What's the mammoth in the room, no one talks about? The undeniable evolutionary truths behind our human behavior which impact each of the millions of business decisions taken globally day by day.
During decades in high-performance, multi-national executive leadership roles, Nicolas Pokorny discovered something transformative: To lead humans successfully, he needed to understand the evolutionary forces shaping their individual behaviors, decisions, and group dynamics. Resistance to change, fear, dominance biases—these and many other ancient evolutionary forces certainly weren’t keeping pace with the times. In his revolutionary new book, The Mammoth in the Room, Pokorny shares a wealth of practical insights, strategies, and stories about how to align humans around common goals and lead them effectively through ever-changing markets and times.
The Mammoth in the Room is a masterclass in leadership. It cuts through the fluff and provides a practical roadmap for both emerging and senior leaders—all with a unique focus on the evolutionary foundations of human behavior. The mammoth has been named—now learn how to tame it.
It is in his experience-driven, boots-on-the-ground lessons where Pokorny most excels. When it comes to company culture, he notes it’s “a key factor in defining a company’s destiny,” but also acknowledges the difficulties in nailing down such a broad term in the everyday workplace. The answer, he asserts, is paying more attention to human behavior because businesses revolve around it. To emphasize the driving forces behind that human behavior, Pokorny dives deep into Charles Darwin’s theories, maintaining that our “early evolutionary instincts” still apply today, in examples such as the recent international cooperation efforts to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pokorny’s path begins with the individual, but quickly builds to that individual’s role within a team setting, concluding with a blueprint for maintaining stability, identifying and rooting out problems, and, above all, always functioning from a position of “humility and gratefulness.” Businesses succeed, Pokorny declares, when they’re built on the idea that each individual contributes meaningfully to the larger group to realize their full potential. Common-sense advice like that makes this an ideal handbook for leaders and entry level professionals alike.
Takeaway: Common sense business guide based on evolutionary principles.
Comparable Titles: Damon Stafford’s Believe in Better, Herbert N. Casson’s How to Apply the Principles of Evolution to a Business.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: B
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A
