Another Alpha-Bravo dynamic in the modern corporate workforce is the delegation in dealing with women, many who either 1) go into defense Girl-Boss-Mode around the alpha or 2) go into Alpha--Husband-I-Can-Change-Him-Dreamland. The Bravo is well-suited to corralling both types.
Not really what a Bravo was designed for, but if we must.
This: "What he hires for is attitude first, skill second." In fact I would go further and say that, in order of Value for hiring: Attitide, Aptitude, Willingness-To-Learn, and lastly Experience.
Vox, regarding the Delta in long-term situational Bravo position who deliberately hid a lucrative opportunity because it conflicted with and would have sidelined his pet project, causing a failure of your enterprise:
This definitely adds clarity to why you're frequently writing about Deltas disregarding instructions. Up until now, it has mystified me, for reasons to be explained in the last paragraph. I suppose that at the time that you put him into the Bravo role, you never could have foreseen it was going to lead to him having a conflict of interest in the future. But there's a character flaw in that particular man as well -- it wasn't just narcissistic pride in his own creation; from what you described, the bigger issue was disloyalty and treachery.
An honest Delta, sentimentally attached to his own work, but in the circumstances presented, would have come to you, and argued for his project, or that his project's product be offered for sale alongside the outside product, even at a reduced priced, until his product would meet the same level of desirability as his own; or alternatively, come to you and said, "I have a lot of time/resources/research into my project -- if you would prefer to sell this other one, may I have permission to continue to work on it on my own time at home, and then sell the product on my own?"
As far as most Deltas in Delta roles... most just want to please their superiors, and most work on the principle of don't over-promise, but if possible, over-deliver. This is why we tend to ask questions about what the higher-ups may consider unimportant details -- because seemingly minor details can have significant impacts on time, materials and costs, and we've all learned early on that assuming the wrong thing can costs hours or even days of work, plus materials, down the drain, which could have been saved by spending 10 to 30 seconds to ask a question, so that we can know what was meant, not merely what was said in the original instructions.
"Which underlines why you don’t want a Delta, with their relentless narrow focus and self-serving narcissism, serving as a situational Bravo."
I work construction. Years ago my Alpha boss promoted me (Delta) off the tools and into a management (Bravo) position. I wasn't comfortable or good at the role, and after a year I asked to be demoted back to the tools. If I'd known the SSH back then, I would never have taken the promotion. However, knowledge of the SSH has helped me be the situational Bravo when the Alpha asks me for opinions on other workers or job site conditions. Honest eyes.
"In witnessing my Alpha husband, I will add that Bravos serve two additional and essential roles. First, they are his eyes and ears when he isn’t around. They report back to him an honest read on who people truly are when they’re not performing for his approval."
In reality he is a delta with gay gamma/lambda orbiters who give him false information to get the sigmas fired.
Vox, thank you for your continued insight into the overall hierarchy and how the oieces fit together. Your scientific mind, eloquent writing style, and willingness to play the alpha role to bring out these relevant experiences is extremely helpful.
I originally had no clue where I stood as a rank and only had ideas on those around me. Now I can pierce thru not only my behavior but the words and actions around me. It has been a eureka moment as so many situations in my past are now annotated and understood.
This insight on roles, behaviors, motivations, and responsibilities is one of the best parts of my day.
There's a certain dynamic between King David and Joab that is a historical case study of Alpha-Bravo interdependence. King David tried to promote good men to serve at his right hand. Joab, the Bravo-to-be-replaced, had a habit of murdering those candidates.
"Then the king said to his men, “Do you not realize that a commander and a great man has fallen in Israel this day? And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds!”"
It's a weird problem to have, but what can you do when you literally cannot replace the Bravo in question? When your political and military power flows through him and his faction, your options are limited. (Monopoly behavior; eliminate competition)
Joab would serve in that Bravo role for the rest of David's life. It took Joab backing the wrong horse in a succession crisis to create an opportunity for the new king Solomon to execute him (according to David's final will).
edit: Misremembered timeline. Joab survived the succession crisis, but was involved in a later coup backing the same prince, which finally earned him a death. High ranked Bravo got away with many murders before finally getting his just desserts.
