Conservation Careers Fair Zambia’s Post

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Managing same multicultural team at construction site in South Sudan for about half a year is not so difficult as it may seem. You just keep balancing all the time. Russian, Ukrainian, Kazakh, Azerbaijanian welders, fitters, instrumentation and control engineers, electricians, construction engineers - they mainly still have ex-USSR in common, so still they are generally a little bit arrogant. They can teach local cook how to make borsch with great enthusiasm, or drink beer together on Saturday evening trying to communicate on A level English that brings a lot of fun. But also they will apply to you as authority at any case of discontent from someone they consider "lower foreigners" and wait for immediate reaction. Why these guys still not finished something? Why some locals or that guarding soldiers come to our territory? What the hell happens to tipper / crane / pickup when we need it etc? And you always answer: last week we had smaller team of local staff on this reason, the visit was approved by me or not approved and I will take some measures, repair detail for tipper will come next week, crane was on monthly service, pickup was sent to market for food etc. Local South Sudanese general workers were mainly Nuer people (it was state of mainly Nuer), so you can't make Dinka man their boss. Friendly Ethiopian mechanic is usually not a problem to anyone, Sudanese doctor speaks Russian, English and Arabic, so you have only to control him drinking not too much :) Indian team of crane operators and riggers stand absolutely separate though they are really open-hearted. Gorgeous cook and devout woman Leah from Kenya may be sometimes treated incorrectly only by several local guys who consider all women not equal to men. So you keep balancing all the time: Russian will not be satisfied with neverending problems "everything-is-not-like-at-home" and your gentle attitude to people they consider "lower foreigners", guys from India will suffer of their loneliness in big team, locals mainly will not be satisfied they have to work at all :) You just need the result. #SouthSudan #multicultural

I arrived on site 71/2 years ago at Lihir island as the rope access manager for Monadelphous PNG Ltd, only to find that there was no rope access and I had to sell it to the client. When you look like me, saying hello to people is confronting enough for them, let alone trying to sell them on a high risk idea that has never been entertained in the country. The first 3 years were a hard no as the safety manager at the time was simply not going to budge. I finally got a tentative go ahead at year 5, but was thwarted at the start line by the manager at the time, who had given the green light, going to another project. Fast forward to Mid 2023, a forward thinking gentleman who shall remain a friend of mine, simply because he is a genuinely decent human being, was in need of a way to have a pressure vessel repaired that was too small to gain entry to scaffold (traditional W@H method in PNG) internally. Enter a team of 3 men and myself. The first project took 14 shifts and was a massive success. We then had the opportunity to do another two acid wash vessels, and again, they were a success. We were also given an opportunity to do some shut down tasks in September of 2023 that we absolutely kicked out of the park. March 2024 I then built the team to 20 and in September we went to 28. March 2025 the team will have 41 rope access technicians, 3 supervisors and myself as the coordinator. This has been a 71/2 year long road to get to here. It has been far from easy, but anything worth doing takes time. Without a good team, this wouldn't be a success, it would be a monumental failure. You are only as good as your last fight, and you are only as good as the people you employ. Your most important asset as a manger is not a tool or instrument, it is the men and women that work for you. A good team takes time to build. In my industry, my team needs to be comfortable with each member and they need to trust that they are supported by each other and know that their manager supports them. I have the support of the people above me, and I support those who work for me and trust them to do what they have to do. I do not need to micro manage them. I am only good at what I know how to do. I cannot tell someone how to do the task they are trained to do, if I have not been trained to do that myself. I would not try. I trust that the people I employee are capable of doing the tasks that I ask of them, without my interference. The role of a manager is not to sit beside someone and nitpick, it is to convey the information to their supervisors who in turn convey the information to the men and women in the field. 2024 has been a fantastic year, we made it!!! I am looking forward to 2025 and the expansion of rope access in Papua New Guinea. Merry Christmas olgeta mangi na meri. Stay seif, na catch yu next year.

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🔥 Fire Safety First!🔥 The safety of employees at Sandvik Mining and Construction,isn’t just a priority—it’s a core value. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to participate in a fire safety training led by professionals from the Ghana Fire Service. One of the most important lessons? Act fast! In the event of a fire, starving it of fuel, heat, or oxygen— the three elements that keep it burning is essential. Whether using a fire extinguisher, soaked blankets, or even sand, knowing how to act quickly can make all the difference. But there’s another aspect that’s just as critical: Always have an escape plan! Whether at work, home, or anywhere else, knowing your nearest emergency exits and having a clear plan can be life-saving. This training has truly heightened my awareness of fire safety, and I’m proud to be part of a company that invests in our well-being so proactively. Let’s all take a moment to think about our own safety plans—do you know yours? #SafetyFirst #FireSafety #EmployeeWellBeing #ProfessionalDevelopment #Sandvik