I’ve been in the executive suite for a long time. I’ve seen it all, you know? And one thing I’ve learned is that there are some cardinal sins that leaders can commit that are just downright terrible for your company and those who work within it.
Take a look at the infographic below to see what we like to call the “5 Leadership Sins.” Whether you have aspirations of becoming a leader, or if you are already in charge of others, here are five things you can do now to ensure better leadership skills down the line.
This infographic was created by me in 2008. I’m a little surprised I didn’t include this one in the original article. But hopefully it proves equally useful today as it did then.
Skeptics will inquire, “Why five sins?”
It's because sin is a tough word, and as a leader, you are likely to sin at least once per quarter or even more often. That's why we chose to use "five." So here are the different kinds of sins and how to avoid them:
1: Sin of Silence or Inaction
The first is that of silence or inaction. It’s inexcusable for you not to say something when you see something wrong. Pointing out what’s wrong is essential for achieving a goal, whether it’s a product development problem or financial blunder.
Failure to step up and address the problem could spell disaster for your company. Ultimately, the success of your company will rest on your shoulders, so it's important that you get involved and take action in the face of adversity or failure.
Don't sit there in silence like a good boy while watching your company go down the drain! Get on top of it immediately!
2: Sin of Laziness
The second sin is one of laziness. As the leader you must never be lazy. If you are, it will show with your performance and in the way you treat your subordinates.
Failure to delegate tasks to subordinates is another way leaders fall into this category. A laziness sin is a sign of poor organization or poor delegation skills, and it’s clearly not a leader’s best trait.
Now, that said... I love some lazy people! Look at my past history here on Jalopnik where I fight laziness tooth and nail!
3: Sin of Greed
The third sin is one of greed. If you are greedy, it will show in your leadership and the way you lead your company. It will also show in how you choose to treat the company's assets.
We’ve seen this sin often enough in real life and it is usually a combination of laziness and egotism that leads to this sin. A bad leader will choose to work with or around those who can do their job better than they can. This is an awful mistake, because eventually the company will suffer because of such unprofessional behavior.
An overly ambitious leader won’t delegate tasks out of selfishness but rather egotism, expecting that others won’t be able to handle the load or get them credit or praise for their work.
4: Sin of Pride
The fourth sin is one of pride. It is so easily hidden and masked by a person’s good looks, charm, and success that sometimes it’s hard to see.
A prideful leader will believe he or she knows the answer to all problems. A leader must be willing to seek out the advice of others, especially when faced with a problem that may be beyond his or her capabilities.
An overconfident leader will likely continue this trend on into other areas such as the next sin on our list: taking credit for others' work.
5: Sin of Envy
The fifth sin is that of envy.
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