Taking out what he perceived to be his up-and-coming competitors, rather than looking upwards for further promotion while building and maintaining a solid team to demonstrate his worthiness for such a promotion -- Joab was most likely a gamma in a senior Bravo position. He was trying to do what Stalin actually DID do in the wake of Lenin's death.
It's really a wonder that he never tried to assassinate David. Of course, after the second occurance of one of Joab's subordinates winding up dead for the wrong reasons, David probably increased his personal security team.
Joab doesn't have anywhere further to promote, outside of usurping the throne. The fact he doesn't is why I consider him solidly Bravo. Jealous of maintaining his own position, but not trying to become king.
He performs competently as a commander for David as seen in the civil war against Absalom. He correctly rebukes David for letting his personal grief for Absalom get in the way of maintaining the army's morale as king. His deliberate murder of Absalom to remove the threat to his Alpha David is also Bravo loyalty.
If the army needed to be expanded at some time (say another nation invaded while the civil war was going on) and he hadn’t been attacking his subordinates, he would have easily been appointed the supreme general over all of the other generals. He was already first among equals, so there was no reason for him to kill Absalom. David knew that Absalom was the leader of the revolt, and specifically ordered that Absalom not be harmed. That didn’t mean “let him go free until he runs out of men for his rebellion." And since the opportunity was there to take Absalom alive with nobody getting wounded (because Absalom had been found alive, caught in a tree), Absalom disobeyed a direct order to the fullest extent possible.
I cannot imagine that David would have let Absalom roam around free once captured by Absalom’s soldiers. While I’m not an mind-reader in the present tense, let alone spanning 3000+ years, I can say that if David wanted Absalom left unharmed, then he planned to imprison Absalom for the remainder of his (David’s) own life. Banishment wouldn’t have worked; David I’m sure was intelligent enough that a man who lead a serious revolt would always be a threat to himself, if by not other means than creating an alliance of other nation’s to lead against Israel.
At a later time, David chose his nephew (therefore Joab’s 1st or 2nd cousin) Amasa to replace Joab as the leader of the Isrealite army, and Joab then murdered Amasa. That is NOT Bravo loyalty. We can be fairly certain that the assassination of Absalom had much to do with Joab being demoted in favor of Amasa in the first place.
Then, near the end of David’s life, Joab declared his loyalty to David’s son Adonijah. Again, not Bravo loyalty.
Joab wasn’t an Alpha, or else he would have executed a palace coup (possibly with a mere demand that David publicly abdicate the throne rather than cause a great uproar by assassinating or executing David). The description of Joab’s behavior is a man who spent more time looking over his shoulder than anything else, and when he was rightfully superceded by a man who WASN’T
"I cannot imagine that David would have let Absalom roam around free once captured"
I can. He was pretty lax towards his own children. Absalom's sister was raped, and the rapist son left mostly unpunished. Leading to Absalom murdering the rapist, and the banishment of Absalom.
Who was brought back from his banishment because JOAB knew David pined for him and executed a cunning plan to bring Absalom back. (David's performance as a father was not great. Adultery is bad.)
Joab's spear through the heart might have been a little personal. "Take this you ungrateful bastard. After all I did for you. You don't get to break up my country with a civil war."
"At a later time, David chose his nephew (therefore Joab’s 1st or 2nd cousin) Amasa to replace Joab as the leader of the Isrealite army, and Joab then murdered Amasa. That is NOT Bravo loyalty. "
Bravo loyalty is to the Alpha. It does not extend to competing Bravos. How many women are okay with their Alpha giving his affections to a competing woman? Bravos are human and probably run on similar relational rules as a wife. "I'm your right-hand. Don't you dare cheat on me."
"Then, near the end of David’s life, Joab declared his loyalty to David’s son Adonijah. Again, not Bravo loyalty."
Bravo loyalty to Alpha David is given to an Alpha son. He didn't raise his hand against his Alpha David. He's not Solomon's Bravo, but that behavior does not demonstrate a lack of Bravo character.
The fact Joab is executed for helping that same son again demonstrates the Bravo loyalty trait. But it was backing the wrong horse, with fatal consequences. Such is the game of politics.
