To soar high, forge genuine friendships

Larry Liza, a published author, poet and East and Southern Africa Director of the World Custom Organization, during an interview at his office in Upperhill, Nairobi, on January 28, 2020. PHOTO | LUCY WANJIRU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Larry Liza has headed the East and Southern Africa’s World Customs Organisation’s regional office.
  • He is also a published author, and a poet. His books include "Irresistible", "Monday Motivations" and "Protecting our World", a children’s book.

For three years, Larry Liza has headed the East and Southern Africa’s World Customs Organization’s regional office.

He is also a published author and a poet. His books include "Irresistible", "Monday Motivations" and "Protecting our World", a children’s book.

What does your job involve?

I am tasked with promoting growth of intraregional trade, support fair and efficient revenue mobilisation, strengthen intraregional customs compliance, and enhance integrity and professionalism among our employees.

I work alongside international organisations such as the African Union, World Bank, European Union and regional economic blocks such as the East African Community (EAC) and Common Market for East and South Africa (Comesa).

My office also engages the private sector at different levels to strengthen regional economic development.

If you could condense your experiences into a book, what would be the primary theme?

Relationships. Building strong interpersonal relationships has been key to my professional and personal growth.

I have stayed in touch with everyone who has impacted my life — from when I was in primary school, going through college, at the workplace, and in church.

From these people, I have received abundant love. They have formed a reliable support system for me in all my endeavours.

How does your career enhance your writing?

My career has opened up the world to me. I travel a lot, which allows me to mingle with people from diverse geographical, racial, national and cultural backgrounds.

This way, I have learnt to appreciate different views, and to be objective in my thinking. I have since developed a great deal of creativity which I express in my books.

What discoveries have you made about yourself so far?

That I am irritable both in my professional life and leadership style. I am intolerant to liars, and always cut ties with them permanently.

Your most costly career mistake?

My determination to speak my mind and to tell the truth. Once, during a heated conversation, I confronted an influential person who I felt was wrong.

I should have acted with decorum, but I tried to prove my point instead, forgetting that through his networks, he was best placed to help me grow in my career. This created hatred between us, and cost me a good opportunity that would have changed the course of my career.

What’s the secret to writing a good book?

Patience and desire for excellence. It took me 20 years to publish my first book, and seven years after that to get my second one out.

I self-edited the raw manuscripts for years. Afterwards, I shared them with my friends so that I could get their opinions, which I incorporated in the final copy.

Later, I hired professional editors to finish the job. If you write a book and publish it within a few weeks, you run the risk of producing something that is unappealing to the audience.

With such a compact schedule, do you ever get time for personal development?

Every year, I draft an annual plan outlining my professional and personal targets. I call them the 4G framework — God (spiritual well-being and service to humanity), groups (the place of family, friends and the society), gifts (my talent in writing) and growth (professional growth and investments).

I break these pillars into smaller bits complete with daily, weekly and monthly targets.

What feeds your passion?

My past, my present and my future. I have a chequered past, having been born and bred in absolute poverty. I’ve also gone through the pain of losing my mother and sister as a teenager.

In my present circumstances, I believe in changing other people’s lives. Our biggest challenge as a country is selfishness, and this leads to corruption and theft of public resources. I am confident that one day, we shall live in an ideal world where everyone is responsible for their actions.

What would you do differently if you had the chance?

I would practice better time management. Going to bed with unread e-mails, and sleeping for longer than I should, bothers me. I just can’t help it, but I’m trying hard to change this and be more productive.

Talk to young people about the importance of humble beginnings.

Don’t compare yourself with others. Everyone’s journey is unique. Don’t, for instance, buy a car because your colleague owns one. Do so only because it is necessary and within your means. Use your past as a stepping stone to reach your goals. Create genuine relationships with sincere people, and in the shoulders of giants you will fly.

Share a few lessons you have picked from your current role

I have learnt to be strategic in my thinking, and when analysing different situations. My job has also taught me develop and sustain relationships with everyone, regardless of their positions, and to stay humble at all times.

Where would you be if you were not writing or working in the customs world?

I would probably be a traffic policeman on a motorbike. It breaks my heart to see road users break traffic rules and get away with it. I would arrest them all and make them pay for their sins.