The Seven Deadly Sins of Management
Years ago I read a book called the Seven Deadly Sins and agreed that the first among them was the most deadly - Pride. The greater our ego, the greater our pride, the lesser our humility and the greater propensity we have for failure. The people you have the most difficulty with have far greater difficulty with their own egos, need to be heard, desire to be recognized and rush for validation. Don't let that person be you.
The Seven Deadly Sins of Management
- Pride that you are more capable than your employees. How gratifying is it to be dubbed ‘King Know-It-All’ when everybody hates your guts? When you make all the decisions and give continual directives it cuts off their ingenuity, independence and desire to take risk.
- Sloth in your dedication to develop your team. You develop projects but how often do you develop talent? When is the last time you asked an employee, ‘Where do you see yourself a year from now? What project would you like to develop?’
- Gluttony in your desire for perfection so that you look good – the perfect employees who develop flawless quality and perfect productivity metrics for your own kudos. Stop looking in the mirror and look your team members the eye. Are they worn out? Discouraged? Do they know you care about them? Do you care about them?
- Lust after all the other managers who have better people and more resources. Nonsense - and fairies fly and prince charming is in everyone else’s house. Stop dreaming about other pastures. The grass is green right under your own feet.
- Envy of leaders who have more power. True power comes from enthusing a movement. That doesn’t mean moving undeveloped talent out and charismatic interviewees in. Notice people as individuals and not tools.
- Wrath to those who make mistakes. Now that is really going to encourage innovation. Next time you see a child being scolded ask her how much she wants to help that parent do a chore.
- Greed to have it all which leads to unrealistic expectations. You are not perfect and neither are your employees. You are human. Remain open. Listen. Trust in the process. What do you want people to say at your retirement party?
If you want more executive presence tips here’s a link to my FREE report: 31 Success Practices for Leaders in the High Stakes Corporate World >>> https://www.maryleegannon.com/p/31-success-practices-for-leaders
Your coach,
Mary Lee
P.S. Feel free to forward this email to someone who could benefit from it. We are all walking down the same road in life looking for a hand to hold. Sometimes we must be the hand that reaches out. www.MaryLeeGannon.com
Mary Lee Gannon, ACC, CAE is an executive coach and 19-year corporate CEO who helps leaders have more effective careers, happier lives and better relationships. Request a free consultation call.
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