Some kids love putting things together while others love pulling them apart. Both habits may mean, according to child development experts, that your child has a connecting schema – a fascination with the way things work and interact – and a phenomenon characterised by confused dads and exasperated moms, lawnmowers with three wheels and spinning bikes without emergency brakes! “Fixing things that don’t need fixing, has always been my thing,” chuckles Barnard Inc Estate Administrator, Zach Visser. “Ultimately, there will be oil leaking from the product, even if it didn’t have oil in the first place!”
No doubt, Zach’s parents learned to tolerate his obsession with ‘fixing things’, but, unlike many other adults, they saw in him a spirit to understand the order and purpose in everything. It’s a characteristic that complements his work in estate management. “I enjoy the time management side of deceased estates, getting everything in order. Problem solving soothes my desire for order and improvement.”
Zach grew up in Tzaneen, Limpopo and attended Merensky High School on one of the farms in the area. “Yes, I went to a ‘plaas skool.’ No, we did not have to milk the cows!” jokes Zach. “My parents taught us to be the change we wanted to see in the world. They were really supportive, even if we made mistakes.”
Zach is part of the Fiduciary Law team that recently joined the Barnard Inc group of commercial law practices. The department, under the leadership of Ariza Vermeulen, concentrates on deceased estate administration; estate planning; drafting of wills; drafting of living wills; and will and estate dispute resolution. Zach’s ‘fixing things’ mindset is a great benefit to the growth of the practice because it services as a kind of ‘kaizen’ process that ensures that there is constant development and innovation in the way that things are done and in the way that value is added to the clients’ needs.
Maybe, if it ain’t broke, it needs fixing!
