Dr No - Issue # 38 - How to Eliminate Toxic Behavior in Your Team Using Game Theory

What the Prisoner’s Dilemma teaches about building high-trust teams — and crushing zero-sum mindsets.

1. The Question

What if your team isn’t broken — just playing the wrong game?

What if the problem isn’t talent…
but a system where betrayal wins, trust loses, and everyone feels smart for being selfish?

Do you reward loud wins over quiet teamwork?
Do you punish vulnerability and call it "accountability"?

If so, you're playing a game.
You just don’t realize which one.

2. The Insight — Axelrod’s Tournament

In the 1980s, political scientist Robert Axelrod ran a famous experiment.

He invited experts to submit computer programs that would play the Prisoner’s Dilemma — a simple game of cooperation vs. betrayal — again and again.

The goal:
Find the best long-term strategy in a world of repeated interactions.

Thousands of simulations later, the results were clear.

The winning strategy had just four rules:

1. Be Nice – Never betray first.

2. Be Provocable – If someone betrays you, push back once.

3. Be Forgiving – Reset after they cooperate again.

4. Be Clear – Let others predict your behavior.

The whole thing could fit on a Post-it:

Simple. Predictable. And devastatingly effective.

It beat every other strategy — even the sneaky or complex ones.
And here’s the mind-bender:

🧮 The takeaway?
Toxic behaviors only survive in systems that tolerate confusion or reward selfishness.

Culture isn’t a slogan. It’s an outcome of the game you design.

🎥 Watch this quick video on the Prisoner’s Dilemma — it’ll change how you see every tough conversation.

3. The Mental Model — Iterated Games

You’re not leading one meeting.
You’re leading a loop. A system. A long-term game.

Your team, business parnerts, internal clients, and peers will deal with you again and again.
That’s where trust compounds — or dies.

If people feel they must “win” every interaction, you’ll get:

• Short-term compliance

• Long-term resentment

So ask yourself:

• Are you building for trust over time or just control in the moment?

• Are you rewarding the loudest… or the most consistent?

• Are your reactions predictable or based on your mood?

• Do people fear you more than they trust you?

If your team sees you as unpredictable, you’re not a leader.
You’re a hazard.

4. AI Tool – Otter.ai

Want to find out what game you are playing?

Use Otter.ai to record and transcribe your meetings. Then look for patterns:

• Are you interrupting or creating space?

• Do you guide with clarity or confuse with contradictions?

• Is your tone stable, or reactive?

Forget charisma.
Clarity and consistency scale.

5. Quote to Reflect

Nice doesn’t mean naive.
In long games, integrity is power — because others can build on it.

Want lawyers who don’t play zero-sum games?
That’s why we built Ambar.

A network of independent lawyers who think like founders, move like operators, and partner like pros.

No ego. No black box. Just top-tier legal minds who play to win — with you, not at your expense.

Speak soon,

Rosa & Manuel