The pandemic ended the regime of alpha employees

livemint.com:

Until two years ago, it was easy to spot future leaders in every batch of newcomers in a company. The alphas among them worked their way into cabins, usurping others’ at lethal speed. It often left the rest of the staff with the impression that these alpha employees were reclaiming roles and designations that had temporarily been given to others.

But then, the covid pandemic happened. Business leaders across corporate hierarchies were no longer viewed as invincible. Since then, the days of alpha employees have seemed numbered.

Why the pandemic? Because it accelerated discussions on ‘empathy’, ‘vulnerability’ and the need to work together as a cohesive unit, relying on one another. Until then, these attributes were taken as ‘soft touch’ traits in many companies, but not must-haves. The essential part until then was to get the job done, itself part of the business drive for returns on investment.

A behavioural coach to CXOs explained to me that an alpha is not a personality but a behaviour trait. “The modern leader cares about ‘how’ something was achieved and not ‘what’ was achieved," said the coach. As teams in offices worked through professional and personal crises, they were forced to listen , take decisions involving everyone and seek advice on how to wade through many a tough spot.

There was no place left for one dominant viewpoint. No one had experienced a lockdown or medical crisis at this scale, and even the leader of the pack was forced to loosen reins of control. A Mumbai-based conglomerate’s Human Resources (HR) head described how the business house was changing and alpha team members were no longer appreciated.