Alpha Behaviors that Ruin Your Credibility and Leadership

What's holding you back at work: could it be your Alpha behaviors?

We're not talking about the take-charge-and-lead-us-to-safety alpha behavior. We need and appreciate that behavior, when it's warranted.

Instead, we're referring to the I'm more important than you attitude and associated behaviors. 

Arrogant. Bossy. Demanding. Controlling.

Especially controlling. We'll circle back to that one.

Your dominant attitude causes you to:

• interrupt others,
• dismiss their contributions,
• command instead of request, and 
• expect others to obey and conform.

When your role comes with a certain amount of power, you'll find that others actually let you get away with this. You may not even realize it's a problem. 

Even if it gets you what you want, it's not making you look good. It's certainly not helping you to be respected and appreciated. Most importantly, it erodes positive culture in your team and company.

Control is the animal (I had to, I couldn't resist) we witness the most in the workplace.  It's rather common to find people who cannot cede control to allow a cooperative and collaborative work environment, one that is open to multiple points of view and considers them before making decisions and plans.

When employees and leaders insist on control, it's typically because the environment lacks trust. If delegation occurs, it's followed up regularly or micro-managed. Information is siloed, competition is fierce (going hand-in-hand with power grabs and back stabbing). Things run in a specific way and there is no chance for innovation or collaboration.

Alpha behaviors often get mixed in with Command and Control leadership style, which has a few merits in specific situations, such as high risk or high compliance industries and crisis situations.

However, most of our modern workplaces want something else, something inclusive, collaborative, flexible.

You may have learned this leadership style from an authority figure, time in the military, or from your personal culture and environment.

Consider how you can refine it. It doesn't mean you allow and tolerate more risk. It doesn't require you to make all decisions by committee.

Instead, it means you set boundaries, expectations, and guidelines while recognizing other perspectives bring value and can help us strengthen, increase innovation and efficiency and grow the business.

✅ Self-Check: Are you doing any of these things?

Do you dominate conversations?  Have an intimidating presence? Need to win at all costs? Attempt to control everything?

• You don’t have to be the loudest voice to be effective.

• You can be powerful and humble at the same time.

• Collaboration is a strength, not a compromise.

• Leadership is about influence, not control.

✅ Lead Yourself then Lead Others. Learn to recognize and adapt your own mindset & behaviors. Learn how to coach your team toward better behaviors and more productive outcomes.

Watch a video about this topic to get actionable advice on how to lead yourself and others when Alpha behaviors and command & control styles are in your workplace.