What Your Business Can Learn from The History of Mankind
I don't know for sure what happened in the dark...
Some say they ran away when they met us...
Others say we killed them...
But what I do know is that...
THEY DISAPPEARED SHORTLY AFTER WE ARRIVED!
What you're about to read is highly controversial.
This is a brief history of humankind.
50,000 year ago, there were 3 entirely separate human species;
- Sapiens
- Neanderthals
- Denisovans
In case you missed the class in school, we're Sapiens.
Just the way other animals have various species, humans had other species too.
I probably learnt this in school but it didn't quite sink in until tonight.
This is not like race.
I'm talking about an almost ENTIRELY different species.
They probably had slightly different anatomy from Sapiens.
Take a moment and think about it.
Now, the big question is - what happened to them?
According to the 'experts', there are three possibilities;
- Sapiens drove them to extinction.
- Sapiens merged with the other two.
- Sapiens KILLED them...yup, your ancestors were murderers.
1. The Takeover
Sapiens evolved to be smarter beings (Home Sapien = Wise man)
As they relied more on their intellects and less on their physical strengths, their brain got bigger.
They made tools that made them more technologically advanced.
And they had a unique language.
Let me explain.
The story is that Sapiens drove Neanderthals and Denisovans to extinction by hunting wildlife and gathering food better.
Their population eventually dwindled from insufficient food. Shortly after, they disappeared.
2. The Merge
The merge story is that Sapiens used their charm to mate with Neanderthals and Denisovans and produce 'beautiful' Sapien offsprings.
It's like having sex with a chimpanzee and giving birth to a child.
Eventually, their species died off, leaving Sapiens to rule the world.
Talk about strong genes.
Can you imagine how ugly humans would be if their genes were stronger?
3. The Purge
The story is that Sapiens outright wiped out Neanderthals and Denisovans in a genocide.
The reason?
Because Sapiens (who showed up about 250,000 years earlier) have a low tolerance for each other, unlike other animals that had been around for millions of years.
That's why other animals still have various species and we don't.
Now, look at this list.
- Racism
- Tribalism
- Religion
- Strong Emotions (Envy, Jealousy, Greed)
Sound familiar?
Even today, we can't seem to tolerate each other.
Sapiens eventually got used to being the only species around to the point of being arrogant.
Anyway, we don't really know what exactly happened to the other species those dark years but one thing is clear...
They Disappeared Shortly After Sapiens Arrived.
Now, what I found intriguing about these stories is how they relate to business.
When a smarter [not necessarily bigger] competitor comes into your territory, they could either;
1. Drive your small business away [the takeover]
2. Partner with you [the merge] or
3. Kill all of you [the purge]
To survive, don't try to fight with money. They probably have deeper pockets too.
Rely on your tech/strategy/community the way Sapiens did.
Neanderthals and Denisovans were much bigger in size and stronger but Sapiens were smarter.
And most importantly, Sapiens communicated better.
Communicate and build a strong relationship with your customers in such a way that you become a friend.
With your few loyal customers, you will always have a chance to survive.
Be the Sapien of your industry.
Your business and your industry will always evolve.
Learn to adapt as quickly as possible.
Okay...good talk.
-Ahmed Y.
PS: This post was inspired by Harari's book - Sapiens
