The Power of Abstract Symbols: Uniting the Tribe

In his masterpiece Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Yuval Noah Harari describes a critical threshold in human evolution.

He explains that a group of humans—hunters and gatherers—can maintain social order through gossip and personal relationships only up to about 150 people (Dunbar’s number). Below this number, you know everyone. You know who is trustworthy, who is lazy, and who is sleeping with whom.

But the moment the tribe crosses that threshold, chaos ensues. You cannot personally know 500 people. You cannot rely on interpersonal trust to coordinate a hunt or build a city.

So, how did Homo Sapiens manage to organize into nations of millions, armies of thousands, and corporations of tens of thousands?

The answer is the Abstract Symbol.

We invented “fictions”—flags, religions, gods, money, and nations. These are things that exist only in our shared imagination. You cannot eat a flag. You cannot touch a “Limited Liability Company.” But because we all believe in the story it represents, we can cooperate with strangers.

The dangerous Drift of Scale

When I started my business, we were a small commando unit. maybe 10 or 15 of us. We didn’t need a mission statement. We didn’t need a “culture deck.” We just went to lunch together. The glue was friendship.

But as we succeeded, we grew. Suddenly we were 50. Then 80. Then over 100.

I started to notice the cracks. New agents didn’t know the history. They didn’t have the same “family” feeling because they had never had lunch with me. Cliques started to form. The “Old Guard” vs. the “Newbies.” The sales team vs. the admin team.

The biological limit of my personal charisma had been reached. I could no longer hold the tribe together by shaking hands.

We needed a flag.

Deploying the Totem

We began to treat our company brand not just as a marketing tool for customers, but as a religious totem for our internal tribe.

We created rituals around the EliteOne identity.

It wasn’t just a logo on a business card. It was a badge of honor. We defined what it meant to wear that badge.

• “If you wear this shirt, you show up early.”
• “If you are part of this circle, you help a teammate when they are down.”

We created a common enemy (market mediocrity) and a common promised land (financial freedom for families).

Suddenly, an agent in Branch A could trust an agent in Branch B, not because they knew each other, but because they both prayed to the same “god” of our shared culture. They both operated under the same abstract symbol.

The Blueprint: Creating Your Company’s Religion

If you are scaling a business, you must transition from being the “Chieftain” (who knows everyone) to the “Pope” (who upholds the symbol).

Here is the blueprint for creating that gravity:

1. The Visual Totem ( The Flag)

You need a symbol. A logo. A color. A specific type of uniform. Humans are visual creatures. We need to see that we belong.

• Action: Create high-quality merchandise. Not cheap t-shirts that shrink in the wash. Create jackets that people are proud to wear on the weekends. When they wear the “armor,” they feel the identity.

2. The Mythology (The Story)

Every religion has a creation myth. “The founder started in a garage.” “We were down to our last dollar when…” Populate your company with these stories. Retell them at on-boarding. Make sure the new hire in year 5 knows the struggle of year 1. This creates shared history.

3. The Rituals (The Mass)

You simply need recurring events that reinforce the belief.

• Weekly wins celebration.
• The “Ringing of the Bell” when a sale is made.
• Annual summits. Rituals convert the abstract belief into physical action.

4. The Sacred Values (The Commandments)

Abstract symbols are empty without rules. What does the symbol stand for? Don’t use generic corporate speak like “Integrity.” Use specific behavioral descriptions:

• Instead of “Excellence,” use “We sign our work.”
• Instead of “Teamwork,” use “No one eats alone.”

Conclusion

A payroll can buy a person’s time. A bonus can buy their effort. But only a shared belief—an abstract symbol—can buy their heart.

If you struggle to unite your team as you scale, stop trying to force friendship. Start building a nation. Give them something to look up to.