Saturday, May 3, 2014

Working with Alpha Leaders

Alphas, a.k.a. type-A or Red personalities are the movers and shakers of the world. They are daring and dauntless and many of them believe they have never been wrong. Some are great leaders. Most lack empathy. All of them hate equivocation.

Working with alpha leaders requires preparation, game planning, and speaking emphatically once you have chosen a direction. For example, if an alpha asks you to tell him where to go for lunch, he doesn't want you to give him options. He wants you to tell him to go to a particular restaurant because it is the best one to fulfill his needs--which you have already anticipated. The alpha will judge your recommendation ruthlessly, but will respect your decisiveness. Marketing campaigns, cost cutting measures, and personnel plans need to be equally bold and your presentation authoritative.

Alphas dare to fail their way to success. To work with one successfully, you must be willing to do the same.