Alpha Male Syndrome

by Kate Ludeman and Eddie Erlandson

Book Overview

Alpha Male Sydrome describes the distinguishing dynamics of the alpha male syndrome and identify four breeds: commanders; executors; strategists; and, visionaries. Exercises, checklists, and tips... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1591399130
• ISBN13: 9781591399131
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
• Length: 276 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.5" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A Landmark Management Study of Alpha Male

Two management consultants have jointly written this book about alpha males who occupy some 75% senior management positions in America's business world. According to them, alpha males are indomitable, tenacious, and persevering enough to reach the apex of their career. They inspire awe and respect but could move people to fear and trembling. Despite having great career success, the downside of their traits and behaviours such as the `laws of the jungle' attitude, interpersonal impatience, and difficult controlling anger can have devastating effect to their health, marriage, and other people surrounding them. Both writers marry hard data on some 1,500 executives and base on their abundant coaching experience with senior executives from Fortune 500 firms to figure out why such top dogs become pit bulls that snowball problems and expose their vulnerabilities. In short, alpha males are various in terms of their different traits they possess such as commander, visionary, strategist, and executor. Some are inclined to act like visionaries that often dream up exotic ideas but hate naysayers. Others have an uncanny ability to deal with crisis but tend to exercise their authority through intimidation and domination. Both writers conclude that Trump's `apprentice' mentality would do more harm than good. In today's business environment where trust, respect, and collaborative dialogue between corporate bigwigs and coworkers are vital for business survival and growth, both writers offer alpha males a list of `awareness of self and others' tools that could guide them beyond the `alpha triangle' trap and move themselves and their people to effectiveness. This book is a comprehensive study of alpha males. It is also a landmark management study that not only fills need for alpha males but also provides an impetus for further research on this subject. Revealing the importance of tapping human potentials in teams to high performance, alpha males should learn how to involve the whole team that harness their intelligence, vitality, and drive without wreaking havoc on working relationships. They have to put aside their `zero-sum' jungle mentality as well as personal glory in pursuit of the alchemy of human connections. This book is accompanied by a website that contains an online alpha assessment to testify whether you are an alpha male or not and also your alpha strengths and risks. It helps readers undertake a self-awareness exercise in order to understand and modify their tendencies and risk areas. Chapter 8 provides alpha males with a repertoire of tools to practice emotional and physical reset such as stress relief and endorphin increments in order to achieve high-level health and wellness. This book is highly recommended for readers who are interested in understanding more about the upside as well as downside traits of alpha males. It is also a highly recommended book for alpha males who aspire to leverage their strengths and subdue their flip-side risks fo

I could have used this during my Enron years...

This is a book that would have benefitted me greatly had I had it during my Enron years... Alpha Male Syndrome by Kate Ludeman and Eddie Erlandson. It would have helped me deal with a majority of the management there... Contents: Alpha Male Syndrome; The Variety of Alpha Males; The Alpha Commander; The Alpha Visionary; The Alpha Strategist; The Alpha Executor; The Alpha Male Team; The Care and Feeding of the Alpha Male; Coaching for Alphas; Sample Alpha Assessment Report; The Alpha Scale; Notes; Index; About the Authors Many people have heard the term "Alpha Male" in the business world... They are the dominating leaders who have charisma and produce results. And on the positive side, the alpha traits of the commander/visionary/strategist/executor can be a boon to your business. But with the strengths of each of those roles come a number of risks. Ludeman and Erlandson break down the traits of each alpha style in a clear and consistent fashion, and then proceed to speak to each of those personas with practical ideas on how they can capitalize on the strengths and minimize the risks. There is also an analysis of how each style plays out in the "alpha triangle", the interplay between villain, victim, and hero. The alpha and their coworkers each show up in the triangle, and often the players shift between roles with each situation. If you're *not* the alpha, you'll start to understand how to deal with each of those personality types, which might make the difference between your survival or burnout on the job. Oh, and women? You can be an alpha too. You show it differently, but you still have the same risks to manage... When I worked at Enron Broadband, management was rife with all these types. Unfortunately, I didn't have these tools on hand to survive as well as I could have. It wouldn't have made a difference in their behavior, but it would have made a huge difference in my job satisfaction. A critical read if you have one of these creatures in your life...

Life-Changing (and possibly even Life-Saving!)

Drs. Ludeman and Erlandson, who occupy near-legendary status among executive coaches, here offer a major gift to the thousands of Alpha Male executives who stalk the corridors of corporate power. Every executive should read this book, but perhaps of equal importance, those who work for and with Alpha Males really should read it. The book offers a wealth of understanding about this breed, as well as a clear road-map Alpha Males can follow to a more balanced, healthier version of themselves. Do yourself a favor and read this book, then do the other Alpha Males in your company or network the favor of gifting them with a copy. They'll thank you, and the world will be a saner, more productive place.

Very pragmatic, useful book - every manager should read it!

Alpha Male Syndrome is a very well written and very useful book. It breaks down the various types of alpha behavior in ways that make the information actionable - how to deal with an alpha boss or colleague, how to be a more effective alpha executive - and how to apply those lessons to improve your home life. I wish I had this book many years ago. It will be very valuable to current executives, and it should be required reading of all first time managers so they can avoid the many common pitfalls identified in this book.