I spend a chunk of my time studying systems and organizations. In particular, I focus on studying changes and transformations within systems. First, system changes tend to appear quite slow (from the outside). They tend to be complex, one never knows the points at which to make the intervention. These changes also come with second-order effects, a change at one point could result in two or three unpredictable changes in other places.

But there’s one thing I have discovered about systems and organizations, that change in these places is never linear. Things do not occur in straight-lines. And if one is to learn a thing or two from biomimicry, there’s no where else in our universe where change is linear. All change is non-linear. All transformations are non-linear. Nations make two steps ahead, veer off in another direction, regress a bit before making another step forward. Over the long-horizon, these transformations could appear linear, as one finds a straight-line of fit, but in reality, transformations are skewed.

The same applies for life. For a young African looking to shape and define the future, one must start to prepare for a non-linear life. Careers are not linear. The illusion of vertical growth without stagnation should be killed. One must prepare for these non-linear growths, some stagnations, veering off into other industries, learning new skills, using failure as a data point and being comfortable to see things over the long horizon.

The same applies for organizations and businesses that achieve longevity. It’s in their ability to survive the times, the storms, being resilient in their recoveries, finding emergent strategies that enable them to show up stronger. These non-linearities are the actual realities of life, of business, of relationships, of work, of every transformation. Thus, we should all prepare for a non-linear life.