Leadership is perilous territory. People’s lives are at stake (sometimes literally). Although avoiding the following seven deadly sins won’t guarantee you’ll be a great leader, succumbing to them will guarantee you’ll have a significant learning moment. (Translation: You’ll fail miserably, but hopefully you’ll learn something from it.)

We’re human (if you’re not, let me know because I’ve always wanted to meet a zombie or an android). We make mistakes. We succumb to temptation, pressure, and insecurity. Many times we don’t intend to behave badly, but it happens to all of us. Sometimes we’re left wondering how the heck we ended up in a certain predicament, and other times we have deliberately made the wrong choice.

The following are common ways you might find yourself in trouble and, more important, things you can do to avoid that trouble or extricate yourself from it.

Lust

Don’t worry—we’re not talking about sex here. But I am talking about appearances. While it’s important to dress the part of a leader, be charismatic, and have sex appeal, more than a hint of it can be your undoing. Sex appeal is like cologne or perfume; it should be understated. The moment you even think about being too charismatic, you’ve gone too far and you reek of it. Let your actions and achievements attract others to be members of your team—not your Gucci Armani Coach Louis Vuitton Polo ensemble.

Gluttony

Resources are scarce. Budgets, people, IT support are all at a premium. If you’re lucky enough to have some of these assets, bully for you. As a leader, you must resist the urge to hoard these resources. You’ll be seen as not being a team player, and you’ll hurt other areas of your business that need the resources. When you’re offered resources, take only what you need. Being a resource pig is a quick way to earn a bad reputation.

Greed

If you’re in a leadership role for the money, you’ve got it all wrong. You’re responsible for the care and feeding of the people around you. Doing it for cold, hard cash is the antithesis of being a servant leader. Don’t get caught focusing on the raise, the bonus, or the corner office. It will come back to haunt you when everyone on your team quits in search of a leader who cares more about them than they do about stock options. Keep your priorities straight: If you lead well, the compensation will naturally follow.

Sloth

Don’t be a paper pusher who signs off on things in between rounds of Minesweeper and Solitaire. Every once in a while, you need to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. Being a lazy leader who does nothing but preside because you’re a president/vice president, or direct because you’re a director, will earn you nothing but disdain. Your team members model your behavior. If you’re lazy, they’ll be lazier. If you bust your behind, you can expect great things from them.

Wrath

Things at work will make you mad (especially if you’re exceedingly passionate about the work you do). When things go poorly, you might have the urge to explode and take it out on the nearest team member, colleague, or boss. Don’t. Check yourself before you wreck yourself (Ice Cube!). The ability to restrain your anger and instead redirect it into fixing things will go a long way. No one wants to work for a hothead. Practice counting to 10. Wait a day before sending that scorching email. Go take a walk. No matter what, don’t lose it.

Envy

You want that corner office and the peach of a parking spot, don’t you? Focusing on the roles, possessions, and achievements of others is cancerous. It leads you to distraction from the things that really matter—the members of your team. All of us want to get promoted and advance our careers. There are two paths to doing so—getting pulled up by those above us or getting pushed up by the members of our teams. Avoid the temptation to covet those things above you and instead focus all your time, energy, and attention on your team. You’ll be in the corner office before you know it.

Pride

If you’re too busy telling others about your accomplishments, you’re not improving your business. We all have a desire for rewards and recognition, and all of us are good at what we do. But instead of telling people how awesome you are (and likely deriding others in the organization along the way), let other people sing your praises. It’s your boss’s job to promote your accomplishments, not yours. Do incredible things for your boss, your team, your customers, your partners. When you do, they’ll be more than happy to tell people how great you are. And no matter how much they praise you, don’t let it go to your head. Doing so will be your downfall.

There you have it. Seven deadly sins that will derail you on your leadership journey and make you X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook fodder—and not in a good way. Avoid these failure points and temptations if you’re truly interested in being a leader of character.

Published Oct. 2, 2024, in The thoughtLEADERS Brief on LinkedIn.