Status

We constantly assess where we stand relative to others. The brain monitors status like a vital sign.

Threat & Reward

Response	Trigger	Outcome
Threat	Feeling undervalued, inferior, or invisible	Stress, defensiveness, disengagement
Reward	Recognition, praise, promotion, visible progress	Motivation, confidence, loyalty

Status isn't vanity — it's a survival mechanism. In ancestral environments, low status meant less access to resources. The brain still operates on this wiring.

Foundations

Status maps to deeper human needs:

Framework	Element	Connection
Human Needs	Learning	Capability to grow — mastery increases status
Te Whare Tapa Whā	Taha hinengaro	Mind — thoughts, feelings, self-perception
Behavioral Biases	Social proof, Authority	We follow high-status signals

The Leverage

Products and teams that serve status:

• Make progress visible — show them they're advancing
• Create earned recognition — titles, badges, levels that mean something
• Enable mastery — skill growth is portable status
• Avoid public failure — protect egos, criticism in private

Context

• Foundations — Where status sits in human needs
• Social Proof — Why we follow what others do
• Positioning — Status at the business level
• Players — Relative position in coordination games

What would raise your status in a way that compounds?