WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM SUPER SPY JASON BOURNE III

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#3: Jason Bourne was obviously a lateral thinker, & personally embodied a broad & resourceful repertoire of skills & tactics, which allowed him to out-think, out-smart & out-manoeuvre the dark ominous forces of the shady world of international espionage, coverture & intrigue.

As a result, he was able to create tactical improvisations & initiate counter-measures to evade surveillance, avoid capture as well as to neutralise his assailants.

At the end of it all, or rather the larger picture was that, he was very determined to stay alive & to keep going in his relentless quest for the truth. Actually, it was more of a quest for atonement on his part.

Amusingly, as Pamela Landy, deputy director of counter-intelligence, newly assigned to spear-head the hunt for the super spy, rightly said to all the CIA surveillance guys in 'The Bourne Ultimatum':

"This is Jason Bourne, the toughest target that you have ever tracked. He is really good at staying alive, & trying to kill him & failing just pisses him off!".

Here's a quick roundup of his skills & tactics, as portrayed in the movies:

- versatility with multiple foreign languages, including French, Italian, German, Russian, Spanish;

- proficiency in dealing with electronic communication & surveillance devices;

- adept with fire-arms, single-handed &/or with both hands;

- a knack for hot-wiring as well as driving vehicles, from two-wheels to four-wheels;

- best of all, skilled in hand-to-hand unarmed combat techniques, often with lightning moves & improvised weapons from everyday objects e.g. ballpoint, towel, rolled-up magazine, book, electrical cord, etc.;

I reckon I don't need to use selected scenes from the movies to illustrate all the above.

In the real world, I strongly feel that we should emulate Jason Bourne, not as a super spy, but learn to embrace his uncanny ability to acquire a broad spectrum of skills & tactics as a field agent, & also, adopt his remarkable photographic memory of all the skills & attributes he was trained from the beginning as an elite assassin.

We should also strive to equal his methodical efficiency of pursuing his objectives.

I am sure readers, if you have watched 'The Bourne Supremacy', would certainly recall a particular scene during which Jason Bourne's deliberate use of a known passport to cross borders was captured on electronic surveillance, Nicky as JB's former CIA case officer in Paris, responded to her CIA bosses:

"It's not a mistake. They don't make mistakes. They don't do random. There is always an objective. Always a target."

Personally, I am very impressed by his power of focus, & his emotional detachment from distractions & encumbrances, first from Marie & later from Nicky, in pursuing his targets, in spite of his amnesiac handicap.

Of course, all these are figments of imagination from the make-believe world created by seasoned Hollywood tale-blazers.

To me, that's not the point. The point is what can we learn? where do we go from here?

Several years ago, I had attended the National Achievers' Congress in Singapore, during which Jim Rohn, was one of the keynote speakers. Jim Rohn has often been acknowledged by Anthony Robbins as the latter's mentor.

According to Jim Rohn, one of the most important things to do in order to survive & thrive in the 21st century is to acquire multiple skills.

A case in point is mastering a second language e.g. Chinese Language.

As Michael Backman wrote in his book, 'Asia's Future Shock', which I have reviewed earlier, "China will have the world's largest economy on a purchasing power parity basis" by the time your kids hit their twenties.

MM Lee Kuan Yew saw this coming many many years ago when he was Singapore's Prime Minister.

Earlier, I have written quite a number of posts about 21st century skills which all of us must acquire in order to become effective managers & professionals.

Here is my broad recap of the critical skills & attributes for effective managers in the 21st Century:

- inter-personal communication (people skills);

- ability to act with integrity;

- ability to manage change & adapt quickly;

- ability to motivate & counsel people;

- being a strategic thinker/visionary leader;

- analytical problem solving skills;

- having a global mindset;

- ability to make informed decisions & take quick actions;

- being able to recognise industry trends & market conditions;

- ability to manage & resolve conflicts;

- knowledge of information technology;

- knowledge of financial performance;

- knowledge of strategic planning;

- influencing & negotiation skills;

- knowledge of multiple languages;

- knowledge of geopolitical & cultural diversity;

- business development & presentation skills;

- having a self development mindset;

- ability to facilitate & manage teams;

- staff recruitment, training, appraisal & mentoring skills;

- ability to manage stress;

- resiliency (able to balance job, family & external demands);

- project management skills;

If you are an educator/parent/student, I suggest dropping by this wonderful link, which provides an excellent roadmap to the skills, knowledge & expertise which all students of today should master in order to succeed in the 21st century.

I reckon, in the end analysis, the most absolutely, fundamentally important aspect of surviving & thriving in the 21st century is the acquisition of skills, skills, skills & more skills!

Just remember the Law of Requisite Variety, which I have talked about so much in earlier posts.

[to be continued in the Next Post]