Dem never see you coming

In a conversation with a group of friends yesterday, I realized something.

Most times, good people have ideals but are not willing to do the long-term planning and strategic patience that evil people invest their time and resources to build over a period of time.

We have values, so we are quick to disqualify people we say we can’t work with — they have values but are wise enough to understand where and when to partner to achieve their goals. So, most times, a well-thought-out plan of many years, with solid investments in a critical mass of foot soldiers, is met with a knee-jerk reaction of protest and complaints when things are already in the neck of the next.

We need a critical mass of good people who understand how to build for the long term, who have been built enough to dine with the devil with a long spoon and come out unscathed. We need people who know how to play the “world’s” game and not just driven by immediate big wins.

Sometimes, the most impactful wins are driven by achieving small goals as wins, which individually may not make any sense, but when you see the picture, you are wowed.

We need to learn from the words of the 21st Century Philosopher, Ololade mi Asake, “Dem never see you coming”. If good is what you want to do at scale, you need a plan, people, and a working process.

• O’gbemiro

This was originally a morning letter to my close-knit community, but I felt the nudge to share with a lot more people.