Joab and David's relationship is super interesting, for sure. David executed lower ranking men for assassination, but apparently he just couldn't do without Joab. And in the fight against Absolom Joab was strong where David was weak, and called him out when David was letting his grief get the better of him.
David's life was further complicated by the fact that Joab and his brothers were his nephews, the sons of his sister, so he had the Alpha responsibility towards them, too. He made sure to get Joab out of the way for Solomon, though.
"The bigger the organization, the more important the ability of the Bravos to provide that perception and leadership-by-proxy that the Alpha cannot possibly provide on his own."
Followers who can scale the Alpha's leadership are essential to building up a human system.
Other Alphas are looking to build their own empires and make the "backstab problem" worse when they follow through on their ambitions. Deltas don't have the leadership capacity. Bravos operate in the sweet spot of loyalty and capability. But they're not an Alpha replacement when time comes and Death calls. Right-hands are not heads.
This is why the German army identifies officers with the most crucial leadership characteristics early on. Those who they evaluate as making good leaders are put in command positions (starting as platoon leaders, and then progressing to units of larger and larger size). All others are tracked as staff officers, who will never be given command of any unit, unless there is a sudden shortage of officers on the spot in a combat situation, in which case one or two might be made temporary commanders until more officers can be sent in as replacements
Lieutenants in command at the platoon level aren't really needed to run the platoon -- that's the job of the platoon sergeant. It's just apprenticeship for becoming a company commander.
Unless there is a freak hit on a meeting on a company command post with all of the platoon leaders present, every company has 3 or 4 officers who are platoon leaders should be available to step up into the role of company commander immediately should the need arise.
I keep going back to my military experience, because MANY layers of hierarchy are visible to everyone. Even to a new private, there are typically 6 layers of organizational hierarchy visible to in most company-size units (100~200 lower enlisted service-members, NCOs and officers), and after a while, the members of a platoon (about 30~45) are a close-knit group, and are fairly aware of what's going on in the other platoons, and at the company level (company commander's relationship with the platoon leaders and the senior NCO, and the senior NCO's relationship with the platoon sergeants), regardless of how much the subtleties of those relationships are supposed to be hidden from the lower enlisted. A headquarters unit has all of this PLUS another 3 or 4 more layers of hierarchy within the company-sized element.
In the private sector, it's extremely rare for a brand new employee to see, on a daily basis, the person who is in charge 5 or 6 levels higher than himself, and everyone in between, let alone to know the names of his supervisor and his supervisor's supervisor, the senior management person on site (temporary or permanent) and maybe the company president.
In contrast, even a brand new private who is new to a unit is given the names, and frequently quizzed on his chain of command going all the way up to the senior most NCO of the entire service (army, navy, etc.), the senior flag officer (general / admiral) of the service, the senior-most officer of the (interservice) staff (chief of staff), AND 2 levels of civilians before getting to the President himself, and should recognize them on sight (from photographs posted on the walls in barracks) and by name before ever meeting them.
-----
As Clausewitz wrote: "In war, everything is simple; but even the simple is difficult."
For this reason, effective military organizations keep things as simple as possible, because the enemy is actively trying to disrupt all of your plans and even your organization. And per Vox's example in the main posting, there is absolutely nothing worse than treachery within your midst.
Years ago on the other "Game" blog of Vox's he posted another man's work on leaving gamma to become delta. It was a very useful piece to say the least. Maybe one about stepping up from Delta to Bravo for whatever duration is needed.
I bet SSH aware alpha business owners would pay good money for a accurate test to assess a candidates SSH status. So an actual bravo gets the bravo position. Same with delta. A gamma in a situational delta position sounds like a nightmare.
Another Alpha-Bravo dynamic in the modern corporate workforce is the delegation in dealing with women, many who either 1) go into defense Girl-Boss-Mode around the alpha or 2) go into Alpha--Husband-I-Can-Change-Him-Dreamland. The Bravo is well-suited to corralling both types.
Not really what a Bravo was designed for, but if we must.
The focus on bravos has been very helpful. It helped me realize some things about myself when it comes to my construction business!
