Category Archives: Travels

This was a great week delivering my 40th IT Manager Institute class in Johannesburg, South Africa. We had a small class this time, but I sort of like smaller classes because I get to know everyone so much better, , , I made an exception this time to make the long trip and deliver the program to a few who really wanted the training. What a great group this was, , , I’m sitting in the classroom with them right now as they take their ITBMC exam, , , hope they all pass.

Brian, Mike, Moses, Jacques, Herbert

Large classes are also great. Every class is different and I have enjoyed being part of each and every one. This class was especially fun to work with.

Tomorrow, I get to go on a mini-safari before catching a flight home. Hope to get some photos of wild animals such as rhino, giraffe, elephant, and lion and an assortment of smaller animals. Look for my post this weekend for the photos.

I’ll be headed to the airport in a little while. First, a quick flight from Nashville to Atlanta, , , only about 45 minutes. This flight was upgraded to first class so it will be a nice start.

Then tonight at 7:00pm I fly out of Atlanta on my way to Johannesburg, South Africa, , , a non-stop 15 1/2 hours of air travel. Amazing when you think of it, , , but a pain when you realize having to be in such a confined space for such a long time.

It’s a good thing I can sleep anywhere, , , and I mean anywhere. Never had any real trouble getting to sleep on trips. When I get there at 5:00pm tomorrow night SA time, I’ll get to my hotel, have some dinner and get a full night’s sleep so I’ll essentially be on SA time come Monday morning.

I look forward to this class like I do all my classes. I’ll have a former student sitting in and who will present a couple of the sessions as we prepare him to deliver the program in Africa going forward.

Unfortunately, the Atlanta to Johannesburg flight is coach and a middle seat.

Ouch!!

That’s because it is often late before I can purchase a ticket if I don’t know whether the class will confirm or not. This class is small but just large enough to justify the trip, , , maybe I’ll be able to get my seat moved to an aisle or window. Cross your fingers on this one!

The best long trips are when you have an open seat next to you and you are able to spread out. I tend to use these trips to work and can get quite a bit done. If I’m in a middle seat, I won’t get much work done.

Hope you have a great weekend. Me, I’ll be on a plane or waiting to get on a plane all weekend.

The next post you see will be coming from Johannesburg, South Africa.

As I plan to leave for my 4th visit to South Africa in a couple of days, it brings back some positive memories of earlier trips.

2005

2005 South Africa IT Manager Institute

In this first class, Dan Tankersley went with me. Dan and I have been co-workers and good friends since 1994. His family and mine have become as close to family as you can get and we try to see one another every year. Dan’s contributions to the start-up of my company were very helpful so the South Africa trip was a small way for me to give back to him. Both of us enjoyed this class very much.

I called this group the “fun class” because they bonded so quickly and had a good time together. Our excursion to Sun City was one I’ll never forget, , , we had a most interesting driver who we determined must have been paid by the hour.

2006

2006 South Africa IT Manager Institute

Our 2nd class in South Africa was my 20th overall and also a fun and interesting group. I would later reconnect with some of the Nigerians in this class during my first visit to Nigeria in 2009. It was in this class where I would meet Gynt Schoeman and his fiance, , , they would take me to a nice dinner a year later when I returned to South Africa.

This class included Herbert Ruth, a senior IT manager in his own right. We have stayed in contact and on the trip coming up we will be working together to put plans in place to do more for South Africa and other African countries.

2007

2007 South Africa IT Manager Institute

One of my larger classes and one in which Dan Tankersley participated in again. He was a great help and it makes a long trip all the more fun when you have someone to talk to at dinner, , , or to visit one of the African tribal cultural centers like we did. Great class and my 26th Institute  at the time.

It has been three years since I was in South Africa and much has changed from what I hear. For one thing, the World Cup was just hosted there and many improvements have been made at the airport and in the infrastructure in and around Johannesburg, , , will be interesting to see.

I look forward to this class as I always do. This class will be a smaller group which I like in many ways because I’ll get to know each of the students much better.

Look for my posts next week when I add to the ITLever Blog from South Africa.

