Reflections and Repetition 📅 Date: 12th April
Key Points – 12th April
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Light rain last night; beautiful reflective morning
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Took reflection photos from mobile phones of senior local staff
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Conveyor belt damaged during replacement—crusher team’s carelessness
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Inspected coal firing area of Line#2—no abnormality found
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Workmen using compressed air unsafely despite being watched
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Operators still changing feed in large steps, causing process disturbance
Reflections and Repetition
This morning was one of those that makes you pause and breathe deeply.
The light rain (7mm as per records) had cleaned the dust off everything. Puddles formed mirror-like surfaces, reflecting the skies, buildings, and those who passed by. I took a few photos—capturing not just images, but stillness and symmetry.
Then I saw three of our senior local employees—Adama, Aluih, and Pekpe—walking by. I stopped them with a smile and said:
“Give me your mobiles.”
A bit confused, they handed them over. I clicked the same reflection photos for each one of them from their own cameras. They looked surprised when I showed them.
And I could tell: They'd never used their phones like that before.
That small moment—non-technical, simple—was a reminder that sometimes we just need to show people a different perspective.
Not everything needs a lecture. Sometimes, it’s just about handing them a new lens—literally.
When Carelessness Costs
But then the day threw up the familiar.
The crusher team, during a routine job, managed to damage a brand-new conveyor belt—while replacing it.
No excuses. Just plain carelessness.
In the world of heavy industry, mistakes like these don’t just cost money—they bleed morale. Because when one team does careless work, it casts a shadow on everyone’s efforts.
It makes you wonder—how much more careful would they have been if they had paid for that belt themselves?
Coal Firing – Steady for Now
Visited Line#2’s coal firing area and inspected the equipment.
No anomalies observed so far.
But I’ve learned to treat no abnormality not as reassurance, but as a prompt:
“What are we not seeing?”
Still, it’s a good sign that amidst all the inconsistencies elsewhere, this area seems stable—for now.
When Safety Becomes a Joke
And then—something that just left me stunned.
A group of workmen were cleaning their clothes and themselves with compressed air—
1-inch hose in full blast.
It’s dangerous.
It’s reckless.
And they knew I was watching.
And they didn’t stop.
That’s the part that hits hardest.
It wasn’t ignorance. It was indifference.
And that’s harder to fix. Because now we’re not talking about training—we’re dealing with a mindset problem.
I can’t be everywhere. But we can’t afford this culture of “it doesn’t matter” to take root.
Same Mistake, Different Day
The last note of the day is something that keeps returning like a bad echo.
Our operators continue to adjust feed rates in big, clumsy steps—5 to 10 TPH at a time.
Every time they do this, the process gets disturbed. We waste time, fuel, efficiency.
I’ve explained it repeatedly:
“Why not 1TPH or 2TPH changes? Be gentle with the system.”
But it’s like telling someone not to yank a steering wheel while driving.
Some listen.
Some never will—until they crash.
Final Thoughts:
The plant is full of signals—both literal and symbolic.
Some are in reflection photos in the morning.
Some are in the clumsy way a belt is handled, or in how a worker ignores safety even under supervision.
Today was one of those days that reminded me:
Leadership is often about repetition. Repeating what’s right. Repeating what matters. Until it sticks.
And in between, don’t forget to hand someone a camera and show them a reflection they never noticed.
That’s leadership too.
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