This: "What he hires for is attitude first, skill second." In fact I would go further and say that, in order of Value for hiring: Attitide, Aptitude, Willingness-To-Learn, and lastly Experience.
Vox, regarding the Delta in long-term situational Bravo position who deliberately hid a lucrative opportunity because it conflicted with and would have sidelined his pet project, causing a failure of your enterprise:
This definitely adds clarity to why you're frequently writing about Deltas disregarding instructions. Up until now, it has mystified me, for reasons to be explained in the last paragraph. I suppose that at the time that you put him into the Bravo role, you never could have foreseen it was going to lead to him having a conflict of interest in the future. But there's a character flaw in that particular man as well -- it wasn't just narcissistic pride in his own creation; from what you described, the bigger issue was disloyalty and treachery.
An honest Delta, sentimentally attached to his own work, but in the circumstances presented, would have come to you, and argued for his project, or that his project's product be offered for sale alongside the outside product, even at a reduced priced, until his product would meet the same level of desirability as his own; or alternatively, come to you and said, "I have a lot of time/resources/research into my project -- if you would prefer to sell this other one, may I have permission to continue to work on it on my own time at home, and then sell the product on my own?"
As far as most Deltas in Delta roles... most just want to please their superiors, and most work on the principle of don't over-promise, but if possible, over-deliver. This is why we tend to ask questions about what the higher-ups may consider unimportant details -- because seemingly minor details can have significant impacts on time, materials and costs, and we've all learned early on that assuming the wrong thing can costs hours or even days of work, plus materials, down the drain, which could have been saved by spending 10 to 30 seconds to ask a question, so that we can know what was meant, not merely what was said in the original instructions.
Can confirm, it speaks to the character of the Alpha who and how he selects his bravos.
As a delta working in the field, good lieutenant, good boss.
"Which underlines why you don’t want a Delta, with their relentless narrow focus and self-serving narcissism, serving as a situational Bravo."
I work construction. Years ago my Alpha boss promoted me (Delta) off the tools and into a management (Bravo) position. I wasn't comfortable or good at the role, and after a year I asked to be demoted back to the tools. If I'd known the SSH back then, I would never have taken the promotion. However, knowledge of the SSH has helped me be the situational Bravo when the Alpha asks me for opinions on other workers or job site conditions. Honest eyes.
Being Bravo is actually a pretty sweet deal.
"In witnessing my Alpha husband, I will add that Bravos serve two additional and essential roles. First, they are his eyes and ears when he isn’t around. They report back to him an honest read on who people truly are when they’re not performing for his approval."
In reality he is a delta with gay gamma/lambda orbiters who give him false information to get the sigmas fired.
Another timely post. I have determined I can be a fractional bravo competently. Not so much an alpha.
The Bravo shoulders the responsibility of general management so the Alpha can focus on leading.
It's not really adding anything or prompting further thought, but been enjoying the enlightenment of these pieces on the Bravo. Thank you SDL.
Vox, thank you for your continued insight into the overall hierarchy and how the oieces fit together. Your scientific mind, eloquent writing style, and willingness to play the alpha role to bring out these relevant experiences is extremely helpful.
I originally had no clue where I stood as a rank and only had ideas on those around me. Now I can pierce thru not only my behavior but the words and actions around me. It has been a eureka moment as so many situations in my past are now annotated and understood.
This insight on roles, behaviors, motivations, and responsibilities is one of the best parts of my day.
*pieces fit together. I haven't figured out how to edit my comments
There are 3 dots in the upper right of your comment. Click that to bring up options to Edit/Delete/etc.
It only gives me a "share, hide, or delete". I'm on android substack app.
I see. I checked on PC and on a mobile browser. An app might have more limited functionality or a different method.
Test.
There's a certain dynamic between King David and Joab that is a historical case study of Alpha-Bravo interdependence. King David tried to promote good men to serve at his right hand. Joab, the Bravo-to-be-replaced, had a habit of murdering those candidates.
"Then the king said to his men, “Do you not realize that a commander and a great man has fallen in Israel this day? And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds!”"