I’ve been to South Africa on three occasions to deliver the IT Manager Institute and headed there again this coming Saturday to teach my 4th SA Institute next week – July 26-30, 2010.

Yesterday was a big day for South Africa following a month of excitement in hosting the World Cup soccer matches.

First it was Nelson Mandela’s 92nd birthday.  I have two photos of my visits to South Africa that have a Mandela connection:

At Nelson Mandela Square

At Mandela’s original home, now a museum

You can tell I’m in South Africa because I have the t-shirt  🙂

The second big event yesterday was when Louis Oosthuizen won The Open Championship of golf, , , some still call it the British Open. This one was held at St. Andrews, the home of golf and where they have played for some 600 years, , , several hundred years before the US became a nation.

Watching this tournament is one of the favorite things to do with my family; we enjoy links golf a lot. Some day, I hope to visit St. Andrews and play a round where so many legends of golf have played.

It was his first major championship win and he played impeccably the last two days as he held the lead. No one really ever challenged him and his game was in excellent form. This is a big deal for the game of golf in South Africa.

Louis Oosthuizen holds the claret jug trophy as he sits on the “old bridge with the St. Andrews clubhouse and 18th green in the background

I’m looking forward to my return visit to South Africa next week although the long plane ride is not all that much fun. We expect to have a great class and I’m excited about a new working relationship we are developing with Herbert Ruth, a South African professional who attended the Institute program in 2006.

Got my extra Rand (SA currency), electrical adapters and passport, , , looking forward to teaching our 40th IT Manager Institute next week. Hard to believe we have taught so many classes in such a short time. It has been great!!

Details of the IT Manager Institute at www.mde.net/institute

The class dinner was held for the Lagos, Nigeria IT Manager Institute class in downtown Lagos. If you have never been to Lagos, I can tell you it is quite interesing, , , and very busy.

IT Manager Institute class dinner - Lagos, Nigeria - May 2010

My class always wants me to try some of the specialty dishes, but my “delicate American stomach” does not always respond well to some of the more exotic foods I encounter. Wish I was smarter than I am, but I seem to try things that sometimes haunt me a bit later in the night.

Last night, my class presented me with a hand painted canvas titled “Every Day Life” that depicts fishing and travel on the water near Lagos Bridge. The city of Lagos is on an island and is somewhere around 7 million people, , , to say the streets are quite busy is an understatement.

Hand painted canvas gift from the Nigeria class

The class dinners are always one of the highlights of the IT Manager Institute (also referred to as the IT Leadership Institute in my African visits). We have held a dinner for every class I have delivered, , , it is simply a small way to give back to those who have invested time and money in our program. It’s also something our students seem to remember and appreciate.

When I set out to create the Institute program, I wanted to make it different and special for those who attend. The class dinner and other “surprises” I spring on the class during the week seem to work, , , the IT managers who attend tell me that the program is unique and very special.

Here are a few comments from this week:

“The quality of course materials is simply excellent. IT management is not complete without these training materials.”

“The Institute was beyond expectations.”

“Lots of information to help me improve my work as IT manager. I recommend anyone wanting to be an IT manager should take this course.”

“I wish I had attended this course earlier in my career. Very eye opening.”

Nigerians are fun people and they make me feel welcome and very much “at home” when I visit their country. There are already discussions of a return trip.

Well, I made it to Nigeria, , , got my VISA in the “nick of time” and had a great trip (albeit a long one) to get here.  I’m in Lagos, Nigeria staying with my host company, Digital Jewels, Ltd.  It is a 10 1/2 hour non-stop flight from Atlanta – not too bad compared to some other places I’ve visited, , , but still a long flight.

Been teaching the IT Manager Institute this week – my 39th Institute. We have had a great class – very attentive and interested managers.

Digital Jewels has a 1-bedroom suite that I reside in right next to their office, so I have a great 1-minute commute. They take very good care of me and see that I’m comfortable and with plenty of Coca Cola – something I seem to need to function.

Tonight, we hold our class dinner and it’s something I always look forward to. I meet some of the most interesting and best people in the world as I focus efforts toward, “helping IT managers of the world achieve more success”. I’m truly blessed to be able to do what I do. The class dinner is one of the highlights of the class.

