The Greed That Toppled an Empire: The Fall of the British East India Company
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The Greed That Toppled an Empire: The Fall of the British East India Company
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About this listen
What happens when a company gets so powerful, starts behaving like a country, and then forgets it was ever a business? Well, today we dive into the story of the British East India Company, a cautionary tale for modern leaders navigating unchecked growth, internal drift, and the dangers of forgetting your mission.
I’ll walk you through the rise and spectacular collapse of what was once the most powerful corporation on earth. You'll hear how coalitions of resistance form long before they’re noticed, why absolute power isn’t just unstable, and how mission drift silently erodes even the strongest empires.
If you're leading a growing business or navigating leadership at scale, this episode will challenge your assumptions and sharpen your strategic awareness. For a deeper dive, order my book, The Mammoth in the Room, for the full roadmap to evolutionary leadership.
In this episode:
- The rise of the British East India Company
- The seeds of collapse: Resistance and rebellion
- Evolutionary leadership lessons from the collapse
- Modern leadership implications and final thoughts
Resources Used in the Episode:
Smith, A. (1776). An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. https://www.econlib.org/library/Smith/smWN.html
Tooby, J., & Cosmides, L. (1992). The Psychological Foundations of Culture. In The Adapted Mind: Evolutionary Psychology and the Generation of Culture. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/243708265_The_Psychological_Foundations_of_Culture
Cartwright, M. (2022). The Rise and Fall of the British East India Company. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2096/fall-of-the-east-india-company/
Van Vugt, M., & Ronay, R. (2014). The Evolutionary Psychology of Leadership. Organizational Psychology Review. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274471020_The_evolutionary_psychology_of_leadership_Theory_review_and_roadmap
Get in Touch:
Website: https://www.mammothleadershipsciences.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolaspokorny
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@MammothLeadershipSciences