As humans, we often see ourselves as far removed from our primitive ancestors. Yet, beneath our veneer of civility, we still operate within primal power structures—our modern "human food chains."
Will Durant notes in Lessons of History: "Animals eat one another without qualm; civilized men consume one another by due process of law."
The workplace exemplifies this human food chain. Just as a mouse fears an owl who can take its life, the modern employee fears those above them on the org chart who can take their livelihood. This fear can be chronic for humans, as employees must socialize with their "predators" from 9-5.
This dynamic often manifests as loathing for the boss. We might imagine our superiors have it easy—delegating work, relaxing in private offices, collecting big paychecks while we work for peanuts. "If only I could be the boss," we think, "all of my problems would be solved."
However, this is generally a mirage. Climbing the food chain does come with benefits, but it also increases your challenges:
You find more people above you—there's always a bigger fish
You interact with more skilled "predators." The sharks weren't interested in you when you were a shrimp, but as a bigger fish, they see you
You increase your influence but narrow your margin for error. As I noted in Influence has Implications, A CEO's mistake is likely far costlier than a staff member's
You face increased competition from below, as more people want your spot
Our evolutionary instincts compel us to be constantly wary of predators—those who didn't worry didn't survive to pass on their genes. We're left with an inherited obsession with those above us in the food chain. Our minds tell us that once we make it higher, we'll feel okay.
Yet, we find it's "food chains all the way up," with no satisfying endpoint. Perhaps true contentment lies not in endlessly ascending, but in recognizing the nature of the game we're playing and finding joy in the process.
