Two main concepts to overcome hard times
The concept of flexible cooperation identifies it as the reason why man has dominated the earth over other animals, and why some humans have dominated others or have won battles throughout history.
I would like to preface my thoughts by sharing some interesting excerpts that I have been reading. They are extracts from a book that I reread from time to time.
To start off…
“Humanity has gone from hunting mammoths to exploring the solar system with spaceships, not thanks to the evolution of more skilled hands or a larger brain. Instead, the crucial factor in our conquest of the world was our ability to build connections among many human beings “
“Rome conquered Greece not because the Romans had a bigger brain or better tool-making techniques, but because they were able to cooperate more effectively. Throughout history, disciplined armies easily defeated disorganized hordes, and unified elites dominated disorganized masses. ”
“Bee and ants, which can cooperate en masse, do not do it in a flexible way. Their cooperation is very rigid. A hive basically works in one way and one way only. And when faced with a new opportunity or a new threat, bees cannot reinvent their social system “
“Mammals, such as wolves, elephants, dolphins, and chimpanzees, can cooperate more flexibly, but they do so only in small groups because cooperation between chimpanzees, for example, is based on an intimate knowledge of each other”
What do I mean with all this philosophical spiel …?
The point is that humans are the only beings who combine both kinds of cooperation: cooperation in large numbers like bees, and flexible cooperation like mammals, above and beyond intimate knowledge.
… If, then, we want to overcome hard times we all face, and if we want to get stronger from here on, we can glean two interesting main concepts, Effectiveness and Flexibility
Concept 1: Effectiveness
Disciplined union — Reinforce responsibility, task ownership, and common commitment, and collaborate in an effective, results-oriented team. Focusing on results does not only mean focusing on winning new accounts; in a sense it refers to the fact that each one must deliver the highest quality in everything they do and take ownership of their responsibilities, and also that they must do whatever they can so that other team members can do the same, that is, … give their all. We need to get the idea into our heads that whenever we speak of results, it refers to the results that we achieve as a team.
Organized union — Emphasise project management and planning. A union in name alone doesn’t work: for it to work long-term it must be organized.
Cooperate en masse — The ability to bring together and connect large teams, it’s collaborators and clients. To be successful we must get the hang of these vital elements of effectiveness.
Concept 2: Flexibility
Adaptability — We already talked about resilience a couple of weeks ago, …
Connection — Flexibility should be at both the individual and group level. And one leads to the other. A personal improvement or an agile mindset can benefit the entire group, and for the entire organization to become flexible means that each individual needs to be adaptable.
Vision — We foresee that growth will be flexible, it will stem from success in our attempts to pivot when new situations and opportunities coming over the horizon.
In fact, we could almost say … be water my friend! :-)
