Alpha Male Syndrome [Hardcover]

Kate Ludeman (Author), Eddie Erlandson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1591399130 | ISBN-13: 978-1591399131 | Publication Date: October 10, 2006 | Edition: 1

The business world swarms with alpha males--powerhouses who take charge, produce astonishing results, and bring enormous value to their organizations. But many alphas also leave a path of destruction in their wake. Competitive, belligerent, and impatient, these hard-charging leaders can run roughshod over colleagues and employees, to the detriment of their careers and the bottom line. In Alpha Male Syndrome, Kate Ludeman and Eddie Erlandson build on their Harvard Business Review article "Coaching the Alpha Male"--sounding a wake-up call to all alphas and the companies they work for. The authors show alphas how to leverage their unique strengths while confronting their destructive "flip side risks." They describe the distinguishing dynamics of the alpha male syndrome and identify four breeds: commanders, executors, strategists, and visionaries. By understanding each type's nuances, alphas can transform themselves into more effective leaders. And those who work with alphas can transform nightmare work groups into collaborative dream teams. Exercises, checklists, and tips enable readers to harness the enormous power of the alpha personality while minimizing the downsides of alpha behavior.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Alphas-who are predominantly male-may be aggressive achievers who get things done, but their potential for explosive anger and ruthless competitiveness can be bad for business. Husband-and-wife consulting team Ludeman and Erlandson (Radical Change, Radical Results) steer Alphas and those who work with them away from dysfunction and towards productivity in this action-oriented book that may miss its overconfident primary target. The authors, who have coached clients including Michael Dell, delineate the four major types of alpha males, their strengths and weaknesses, and "action steps" for both alphas and their colleagues. Commanders are "take-charge types... with a burning desire for victory" whose "high expectations lead to frustration and rage." Ludeman and Erlandson advise them to expose some vulnerability to promote healthy working relationships and offer colleagues ways of handling commander anger, like standing your ground. Visionaries are passionate dreamers who might ignore nuts and bolts, strategists are analytical geniuses who can come across as know-it-alls and executors are results-oriented but overly critical. Since arrogant alpha males, often blind to their shortcomings, will be impatient with coaching (and self-help books), their beleaguered colleagues may be the ones poring over this account.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"...takes a stab at persuading alphas they need to temper their behavior, and offers advice on how to seek help." -- Catherine Fox, Australian Financial Review, October 13, 2006

"...the volume, targeted at both alphas and their sometimes apprehensive co-workers, offers some useful...tips" -- BusinessWeek, November 6, 2006

"Alpha Male Syndrome is the most comprehensive analysis yet of this bullish breed..." -- Richard Morrison, The Times of London, October 11, 2006

"It's a practical book on an important workplace issue, with a solid research foundation and many illuminating examples from the authors' consulting work." -- The Globe and Mail, January 10, 2007

"Ludeman and Erlandson know their subject well" -- The Financial Times, August 29, 2006

"The first and the biggest step in flicking that inner Stalin off your shoulder is knowing he is perched there..." -- Theodore Kinni, Conference Board, September-October 2006

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 276 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press; 1 edition (October 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591399130
• ISBN-13: 978-1591399131
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #338,947 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I could have used this during my Enron years..., October 28, 2006

By 

Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Alpha Male Syndrome (Hardcover)

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...

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A look at leadership from the inside out, October 14, 2006

By 

Matthew J. Lambert "Writer" (River Forest, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Alpha Male Syndrome (Hardcover)

If you do a search of available Amazon books on professional and technical leadership you'll find about 60,000 entries. Many of these books will focus on the qualities possessed by great leaders or the characteristics one needs to be successful.

Kate Ludeman and Eddie Erlandson address leadership by focusing on the prototypical alpha male and its four sub-types. The authors differentiate this book by taking the concept of leadership far deeper. They recommend that the reader assess him or herself within this topology to better understand their strengths and weakness as they relate to successful leadership. One of the essential concepts they introduce is that a one's greatest assets can become one's greatest liabilities and that both lie on a spectrum and may become manifest at different times and for different reasons.

The assessment tools within the book are excellent as are the exercises provided. I found the in-depth assessment available on their website extremely helpful and, for me, very accurate. Best of all they provide some meaningful measures to minimize one's shortcomings.

Importantly the book is grounded in solid research as well as the extensive experience of both of these executive coaches. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to better understand what it takes to become a consistent and effective leader. It also can be used to complement a mentoring program for junior executives, managers, or directors.

Congratulations to the authors for a superb contribution to this important field!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very pragmatic, useful book - every manager should read it!, October 11, 2006

By 

Brian C. Plunkett - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Alpha Male Syndrome (Hardcover)

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.