is to come . The greatest skills , therefore to help you get positioned for dominance in the future are :
Be Teachable : Recognize that no matter how accomplished you were yesterday , tomorrow is a blank slate . Embrace the mindset of a perpetual learner , ready to adapt to the changing tides .
Be Adaptable : Acquiring new knowledge is not enough ; you must be willing to embrace and apply it . Avoid the trap of listening only to argue ; instead , strive to understand and be open to changing your perspective .
Deploy Quickly : In this age of speed , the true currency is the ability to act swiftly . Don ' t let the opportunity pass you by - put your newfound knowledge into practice before it becomes obsolete .
Seize the Future . Isn ' t this wonderful news ? That no one has experience for tomorrow . It means that if you do the three things mentioned above , no one has anything on you . It ' s time to win the future .
The Team Of Teams
One of the greatest yet unspoken effects of social media is the total breakdown of traditional divisions along the lines of religion , class , and tribe . These divisions have been exploited by politicians for decades , and for a season it worked for them . What they did not see coming was the emergence of a new tribe - a global tribe , for that matter .
Let me prove this . Take a Gen Z from Lagos , from Nairobi , and indeed from anywhere in the world . You will notice that they all sound the same , dress the same , have the same slang , and they stick together . How do you defeat such an army ?
General Stanley McChrystal , the Commander of the Joint Special Operations Task Force in Iraq in 2003 , in his book " Team of Teams ," gives a very concise account of how , despite the task force , terror attacks increased in Iraq . In fact , he gives very shocking figures : In 2004 there were more terror attacks in Iraq alone than in the whole world . In 2005 , terrorism in Iraq claimed 8,300 lives ( three times 9 / 11 ), and in 2006 , 1,000 Iraqis were dying on the streets every single month .
Yet , the world ' s best-trained , best-equipped , and most sophisticated team was there to curtail Al Qaeda in Iraq ( AQI ). They failed ! In a self-analysis from the perspective of the Commanding Officer , General Stanley McChrystal said the following : " The Task Force was great on its own but within the context of Iraq , it was useless ."
Anyone trying to fight a Gen Z uprising with guns , tear gas , and abductions - the same old methods used in the past - is taking a huge gamble and is positioning that armed force to suffer the same fate as General McChrystal ' s army . According to the General , the enemy they were up against was formed in 1988 with no institutional experience to lean on . They had no fixed location , no uniforms or formal address . They recruited locals or anyone who wanted to fight , including people with zero experience . They improvised weapons that were largely assembled in basements . Face-to-face meetings or letters were sent by couriers , and they had a loose command structure . Now , does this sound familiar ?
A structured police force with conventional weapons is attempting to do exactly the same thing . Who are they fighting ? An opponent that fits the exact same description above with no clear structure , an opponent more advanced than the forces after them in the use of technology and mobilization ; An opponent who is not political but ideological . That is the most dangerous opponent in the world and that is the profile of the opponent that has brought down great empires over the years .
Those who do not learn from history will repeat the mistakes of the past . A word is enough for the wise .
Dr . Wale Akinyemi is the founder and Chief Transformation Officer PowerTalks Consultants . You can commune with him on this or related matters via email at : Wale @ powertalks . biz