.

5. Get everyone involved
Dr. King was able to build a real movement because he was able to get so many people involved…to truly “rally the troops,” because everyone felt like they were part of something bigger than them.

As an entrepreneur, you can involve everyone, and learn from everyone as well. Every employee, customer and prospect has something valuable to teach you, if you will only let them. Involve all of your employees in goal setting and strategy setting…you will never know where the next great idea will come from. How can you better get more people involved?

6. Create a sense of urgency
Dr. King said in his "I have a dream" speech: “We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.

 Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.”

Now is the time, for you as well. Now is the time for you to lead your team, and now is the time for you to build something of meaning, and now is the time for you to instill a sense of urgency in each and every person you speak with. Have passion for what you do and believe in, and you can create that sense of urgency.

7. Inspire people
Dr. King was so inspiring to so many people, and we can only dream of being half as inspiring as he was. But as an entrepreneur, as a leader, your job is to inspire. Your job is to inspire your staff, your investors, and the world, about your mission and your products and services.

The world you dream of can inspire others to aim higher in life. It can give them the zeal to think big and have the resilience to rise again after a temporal defeat. Communicate your dream to others. Talk about it! Let others know what you dream about entrepreneurial self.

How effective could be your dream if you are not communicating it? Do you have a vision for your enterprise? Is it prominently displayed where your staff can easily see? And do you talk about how your actions, services, campaigns and products back up that vision?

REMEMBER, dreaming without doing is for childhood. Real leaders have big dreams, take big steps to communicate them, and then they go take big actions! Dr. King's actions made him one of the great leaders of the 20th century, Time Magazine's "Man of the Year" in 1963 and a Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1964. How do you plan to turn your dreaming into doing? Courtesy of INC.COM