100 Men vs. 1 Gorilla: The Debate That Builds Better Teams

Could 100 men take down 1 gorilla—with no weapons? It’s the internet’s favorite argument right now, and in this episode, Ryan breaks it down with NFL linemen, sumo wrestlers, UFC fighters, and a whole lot of imagination. But this episode isn’t really about gorillas. It’s about connection.

In How to Work With Complicated People, Ryan talks about improving relationships by asking better questions—and sometimes, the questions that build the most connection are the ones that spark laughter.

Use this episode to stir up your next team meeting, dinner table, or awkward offsite conversation. Because funny debates make people talk—and talking builds trust.

Here are a few questions to ask your team this week:

• If our team was trapped on a deserted island, who’s leading us… and who’s getting eaten first?

• Who’s most likely to accidentally “reply all” and cause total chaos?

• If you had to swap jobs with someone on this team for a week, who would it be and why?

• What’s a small tweak that would make our meetings 10x better?

• If we had an unlimited budget for a team retreat, where are we going and how long are we staying?

• What’s the most annoying thing the people we serve deal with—and how could we fix it?

• What’s a hill you're willing to die on that has nothing to do with work?

• If our workplace were a genre of movie, what would it be?

• Who’s the teammate you’d want in a zombie apocalypse—and who’s definitely getting bitten first?