The world abounds with alpha males and alpha females-powerhouses who take charge, produce astonishing results, and bring enormous value to their organizations. But many alpha executives also unwittingly leave a path of destruction in their wake.

I was in a workshop last week and an executive from of a well known professional services firm stormed in after the break and sighed, "I'm not surprised that I´m getting urgent text messages from all the VPs.  Even though it wasn't my responsibility, I went ahead and put out an agenda for the sales meeting in September.  I´d  been trying to get input from them so we could get the marketing brochure out, and they didn't respond.  Now they´re furious because the topics I put on the agenda aren´t what they want.  But at least I got an answer."  Typical? Frustrating? Both!  And signs of the Alpha Male Syndrome.  Alphas are aggressive, results-driven achievers who insist on top performance from themselves and others.  Their intense competitive drive keeps them focused on the gold-and they´re always keeping score.  That´s precisely why they drive us crazy!  Employees often complain that autocratic alpha managers (many times female) are abusive, and that micromanaging alphas waste their time and create logjams.  So my workshop colleague isn´t experiencing an isolated case of alpha fallout.  A survey released by Development Dimensions International noted that ¨the majority of employees spend 10 hours or more a month complaining about or listening to others complain about bad bosses."  Thanks to Kate Ludeman and Eddie Erlandson, both Alpha Male type managers and the people that work with them are now able to understand how to balance the great strengths of the Alphas against their potentially crushing liabilities for fun and profit!

As a coach, I am working with Kate and Eddie and their clients who either recognize themselves as predominately Alpha types and people who interact with the Alphas at work and at home.  If you'd like a free coaching session, contact us to find out about the Alpha Gender study.  If you need more information about how to use these insights in your company or on your team, contact us at performance@barbarahauser.com

To take the Alpha Male Syndrome assessment and get your own personal report, go to www.alphamalesyndrome.com.