Seven deadly sins of management

by Lonnie Pacelli

Pride. Envy. Gluttony. Lust. Anger. Greed. Sloth. You either recognize these as the seven deadly sins or as themes for prime-time television. But did you know there are seven deadly sins that also apply to the workplace.

Knowing the mechanics of managing a project or team are secondary to the character attributes that a manager displays in his daily action. Here are the seven deadly sins of management and how to avoid them.

Arrogance
Ever known a manager that consistently claimed to know more than the rest of the team? How about one that was unwilling to listen to opposing views?  Isn't this just a sign of confidence? What's wrong with that?

Confidence as a manager is crucial as people will look to you, particularly when things get tough. When it runs amok and turns to arrogance, the manager disrespects the team. Show respect, have confidence and you'll do fine. Subtract respect and you're just an arrogant doofus.  

Indecisiveness
So you have a meeting on Monday and the management agrees on a course of action. On Tuesday, the manager decides to take a completely different course of action. Thursday the manager goes back to Monday's course of action. The following Monday you're back re-hashing the same problem from last Monday. Blech.

Decisiveness means the manager listens to those around him or her, makes the best decision for the project and sticks to it. While team members may not agree with the decision, they should understand the rationale. Decisions without rationale or without listening will ultimately frustrate the team and put a target on your back.  

Disorganization
We all know the manager that asks for the same information multiple times, keeps the plan in their head vs. writing things down, or is so frantic that he's on the verge of spontaneously combusting. This disorganization creates unneeded stress and frustration for the project team.

The manager needs to have a clear pathway for the staff to get from start to completion, and make sure the ball moves forward every day of the project. Disorganization leads to frustration, which leads to either empathy or anarchy.

Stubbornness
One manager was a month behind schedule on a three-month project. He refused to alter the project schedule, insisting that he could "make up schedule" by cutting corners and eliminating tasks. Despite the entire project team's warnings, he stubbornly forged ahead. He never completed the project because his stubbornness caused his removal as project manager.

The manager may believe his or her view of reality is the right way to go, but it's imperative that he or she balances his perspective with the rest of the project team. Decisiveness without listening leads to stubbornness.

Negativism
One of my peer managers, in his zeal to manage expectations, consistently discussed the project in a negative light. Either the focus was on what work didn't get done, what the new issue of the week was or who wasn't doing his job. His negative attitude about the work, people and purpose of the project sapped the energy, enthusiasm, and passion. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy; the project failed because the project manager willed it to fail.

This one is simple; a pessimistic manager is going to be a horrible motivator and will sap the energy from a team. This doesn't mean that you have to be a shiny-happy person all the time; but the manager has to believe in what he or she is doing and needs to positively motivate the team to get there.

Cowardice
Imagine this: The manager who, when pressed on a budget or schedule overrun, will blame team members, stakeholders or anyone else that could possibly have contributed to his non-performance. It is much easier to play the blame game and implicate others because everything didn't go perfectly as planned.

It's OK to be self-critical and aware of your weaknesses and mistakes. For a leader to truly continue to grow in his leadership capabilities, he needs to be the first to admit his mistakes and learn from them as opposed to being the last one.

Distrust
Managers that don't display necessary skills, show wisdom in their decisions or demonstrate integrity will not be trusted. For the team to trust its leader, the team needs to believe the manager has the skills to manage the project, the wisdom to make sound business decisions, and the integrity to put the team's interests ahead of his own. Take any one of these attributes away, and it's just a matter of time before the manager gets voted off the island.

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