Another episode of the Pineland Underground. This one was focused on the academic program at the Naval Postgraduate School and what that program could do for the force.
Here’s the line that grabbed my attention and inspired the headline:
“Special operations students have a superpower here – it’s not that these guys are going to split the atom or invent the longer lasting light bulb, but through their capability of navigating different cultures, navigating different groups of people, and [it’s] bringing them together around a common problem.”
Applied Design for Innovation | Graduate Program for Warfighters and Innovation Brokers, Pineland Underground
I’d argue that the superpower extends well beyond graduate school.
That’s really it, isn’t it?
“Can you get the State Department person on board? Can you get the tech startup founder on board? Can you get the neuroscientist from Stanford on board?”
Go on.
“Can you navigate all of these personalities, all these cultures, all these people, and mobilize them, understand their incentives, understand their identity, can you mobilize them around an innovation challenge?”
That’s the superpower right there. It’s less about having the power yourself, and more about unlocking it around you.
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Carrying the Gun 