Alpha Leadership - Tool For Startup Business Leaders to Beat the Odd In its truest expression, leadership is intrinsically about "going first," and influencing others as much by one's actions as by one's words

By Vaibhav Datar

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Shutterstock.com

Nothing is certain in a start-up eco-system, even if you possess a dynamic idea designed through descriptive and determined market analysis and research, still no one can unfailingly know if your product will succeed, how an investor will receive the start-up idea and is ready to write the first cheque to your business or whether a company will survive past the one-year mark. So how can you increase your odds of? Beating the odds through Alpha leadership?

A start-up Entrepreneur masters the leap of success by encountering a series of challenges and opportunities like – Securing angel investors, trying to transform a web visitor into a customer, cracking a purchase order out of a cold sales call, cash flow management while waiting for the check to arrive. Every day, the market is changing, companies are started, new innovative products launched, sales made and commerce conducted. Clearly, start-up entrepreneurs can definitely overcome the odds and here's how to be on the winning side of the entrepreneurial in equation with "Alpha Leadership".

Alpha Leadership in Real Terms

Want to dominate the Market?? Then let us understand the real concept of Alpha Leadership which means a leader like a wolf should know to organise their business into family-like units.

The term "alpha," coined the first letter of the Greek alphabet, means "something that is prior," First" or "the beginning." In fact, it is interesting to note that "leading" and "leadership" comes from the Old English word lithan (one of the rare English words that actually has an English origin), which literally means "to go." According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, leadership means "to guide on a way, especially by going in advance." It is significant that the root of the word leadership does have to do with "power," "command," but nothing with "dominance," etc. It has to do with going somewhere together, bridging the gap with others. The idea is not so much about "being number one" as it is about "leading the way" through one's own actions.

Thus, in its truest expression, leadership is intrinsically about "going first," and influencing others as much by one's actions as by one's words. From this perspective, effective leadership can be viewed as the ability to involve others in the process of accomplishing a goal within some larger system or environment. That is, a leader leads or influences a collaborator or group of co-workers towards achieving to some end in the context of an organization, social community and environment.

Crafting the Speciality of Alpha Leadership with Leadership Lessons Below

Quoting The Great Nelson Mandela, he said - "It always seems impossible unless it is done". So if you have the courage to begin then you have the courage to succeed. Do you know, what is so common between James Bond and Ethan Hunt from the Movie Mission Impossible? They both are the Alpha Leaders. They practically describe the most fascinating Mantra's to pull off the difficult missions which seemed to be impossible. So to transform the impossible task to possible, Let us explore the dynamic qualities an Alpha leader must possess.

1. Optimise the Level of Confidence - Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without "hope and confidence". Alpha leaders can only inspire teammates with boundless confidence. How to discover the level of self-confidence and boost the confidence within?

  • Choose your role Model and follow one's style of implementation to the core.
  • Your mental diet largely determines your character and your personality and almost everything that happens to you in life. You develop a positive attitude and persona when you follow positive affirmations – "I love myself" "I can do it", we believe 95per cent of your emotions is the way you think and talk about yourself. So if you think you are a leader, you become one.
  • Positive Visualisation: Perhaps the a most powerful tool in for the Entrepreneurs. You must have the ability to visualize and see your goals as already accomplished.

Body Language of an Alpha Leader at Work: Body Language is the best trick to make you the most effective leader.

  • Think before you speak
  • Look thoughtful, glance away and make eye contact while speaking
  • To create more professionalism use your hands while talking
  • Dress like a boss.

2. Leaders are Dealers in Hope and Always Look for a Brighter Tomorrow: Every Alpha leaders know to plant the seed of hope no matter how much the situation is tuff. Your primary job as a leader is to inspire people to hope for something better: to create a vision that spurs them to want to do what needs to be done.

3. Alpha Leaders are Inclusive: Inclusive Leaders Must Create Competence in Their Behaviour: Inclusion is the skill that makes diversity work, and diversity is proven to make companies more successful. Inclusive leaders must be people-oriented, great listeners, able to tap into the talents and motivations of their teams. They are patient, understanding, soft-spoken, and genuinely interested in others.

4. Leaders Create a Great Team Which Have a Dynamic Depth: Alpha Leader must create a group which should have its own unique nuances and dynamics. A team with positive group dynamics tend to have team members who trust each other.

A team with good group dynamics may be constructive and productive, and it may demonstrate mutual understanding and self-corrective behaviour. Collective Decision making held more accountable for fruitful outcomes. Team Dynamics is the most crucial component of effective leadership.

5. Nothing is Permanent, Things Can Change in Instant: Alpha Leaders are those who are successful in modifying their style and approach of leadership in response to uncertain and unpredictable circumstances.

6. Wise Leaders Learn and Grow From Their Mistakes: You can demonstrate alpha leadership when you acknowledge your mistakes. Learn from your own flaws and try not to cover up or blame anyone else for the same. If the leader does not learn from their mistakes they will revisit them.

Alpha Leaders finishes well- Finish what you have started. Maintain the leadership posture until you complete your task and master what you have aimed for.

Vaibhav Datar

Mid-life Coach and Author of Bestseller Simplify your Life

Born in the metropolis Indore, Vaibhav completed his schooling in 1992, graduated as an Electronics engineer in 1998 and as a management graduate in 2005. With profound interests in analyzing people and their behaviors, he pursued certification courses in graphology, hypnosis and color analyst from a plethora of institutes. Relentless towards this pursuit, he also endeavoured to become a certified Life Coach & Master Spirit Life Coach from Certified Coaches Alliance, Canada in 2012. Since then, he has assisted a gamut of business people, working professionals and housewives on equal terms in all their issues and has been instrumental in sprucing up their lives. While holding predilections for pursuing Masters in Arts – Positive Psychology, he also loves reading non-fiction, learning new skills and apps, writing blogs, food, playing with kids and above all happiness in life with foremost priority. Channelizing his fervour towards helping people at midlife and beyond, Vaibhav unveiled his book titled ‘Simplify Your Life’ that emphasizes on etching behavioral and mindset changes in an individual’s life that would lead to extreme ecstasy. The book in fact is of major help to entrepreneurs, professionals and parents in inculcating strategies not just at work but at home too. Harbouring 20 years of professional experience, Vaibhav is presently associated with the renowned firms – Procentria Private Limited and Tribe Ground Zero Services Private Limited.

News and Trends

Kolkata-Based Lab-Grown Diamond Brand Jewelbox Secures USD 3.2 Mn

The startup will primarily use the funds to expand its retail footprint, growing from eight stores to 30 locations by the end of this year.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Side Hustle

This Couple Started a Side Hustle to Improve a 'Terribly Made' Bathroom Essential. Now the Business Earns More Than $3 Million a Year.

Michael Fine and Lisa Schulner-Fine launched lifestyle brand Quiet Town in 2016 and have been growing it ever since.

Leadership

How Successful Leaders Get More Done in Less Time

The most successful leaders don't work longer; they manage their time with intention. Here's how to master time-blocking, prioritization and delegation to get more done in less time.

Business News

'This Has to Stop': JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon Outlines How to Run a Successful Meeting

In his annual letter to shareholders Monday, the JPMorgan CEO wrote that meetings have the potential to slow a business down.

Leadership

Here's What It Takes to Evolve From Hands-On Founder to Strategic CEO

Making the leap from founder to CEO requires more than just growth — it demands a shift in mindset.