It's a weird problem to have, but what can you do when you literally cannot replace the Bravo in question? When your political and military power flows through him and his faction, your options are limited. (Monopoly behavior; eliminate competition)
Joab would serve in that Bravo role for the rest of David's life. It took Joab backing the wrong horse in a succession crisis to create an opportunity for the new king Solomon to execute him (according to David's final will).
edit: Misremembered timeline. Joab survived the succession crisis, but was involved in a later coup backing the same prince, which finally earned him a death. High ranked Bravo got away with many murders before finally getting his just desserts.
Taking out what he perceived to be his up-and-coming competitors, rather than looking upwards for further promotion while building and maintaining a solid team to demonstrate his worthiness for such a promotion -- Joab was most likely a gamma in a senior Bravo position. He was trying to do what Stalin actually DID do in the wake of Lenin's death.
It's really a wonder that he never tried to assassinate David. Of course, after the second occurance of one of Joab's subordinates winding up dead for the wrong reasons, David probably increased his personal security team.
Joab doesn't have anywhere further to promote, outside of usurping the throne. The fact he doesn't is why I consider him solidly Bravo. Jealous of maintaining his own position, but not trying to become king.
He performs competently as a commander for David as seen in the civil war against Absalom. He correctly rebukes David for letting his personal grief for Absalom get in the way of maintaining the army's morale as king. His deliberate murder of Absalom to remove the threat to his Alpha David is also Bravo loyalty.
If the army needed to be expanded at some time (say another nation invaded while the civil war was going on) and he hadn’t been attacking his subordinates, he would have easily been appointed the supreme general over all of the other generals. He was already first among equals, so there was no reason for him to kill Absalom. David knew that Absalom was the leader of the revolt, and specifically ordered that Absalom not be harmed. That didn’t mean “let him go free until he runs out of men for his rebellion." And since the opportunity was there to take Absalom alive with nobody getting wounded (because Absalom had been found alive, caught in a tree), Absalom disobeyed a direct order to the fullest extent possible.
I cannot imagine that David would have let Absalom roam around free once captured by Absalom’s soldiers. While I’m not an mind-reader in the present tense, let alone spanning 3000+ years, I can say that if David wanted Absalom left unharmed, then he planned to imprison Absalom for the remainder of his (David’s) own life. Banishment wouldn’t have worked; David I’m sure was intelligent enough that a man who lead a serious revolt would always be a threat to himself, if by not other means than creating an alliance of other nation’s to lead against Israel.
At a later time, David chose his nephew (therefore Joab’s 1st or 2nd cousin) Amasa to replace Joab as the leader of the Isrealite army, and Joab then murdered Amasa. That is NOT Bravo loyalty. We can be fairly certain that the assassination of Absalom had much to do with Joab being demoted in favor of Amasa in the first place.
Then, near the end of David’s life, Joab declared his loyalty to David’s son Adonijah. Again, not Bravo loyalty.
Joab wasn’t an Alpha, or else he would have executed a palace coup (possibly with a mere demand that David publicly abdicate the throne rather than cause a great uproar by assassinating or executing David). The description of Joab’s behavior is a man who spent more time looking over his shoulder than anything else, and when he was rightfully superceded by a man who WASN’T
"I cannot imagine that David would have let Absalom roam around free once captured"
I can. He was pretty lax towards his own children. Absalom's sister was raped, and the rapist son left mostly unpunished. Leading to Absalom murdering the rapist, and the banishment of Absalom.
Who was brought back from his banishment because JOAB knew David pined for him and executed a cunning plan to bring Absalom back. (David's performance as a father was not great. Adultery is bad.)
Joab's spear through the heart might have been a little personal. "Take this you ungrateful bastard. After all I did for you. You don't get to break up my country with a civil war."
"At a later time, David chose his nephew (therefore Joab’s 1st or 2nd cousin) Amasa to replace Joab as the leader of the Isrealite army, and Joab then murdered Amasa. That is NOT Bravo loyalty. "
Bravo loyalty is to the Alpha. It does not extend to competing Bravos. How many women are okay with their Alpha giving his affections to a competing woman? Bravos are human and probably run on similar relational rules as a wife. "I'm your right-hand. Don't you dare cheat on me."
"Then, near the end of David’s life, Joab declared his loyalty to David’s son Adonijah. Again, not Bravo loyalty."
