Three Instincts

Part 3—and the final post in our series.

My client, pragmatic as ever: “That makes sense, but it still feels kind of abstract. What can I actually do in practice?”

Fair question.

Michael Morris of Columbia Business School describes three ancient instincts that shape every team culture—and each one offers a different lever:

The peer instinct: the sideways glance at the group. The hero instinct: the upward look to role models. The ancestor instinct: the backward look to origins and rituals.

What first appears to be a vague “engagement problem” becomes three concrete dials that leaders can identify and adjust.

The carousel lays them out side by side.

That brings the series to a close.

Which of the three instincts is strongest in your organization—and which one do you use least deliberately?