Fans of Mike Dillard know the three stages of leadership, Beta, Pre-Alpha, and Alpha.

Betas are followers, they don’t yet have the vision and motivation to break out of their rut.

Pre-Alphas are Betas on steroids, tired of being overlooked and denigrated they have created their own vision for their new life. The shell is beginning to crack, all they need is confidence in their new reality and experience.

With experience comes confidence, in a symbiotic relationship they feed each other until the Pre-Alpha one day realises that (s)he has become:

The Alpha, the “go to gal” or the “man with the plan.”

The once hesitant Beta, with lessons painstakingly learned, that took far too long making a single article “picture perfect” has finally realised that his Beta “friends” are holding him back.

Well meaning friends tell him that his “little hobby” will never work and “Let’s go clubbing instead.”

At the club an Alpha walks in, not particularly good looking, yet all of the women are looking him over. Your vision crystallizes, your new motivation knocks you back in your seat, the Beta dies an anonymous death.

The newly born Pre-Alpha excuses himself from his acquaintances, previously thought to be friends, goes home to turn his “little hobby” into a profitable business.

What was once thought of as a sacrifice is only growing pains.  He now understands that he can not soar with the eagles while surrounded by chickens.

Knowledge learned by the now-dead Beta has reached critical mass. The Pre-Alpha has little choice but to share the lessons learned, to pave the way for the next Beta looking for a way out of the pack.

The journey from Beta to Pre-Alpha can take years, months, or sometimes only days. Sadly, sometimes the trip is never made. Some Betas are content punching the time clock and complaining about the Alpha-Dog upstairs, never doing anything to change the status quo.

The time to go from Pre-Alpha to Alpha varies but is almost assured, How can the Pre-Alpha go back to mediocroty? The veil has parted and the man behind it is not nearly as intimidating.

Are you Pre-Alpha yet?

I hpoe so, tomorrow we discuss the stages of Alpha.