Nigerians are some of the happiest people in the world from what I’ve observed. There are many challenges in their country, , , as in most countries, , , but they persevere and rise above the challenge. I have mentioned to many of my colleagues in the past that, “when Nigerians are in the class. we seem to have more fun”. This is certainly true of this particular class, , , they are all super people that I have had pleasure to get to know in such a short time.

They are taking their ITBMC exams now and will finish shortly, , , then it’s time to relax, enjoy good food, and tell one another tall tales of our experiences over dinner. I look forward to it.

The trip to the Atlanta Consulate of Nigeria on Thursday paid off. We received our Business VISA just as requested in short order, , , and just in time — my flight is on Saturday. It was a 4-hour drive to Atlanta each way, but worth it in the end.

To obtain this Business VISA was a massive effort mostly due to the fact we could not reach anyone or even leave messages, send faxes or send e-mail to the Consulate in New York. The Atlanta office was much more responsive and reasonable to work with.

If you see headlines about an American being detained in Nigeria, it may be me, , , hopefully I have not ticked anyone off to be flagged upon my arrival for pushing so hard to get this done.

I’m looking forward to seeing my friends at Digital Jewels – Adedoyin, Ayo, Funmi, and others, , , maybe even some of my former students – we have had over 60 Nigerian managers attend the program in various locations – Johannesburg, Dubai, and Abuja, , , even many to attend in Nashville, Tennessee.

Oh yeah, I should make a note about Nigerian people. I have worked with many over the years and found them to be one of the happiest, fun-loving people in the world. They have big challenges in their country, but they overcome adversity and rise above it with a spirit like no other in the world. I truly love working with Nigerian managers and enjoy their strong desire to become stronger managers and to do good things for their companies and for themselves.

Look for my posts while visiting Lagos, Nigeria.

Well, the New York efforts did not work, , , seems that we just lost precious time. With all the inquiries they were getting about my VISA application (from a Senator’s office, from a House of Representative’s office, even from their own Embassy in Washington, D.C.), I’m hoping no one has put me on the Interpol list.

The good news is that the Consulate General in the Atlanta Consul seems to understand my situation, , , talked to him three times now, , , and he called me to respond to my situation, , , a nice man and very professional.

So, , , I’m headed to Atlanta in a few minutes. The interesting thing is that the Atlanta Consulate is in Roswell, GA, , , within 3 miles of where we lived for 20 years, so I’ll get to eat dinner tonight at Ippolito’s and maybe see some friends.

Dark clouds usually have silver linings.

Hopefully, by this time tomorrow, I’m on my way home with the Nigeria Business VISA stamped in my passport, , , with 1 day to spare. I may get to see the Nigeria flag after all.  Nothing like playing it close!!!!!!

Keep your fingers crossed, , , it is a 4-hour drive to Atlanta so I hope all goes as planned, , , will be disappointing if it doesn’t.

Positive thoughts create positive energy, , , helps you succeed in life and in business.

I ended the day yesterday with a small bit of optimism that the Nigeria VISA will be issued and everything will come together, , , don’t get your hopes up too quickly.

This morning we had another call with the New York Consulate General – it was not very promising, although he was very professional and seems to want to help. Still, looks like a possible challenge to work through the process they are requiring in time.

Hopeful News !! Just got a call from the Consulate General in the Atlanta Embassy. He has committed to issue the VISA if I visit the Embassy this week and states, “there is no reason you should require a Work Visa to deliver a 1-week training class”.

That’s what my sponsoring company in Nigeria and I thought!!!

Called New York back to ask them to ship the documents and passport to me overnight, , , now, they are having a problem locating the file.

Can you believe it? Feeling like I’m living in Murphy’s World – remember Murphy’s Law? — “If it can go wrong, it will go wrong.”

The positive part is that New York stated they are trying to issue the VISA and they do not want me to miss traveling to Nigeria to provide the training.

The good news is that we may now have two Embassies trying to help when early Monday morning we had no one.

Keeping our fingers crossed.