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Why Cooperation Beats Conflict: Leadership Lessons from History
Episode 5224th July 2025 • The Mammoth in the Room • Nicolas Pokorny, PhD, MBA
00:00:00 00:09:43

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What if the walls you've built for protection are actually keeping you trapped? In today's interconnected world, the ancient instincts that once kept our tribes safe now sabotage our global potential. So, today we explore the necessities of leadership evolution beyond retaliation in a world where cooperation isn't just nice—it's survival. 

Through the US-China trade war and the Marshall Plan, I reveal how visionary leaders can break free from primal escalation patterns. Evolution wired us for protection and revenge, but not for the global collaboration that modern success demands.  


Ready to lead beyond ancient instincts? Dive deeper into evolutionary leadership principles in my book The Mammoth in the Room—your practical guide to embracing evolutionary truths for outstanding business results. 


In this episode:

- Leadership lessons from the US-China trade war

- The Marshall Plan and post-war global prosperity

- Essential leadership strategies to foster cooperation

- Conclusion: building bridges, not walls



Resources Used in the Episode: 


Van Vugt, M., & Ronay, R. (2014). The Evolutionary Psychology of Leadership. Organizational Psychology Review, 4(1), 74–95: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274471020_The_evolutionary_psychology_of_leadership_Theory_review_and_roadmap 


Axelrod, R. (1984). The Evolution of Cooperation. Basic Books: https://ee.stanford.edu/~hellman/Breakthrough/book/pdfs/axelrod.pdf  


Fukuyama, F. (1995). Trust: The Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity. Free Press: https://a.co/d/3G1cM3f 



Get in Touch: 

Website: https://www.mammothleadershipsciences.com    

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolaspokorny 

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@MammothLeadershipSciences  

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