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Cultivate some enemies
‘No one likes us, we don’t care!’ rang the famous Millwall Football Club chant in the 1970s. And as I explained to my tearful daughter, there is nothing that unites a group in the playground more than letting someone know they are not allowed in the gang.
Indeed, the lack of a common enemy can be ruinous to a group’s cohesion. The Salem Witch Trials are seen by some as a group tearing itself apart looking for a new enemy to unite against, as they had done when they battled to first establish their community in the face of religious persecution.
In business, you’re better off being pirates than the navy. You just need to identify who you are up against.
Scottish brewers BrewDog live by this credo. Set up by James ...
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