July 7, 2026
The Caveman is back from his Canadian holiday, and while I was away, I found myself thinking about why — why one person is motivated to climb a mountain and another to beat their personal best on an X-station. For a man who loves to people watch, this is less a mystery and more a hobby, and it all started in an interview room.
I started out as a young bobby who, quite frankly, loved the idea of wearing the uniform more than doing the actual work. Training school was easy — a controlled, measured environment that was never going to prepare anyone for their first headbutt or an outraged victim screaming in your face. Hitting the streets was a very steep learning curve. Being a bit naïve, it was easy to take everyone’s word. I mean, who would lie to someone wearing a police uniform? Don’t they respect the office of constable? Yeah. That belief didn’t last long.
Once I found my stride, I started recognising patterns in how people managed themselves and how they responded to my questions. And I discovered something simple: the way I treated people came back to me, measure for measure. I’d collect a suspect from the cells myself, offer them a tea or coffee, and go and make it. I showed them respect, and they reflected it. The easy jobs were never a challenge — admission, charge, out the door. The challenging ones were the fun ones.
You can dress a caveman in a suit, but under pressure, the tribe always shows.
One such person came to the police station to present his driving documents. I was called to check them, and it was immediately clear that the paper insurance certificate was a forgery. Spelling mistakes, wonky text alignment, and an insurance company whose address and phone number were, let’s say, dubious.
Here’s the detail I love. He was in court for other driving offences and had told the judge he had insurance, so the court ordered him to present it at a police station of his choice. He lived in Bristol, the court was in Bristol, he chose Swindon.
Into the interview room we went. He maintained he’d bought the certificate from a broker and believed it was genuine — and this matters, because the rule of law says an act is only guilty if the mind is also guilty. If he truly believed the certificate was real, convicting him would be very difficult. His story? He’d met this “broker” in the back of a kebab shop in London and paid cash. Even with an alibi that is vapour-thin, without an admission this was going nowhere.
So we talked. For an hour, from every angle, until he was tied up in so many knots he couldn’t remember which end was which.
Then I saw it happen. The demeanour dropped. The shoulders fell. His eyes went to the table. I sat in silence and waited. Silence made our ancestors nervous around the campfire, and it hasn’t stopped working since. Say nothing for long enough, and the caveman opposite will fill the gap with the truth.
And out it came. He knew it was dodgy. A friend of a friend had printed the certificate on a home printer, and he’d thought he’d try his luck rather than lose his licence. He was charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice — an offence that carries up to life imprisonment, so not exactly a shoplifting job. The funny part? CID must have been watching the live custody list, because they appeared at my desk ten minutes later to tell me the file was now theirs.
There are loads of stories like this one. Finding the truth was what I loved doing. But here’s the thing. He never really stood a chance, because I’d worked out what type of person he was before he’d opened his mouth.
Because in my experience, there are only four types of people. I spent years testing this on the streets, then poured all of it into Part 2 of The Caveman Principles — the Tribal Sorter, my proudest creation (after my kids). Four tribal members — Hunters, Protectors, Gatherers and Healers — divided by the simplest of recognisable traits: open or closed, direct or indirect. No heavy lifting. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. Your colleagues, your family, and the person holding up the queue in the coffee shop are all easily recognisable.
I’m a Hunter, which will surprise nobody who’s met me.
Want to know yours? I’ve built a free Tribal Sorter that takes about two minutes, in a few simple questions, and you’ll have your tribal character.
Fair warning: it’s harder to fool than I am. And I’ve had practice.
Take the free Tribal Sorter: https://cavemanprinciples.com/#quiz
Caveman Thought
The modern world taught us to lie. The caveman brain never learned how — which is why the truth always escapes through the shoulders first.
Parting Question
Before you move on with your day, take a moment to think about the last significant change you experienced. Did you have a clear picture of what you wanted life to look like on the other side, or were you simply trying to survive the journey? More importantly, if you had drawn that picture first, would the outcome have been different, or would it simply have made the path easier to follow?
As always, be the tribal member you are meant to be. It makes for a much easier and simpler life.
Your friend,
Carl – The Caveman.
P.S. When you are ready, here are a few things that might help you;
1) You can book me to attend your next event as a Keynote Speaker.
2) Do you want to do a FREE personality test? Check out The Caveman Principles Tribal Sorter.
3) Check out my theories – The SLAP Technique
4) Grab a copy of my book, direct from my printing agent.
5) You might want to book yourself onto one of my eLearning courses to help you master a new skill.
6) Or if you have the time and want to find time for a Caveman chat (with virtual coffee) on a discovery call, do it here.