Leadership: Welcome To The 12th Century

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November 21, 2010:  In Afghanistan, American trainers are finding out that, "you can take the man out of the tribe, but you can't take the tribe out of the man". The Afghans, despite many being illiterate and not used to a lot of discipline, can be trained to at least appear to be effective soldiers. But once in action, they often revert to their tribal ways. These include a tendency to loot and, after accomplishing an objective, to slack off. Looting and celebrating any victory are long practiced cultural practices among the Afghan tribes. There is also an aversion to following orders from strangers. An older member of your family, or noted member of your tribe, yes. But some guy from another tribe with sergeant's stripes on his sleeve or an officer's insignia on his shoulder, not so much. Welcome to the 12th century.

 

 

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