Ask yourself - are human beings more like tigers, or more like wolves? The answer that most people give – and I agree with it – is that humans are more like wolves. Tigers are solitary animals, they hunt alone. Wolves are highly social animals; they live together in packs, and they hunt together. Clearly humans are also highly social animals, and we hunt, and work in all kinds of ways, together.

In every wolf pack, there is an Alpha male. He is easy to spot. He can bite every wolf in his pack and none of them can bite him. He may not be the biggest or heaviest wolf in his pack, but he is definitely the most aggressive. In every wolf pack, there is an Alpha female. She can bite all the females in the pack and none of them can bite her.

In the same way, in every human group, there is an Alpha. And since much of the work we do is gender-neutral, the Alpha of a mixed-gender group can be a male or a female. Many of us aspire to being the Alpha of our group one day, but your first time as an Alpha can also be your last. When you are promoted into an Alpha position for the first time, there are some pitfalls you need to be aware of – and avoid them! Based on my personal experience, I would like to warn you about three of them.
 

I am Always Right
First, and perhaps most important, when you are promoted into an Alpha position for the first time in your life, what is the biggest mistake you can make that can cause you to fail? The answer is, according to management experts who handle issues involving succession planning, not listening to personal criticism, and not making changes when criticized. You are going to need some mechanism whereby the people who now report to you can also criticize you – without fear. Tools like 360 degree evaluations are invaluable for letting your subordinates tell you what they really think of your management style. The first time I did a 360 degree evaluation with the people in my company, I was astonished to discover that their perception of me was completely different from how I thought they saw me. I thought they saw me as a good team player, and they told me that, from their point of view, I had a top-down dictatorial leadership style. They also told me that they hated it when I pretended to be a team player, and they preferred it when I told them clearly what I wanted them to do. I responded to their criticism, and made the changes they requested, and I have never encountered that problem again.
 

Yes Boss!
The second pitfall, which is like a corollary of the first point, is surrounding yourself with people who tell you want you want to hear. After you’ve been in a position of power for some time, the people who report to you learn how to read subtle signals from your unconscious body language. They know when you like to hear something, and they know when you don’t. Without realising it themselves, they start to tell you what will make you look happy; they start to tell you want you want to hear. The result is that the building can be on fire, and no one wants to tell you! Since I am a trainer, I have discovered that I can give Alphas honest feedback precisely because I don’t know them so well, and I don’t have to work with them every day. So, when you do become an Alpha, be sure to get at least some advice regularly from people outside of your team.
 

Alpha of Alphas
Third, even though you may be the Alpha of your team, don’t forget who the Alpha of the division, or the company is. The mistake that many people make, when they become an Alpha of a team for the first time, is that they think they are bigger than they really are. As a result, they act like a big boss in front of a really big boss, and the really big boss doesn’t like it. Being the Alpha of a team does not make you the Alpha of the company. You still must show appropriate respect to the really big bosses. When I am away from my office, someone else has to be the Alpha for me, but as soon as I walk back into the office, I am the Alpha, and the person who was the Alpha when I was away has to go back to being a Senior Beta.
 

Surrounding yourself with people who tell you want you want to hear: Some years ago, someone noticed that there are three cycles in history: 12 years, 35 years and 75 years. If a person managed to stay in power for 10 or 11 years, that person often failed in year number 12. For people, governments or management teams that stayed in power for 30 years, they often failed before 35 years were up. And for dynasties or political parties that stayed in power for 70 years, they rarely lasted for 75 years. After how many years did Margaret Thatcher’s own party force her to resign? She was the Prime Minister of Britain from 1979 to 1990. That means less than 12 years. On March 11, 1966, Sukarno transferred supreme authority to Suharto. After 32 years in power, Suharto was forced to resign in 1998. In 1917, the Communist Party seized power in Russia. 74 years later, Boris Yeltsin banned the Communist Party. The lesson is clear: you cannot just listen to a trusted inner circle. You must also get advice from outsiders who are brave enough to criticise you. And when they do criticise you, be prepared to change!

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