# Trusted Leadership Makes Hierarchy Work by Bryant McGill > “Hierarchy has biological roots. Primatologists find dominance structures in nearly every social primate species, and the best-functioning groups are led by individuals the group trusts. Human hierarchy works well under trusted leaders and turns harmful when the wrong people exploit it.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Emergence, Compounding Effort, and the Architecture of a Mission - Livestream (Aug 2016)* ## Sources and Context - **Authoritative developed source:** [[livestreams/Emergence, Compounding Effort, and the Architecture of a Mission - Livestream|Emergence, Compounding Effort, and the Architecture of a Mission - Livestream]] — the Reminder reproduces the complete marked quotation object without alteration. For this workflow, the developed livestream document is the source authority. - **Interpretive boundary:** The quotation uses primate dominance as a comparative frame for human hierarchy. The comparison identifies continuity in rank and leadership behavior; it does not make every human hierarchy biologically inevitable or morally desirable. Trust, competence, institutional design, and the possibility of exploitation remain part of the proposition. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Book:** [[books/Chimping Out|Chimping Out]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Right to Know Reality|The Right to Know Reality]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Immediate AI Risk Is the Public|The Immediate AI Risk Is the Public]] - **Livestream:** [[livestreams/Emergence, Compounding Effort, and the Architecture of a Mission - Livestream|Emergence, Compounding Effort, and the Architecture of a Mission - Livestream]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Leadership|Leadership]] - [[wiki/Hierarchy|Hierarchy]] - [[wiki/Primate Politics|Primate Politics]] - [[wiki/Human Animality|Human Animality]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “Hierarchy has biological roots. Primatologists find dominance structures in nearly every social primate species, and the best-functioning groups are led by individuals the group trusts. Human hierarchy works well under trusted leaders and turns harmful when the wrong people exploit it.” — Bryant McGill, Emergence, Compounding Effort, and the Architecture of a Mission - Livestream (Aug 2016) https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-bryant-mcgill-trusted-leadership-hierarchy ```