Most people wouldn’t associate a Zulu king from the 19th century with contemporary global technology companies, yet somehow German-born academic, Dr Nik Eberl, saw the connection.
Eberl, who is the founder of the Future Leadership Forum and co-creator of the King Shaka Academy, has spent years analysing King Shaka’s infamous military tactics, and has come up with something he terms the ‘the IziCwe Code’. The hunting bushmen, or IziCwe, was the name given to Shaka’s regiment of royal guards, and Eberl believes that the skills practised by Shaka and his army can be likened to the behaviour of some of the world’s most successful start-ups. Eberl believes that the likes of Uber, Airbnb, WhatsApp, Snapchat, and Spotify practice a particular style of ‘disruptive innovation’ that can be replicated by studying the IziCwe Code. In his book, The Seven Secrets of IziCwe – Conquer Life! Personal Empire Building Programme, Eberl breaks the code down into seven ‘Disruptive Innovation Secrets’.
The book, which is in its second edition, is available for purchase via www.loot.co.za, but if you want a precis Dr Eberl provides a summary of the concept in this comprehensive LinkedIn article.