Daily Diary

Lovells' tough cookie

Posted 20/06/2007 by The Daily Diary

‘In social animals, the alpha male is the individual in the community to whom the others defer,’ says the fountain of all truth that is Wikipedia (it’s an online dictionary in case you work at Allen & Overy and aren’t allowed to access the interweb). ‘Chimpanzees show deference to the alpha of the community by ritualised gestures such as bowing or standing aside when the alpha challenges.’ 

At Lovells, where strategy reviews and performance-criteria overhauls are ritualised to the point of obsession, there is – unsurprisingly – no shortage of alpha-male types thumping their chests.

One such ritual recently observed by Diary biologists involves the delicious home-baked cookies that form the centerpiece to any major meeting up at the firm’s Atlantic House nerve-centre.

A recent breakfast chin-wag with partners was thrown into chaos when one (female) attendee reached for the gooiest, most choc-chip-laden cookie from the place.

“You can’t have that!” roared an outraged male attendee. “That’s the alpha male cookie!”

True to evolutionary form, she deferred, allowing the dominant silverback first dibs on the prestigious biscuit. Meanwhile, The Diary understands Lovells’ next bi-monthly performance review will be equally Darwinian in theme – survival of the fittest.