Alpha Male

October 15, 2010
I characterize the alpha as being aggressive and driven, frequently leaving “dead bodies” in their path. Ludeman and Erlandson (2004) confirm this in the article describing alpha males as unemotional, analytical and coldhearted. Although I knew that these people were type A personalities, I was surprised to read that 70% of senior executives are in this category (Ludeman and Erlandson 2004). Based on this statistic, one could conclude that you should be pushy, forceful and menacing if you want to become CEO. When I was younger, I didn’t like alphas because they were difficult and intimidating and self-centered. As I matured in my career, I found myself gravitating towards these executives because of their ability to stay focused on the goal at hand and engineer solutions to get there. Projects that force significant organizational changes and shift the paradigm in an entrenched tradition require leaders that exude confidence and thrive on dominating.
Alphas typically don’t see a need to change, but today’s business environment requires collaborative leadership. The example of Michael Dell and Kevin Rollins, typical alpha males, is revealing. Dell and Rollins sought executive coaching in the aftermath of the burst of the 2000 dot com bubble when it became evident that the company needed to diversify. Dell needed new lines of revenue as the company was heavily dependent on PC sales. They were also facing fierce competition from the recent HP and Compaq merger. The new environment required a collaborative environment, but the employees were afraid of talking to them. As difficult as it is for alpha males to admit that they need to change their ways, they sought help from Ludeman and Erlandson to change their ways.
I think that the alpha male’s Achilles heel is that their successes cover the need to examine themselves internally. In time of crises as Dell faced, their best strengths became their largest weakness. As discussed in other threads, it is a challenge to suddenly switch to a policy of transparency and cooperation when employees have been living in a culture of command and control.