Bravo loyalty to Alpha David is given to an Alpha son. He didn't raise his hand against his Alpha David. He's not Solomon's Bravo, but that behavior does not demonstrate a lack of Bravo character.
The fact Joab is executed for helping that same son again demonstrates the Bravo loyalty trait. But it was backing the wrong horse, with fatal consequences. Such is the game of politics.
OK, that makes sense.
Joab and David's relationship is super interesting, for sure. David executed lower ranking men for assassination, but apparently he just couldn't do without Joab. And in the fight against Absolom Joab was strong where David was weak, and called him out when David was letting his grief get the better of him.
David's life was further complicated by the fact that Joab and his brothers were his nephews, the sons of his sister, so he had the Alpha responsibility towards them, too. He made sure to get Joab out of the way for Solomon, though.
"The bigger the organization, the more important the ability of the Bravos to provide that perception and leadership-by-proxy that the Alpha cannot possibly provide on his own."
Followers who can scale the Alpha's leadership are essential to building up a human system.
Other Alphas are looking to build their own empires and make the "backstab problem" worse when they follow through on their ambitions. Deltas don't have the leadership capacity. Bravos operate in the sweet spot of loyalty and capability. But they're not an Alpha replacement when time comes and Death calls. Right-hands are not heads.
This is why the German army identifies officers with the most crucial leadership characteristics early on. Those who they evaluate as making good leaders are put in command positions (starting as platoon leaders, and then progressing to units of larger and larger size). All others are tracked as staff officers, who will never be given command of any unit, unless there is a sudden shortage of officers on the spot in a combat situation, in which case one or two might be made temporary commanders until more officers can be sent in as replacements
Lieutenants in command at the platoon level aren't really needed to run the platoon -- that's the job of the platoon sergeant. It's just apprenticeship for becoming a company commander.
Unless there is a freak hit on a meeting on a company command post with all of the platoon leaders present, every company has 3 or 4 officers who are platoon leaders should be available to step up into the role of company commander immediately should the need arise.
I keep going back to my military experience, because MANY layers of hierarchy are visible to everyone. Even to a new private, there are typically 6 layers of organizational hierarchy visible to in most company-size units (100~200 lower enlisted service-members, NCOs and officers), and after a while, the members of a platoon (about 30~45) are a close-knit group, and are fairly aware of what's going on in the other platoons, and at the company level (company commander's relationship with the platoon leaders and the senior NCO, and the senior NCO's relationship with the platoon sergeants), regardless of how much the subtleties of those relationships are supposed to be hidden from the lower enlisted. A headquarters unit has all of this PLUS another 3 or 4 more layers of hierarchy within the company-sized element.
In the private sector, it's extremely rare for a brand new employee to see, on a daily basis, the person who is in charge 5 or 6 levels higher than himself, and everyone in between, let alone to know the names of his supervisor and his supervisor's supervisor, the senior management person on site (temporary or permanent) and maybe the company president.
In contrast, even a brand new private who is new to a unit is given the names, and frequently quizzed on his chain of command going all the way up to the senior most NCO of the entire service (army, navy, etc.), the senior flag officer (general / admiral) of the service, the senior-most officer of the (interservice) staff (chief of staff), AND 2 levels of civilians before getting to the President himself, and should recognize them on sight (from photographs posted on the walls in barracks) and by name before ever meeting them.
-----
As Clausewitz wrote: "In war, everything is simple; but even the simple is difficult."
For this reason, effective military organizations keep things as simple as possible, because the enemy is actively trying to disrupt all of your plans and even your organization. And per Vox's example in the main posting, there is absolutely nothing worse than treachery within your midst.
Years ago on the other "Game" blog of Vox's he posted another man's work on leaving gamma to become delta. It was a very useful piece to say the least. Maybe one about stepping up from Delta to Bravo for whatever duration is needed.
I bet SSH aware alpha business owners would pay good money for a accurate test to assess a candidates SSH status. So an actual bravo gets the bravo position. Same with delta. A gamma in a situational delta position sounds like a nightmare.
Alphas don't need or want a test. They rely on their intuition, which is pretty good.