
The Mammoth in the Room
Can leaders learn how to harness the evolutionary foundations of human behavior to create better business outcomes? How much do evolutionary forces shape our own individual behaviors, decisions, and group dynamics? In each episode, multinational executive leader and author Nicolas Pokorny shares practical, research-based strategies, and stories about how to align humans around common goals and lead them effectively through ever-changing markets and times.
The Mammoth in the Room is an engaging listen of interest to leaders who wish to better lead their people by understanding the evolutionary foundations of human behavior and how to harness them.

39: Why Playing It Safe Could Be the Riskiest Move You’re Making
Have you ever walked into a strategy meeting, reviewed a well-polished forecast, and felt confident it was solid, only to watch everything unravel months later? You’re not alone. In this episode, we dive into one of the most dangerous yet overlooked pitfalls in leadership: the forecasting trap.

38: Why Apple Fired Steve Jobs (And Why It Made Him Unstoppable)
As leaders, we’re fascinated by Steve Jobs’ legendary impact, but what really made him one of history’s most iconic business figures? In today’s episode, we explore the depths of Jobs’ leadership genius and flaws to reveal the evolutionary psychology behind his extraordinary yet controversial success.

37: The Hidden Framing Bias That Could Ruin Your Business Decisions (Fix This NOW!)
We are uncovering the sneakiest cognitive trap that every corporate leader needs to be aware of—the framing trap. I’ll walk you through how your brain processes information in ways that skew your decision-making, showing how small shifts in framing can dramatically change outcomes, often for the worse.

36: The Confirming Evidence Trap – The Hidden Bias That’s Killing Your Business Growth
As leaders, we’re wired to favor the familiar, but this can blind us to critical shifts in the market and the emergence of disruptive innovations. In today’s episode, we are talking about the confirming evidence trap—a bias that can skew even the sharpest minds, causing you to cling to beliefs and data that reinforce what you already think.

35: How a $10 Billion Mistake Could Have Been Avoided (The Sunk Cost Trap)
We uncover yet another dangerous psychological trap that keeps leaders pouring money and resources into failing projects—simply because they’ve already invested too much to walk away. I’m talking about the sunk cost fallacy.

34: How Kodak, Blockbuster, and Microsoft Lost Billions by Playing It Safe
What if I told you the biggest threat to your business isn’t the competition but your brain? Leaders make costly decisions daily because of one mind trap— the status quo bias. It’s the reason billion-dollar companies collapse, why once-great leaders fail to adapt, and why you might be unknowingly sabotaging your success.