It was the end of a long Quarterly Business Review (QBR). The numbers were hashed out, the goals were set, and now the sales team was letting loose. We had been drinking and talking shop for hours, easing the pressure of the corporate cycle.
Then, the mood shifted.
I watched a few of the smartest, most driven guys—the true high-performers—peel off from the main group. They weren’t heading for the bar or the bathroom; they were moving to a small, isolated meeting room. One of them caught my eye, gave a subtle, terse nod, and signaled, “Come with us, you’re in.”
I followed. In that small, closed room with five or six of us, the energy was instantly concentrated and serious. The laughter stopped. One of the guys started talking about a massive gap in the market and how we needed to form a startup to tackle it. The conversation was wildly interesting, a lightning strike of adrenaline, ambition, and risk.
Years later, I watched a similar intensity in a friend’s crew—the seriousness on their faces, the absolute focus—and I knew, instinctively, not to walk over and interrupt. They were having a high-stakes conversation, and I recognized the signs of an ancient, powerful social ritual.
What we experienced wasn’t just networking or brainstorming. It was a Pre-Hunt Gathering.
The Academic Framework: Primal Huddles and Survival
My gut instinct that night was right. What happens in those small, charged, pre-venture huddles isn’t modern happenstance; it’s a manifestation of a primal social structure essential for survival that has been documented in anthropology for centuries.
In traditional societies, particularly those dependent on hunting large, dangerous game, the Pre-Hunt Gathering had a dual purpose:
-
Logistics: Mapping the strategy, assessing the animal’s migration path, dividing roles (driver, flanker, killer), and establishing the target.
-
Ritual: Building collective focus, purifying the mind, appealing to spirits for permission, and solidifying the commitment necessary for shared success.
The entire ritual was designed to generate maximum social cohesion before maximum risk. This concept of social cohesion has a powerful name from the 14th century: ‘Aṣabīyah.
The Core Force: ‘Aṣabīyah
Ibn Khaldūn, the North African historian and sociologist, coined the term ‘Aṣabīyah (often translated as “social cohesion” or “group feeling”). He argued it was the fundamental force driving history and state formation. It represents the ability of a group’s members to place the collective need above the individual need—the essential glue for group survival.
The early stage of any startup mirrors the Nomadic Tribe phase in Khaldūn’s theory. High risk (scarcity of funds, threat of failure, long hours) breeds the strongest ‘Aṣabīyah. That intense loyalty and shared sacrifice is necessary to “conquer” the established market players—the corporate giants who represent the safe, “Sedentary/Urban” phase. Without that intense cohesion, the new venture falls apart under pressure.
The Primal Vetting: The Power of ‘Bad Vibes’
The most fascinating part of this primal dynamic is the vetting process. A few years after that QBR, the same core person and I seriously evaluated launching a company. We had the strategy, the market, and the ambition. We just needed a third business partner.
We spent weeks engaging with a promising candidate. On paper, they were perfect. Yet, both my partner and I felt a collective aversion—a sense of “bad vibes.” We knew exactly why. We saw the way he interacted with a waiter at an Indian restaurant we were at during one of our pre-hunt gatherings. We were intense, serious, and discussing things deeply. But, he turned that intensity on the waiter and was completely rude. While the third business partner was engaged in this, we glanced at each other with knowing looks.
This decision wasn’t rational; it was primal.
The evaluation wasn’t about skills, resume, or funding; it was about an instinctive, primal read of their loyalty and commitment to the group. In a hunting party, an unreliable member risks the lives of the entire group. They might fail to hold their position or spook the game, compromising the survival of the tribe.
That “bad vibe” was our deep-seated social intelligence system—our oldest risk management tool—vetoing a threat to our ‘Aṣabīyah. We instinctively chose to preserve the absolute integrity of our small tribe over pursuing the opportunity with a questionable element. The success of the “hunt” always depends on the strength of the bond.
Conclusion: Applying the Huddle
These high-stakes moments prove that human teams, whether chasing a gazelle or a Series A funding round, rely on the same fundamental principles: shared risk demands maximum cohesion.
If you are building a team, a company, or leading a sales team, recognize and respect the power of the pre-hunt gathering:
-
Prioritize ‘Aṣabīyah: When making core hires or selecting co-founders, prioritize absolute, unquestioning trust and a willingness for shared sacrifice over skills alone. Hire for cohesion first.
-
Respect the Ritual: Encourage and protect the need for small, intense gatherings—the huddles—that allow team members to leave the large group, share vulnerability, and re-establish focus before major “hunts” (pitches, product launches, QBRs).
-
Trust the Vibe: If your core team feels a collective, instinctive aversion to a potential partner, listen to the primal voice. The strength of your venture depends not on its technology or funding, but on the unwavering strength of the bond holding the group together.