7 Deadly Sins of Leadership

 

7 deadly Sins of Leadership

7 deadly sins of leadership.

If you’re looking for a way to sabotage your leadership career, disempower your team, alienate your network or “all of the above”, keep reading.

I’m going to introduce you to the 7 deadly sins of leadership.

If you commit just one of these sins, you’ll negatively impact your career, but don’t stop there. Why not go all out and commit as many of these as you can? You’ll be as popular as a politician and a lot more destructive.

Ready? Here we go.

  1. Ego

Everyone has an ego. It’s the window through which we see the world. Having too much ego is a real problem because it blinds you to anything else. You don’t see things clearly, nor can you see how situations or changes are affecting your team. It’s all about you and how good you’re going to look to the execs. If you can’t see the big picture and you’re unaware of the effect on your people, you can’t make a good decision. Running on ego is running blind. Who knows where you’ll end up?

  1. Faking it.

It might have been OK in the beginning. Faking it can sometimes be enough to build your confidence in your abilities. It all goes downhill when you keep faking it to cover up your shortcomings. Real leaders aren’t afraid to speak up when they lack skill or knowledge in a specific area. They aren’t afraid to learn from their peers or team members, nor are they afraid to hand control to the most qualified person, even if he or she is not in a leadership role. But don’t worry. You can keep on faking it till the bitter end. When things go wrong, as they will, you can blame someone else.

  1. Being reactive.

Why waste time planning for things that may never happen? Why plan today when you can deal with the problem when it gets here? Those proactive leaders use up so much time planning to avoid problems or manage their resources effectively. That’s the good thing about reactive leadership. A mad scramble when things go wrong is the only way to manage, isn’t it? OK, it might be hectic and stressful, and maybe you left it too late to protect your business, but you’ll survive. Maybe…

  1. Dictating

You’re the boss so what you say goes, right? You hold the title so that gives you the right to tell everyone what to do, whether you know what you’re talking about or not. Your team isn’t paid to think; they are paid to do as they’re told. Sure, they might have some great ideas, but you know how things should be done because that’s the way they’ve always been done. Why let someone else have the power to change things?

  1. Hiding behind titles.

That’s what titles are for! Titles give you power and status. They mean you can give the work to someone else to do and then take credit for it because you’re the boss. They give you the right to make decisions and to shift blame when things go wrong. Having a title is like having a protective cloak, keeping you safe when things fall apart. You mightn’t get anything done while you hide, but you’ll be safe.

  1. Lacking influence.

Ah, who needs influence when you can just order people to do as they’re told? If you talk long enough, you can make the people in your team think your way, can’t you? Of course, it’s a bit harder when you need to influence your peers and superiors. You can’t just talk your way through those situations. But it’s a mystery to you why even your own team members seem to pay more attention to other leaders than their own. It’s a pity you’re not Captain Jack Sparrow or you could make them all walk the plank.

  1. No decision making

If you don’t make a decision, you can’t get it wrong. Anyway, your team shouldn’t need direction. They’re adults. They should be able to work it out for themselves. You don’t want them coming to you with their questions. Besides, the longer you delay deciding, the more likely it is there’ll be only one choice you can make. You and your team might find yourselves in damage control mode, but at least you’ll know what to do.

There you have it; seven of the deadliest sins you can commit as a leader. How many of them are you committing without realising?  You can keep going as you are, or you can reassess your attitude to leadership and change your behaviour and attitude. Which is it to be?

If you’d like some help in this area, I work with Directors, General Managers & CEOs as their executive coach, give me a call any time on 1300 88 53 94. I’ll help you master your leadership effectiveness and presence; creating a legacy to be proud of, and make your mark on the world.  

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