The 7 deadly sins order teachings used by Pope Gregory the Great in the 6th Century AD to educate and instruct followers...
A leaf off Donald J. Trump's thoughts on
WorkPlace Sins PrideIn one sense, pride is absolutely necessary. You have to be proud of your work, proud of your accomplishments, proud of your abilities. That’s an undeniable given. Personally, I don’t want people working for me who aren’t confident in their talents and skills and aren’t pleased with their success.
But there’s a fine line. Rarely do people achieve everything alone. Be sure to acknowledge the work and the contributions of your co-workers. If your ego gets too big for the room, you lose the respect and the support of your team. And no one can go it alone.
EnvyJealousy is stupid. It is a waste of time and it’s destructive. Nothing good can ever come of it, so there’s definitely no room for it in the workplace. If a co-worker gets a project or a promotion that you wanted, then don’t spend time stewing over it or lamenting that it should’ve been yours. Instead, turn the opportunity around.
Use the situation to motivate yourself to work harder, to achieve more so that next time you’ll be the one who gets the chance to make the big deal or who gets the big client or the big raise.
In addition, if your peers see that you are envious of their success, it will do nothing but create a rift between you and that creates an unhealthy working environment. You have to work as a team and that just can’t happen when there’s an underpinning of resentment.
Use someone else’s success to fuel your own motivation.
AngerThis is a tough one. In general, I’d have to agree that anger doesn’t belong in the workplace. It can create a hostile environment and people who are prone to angry outbursts are often seen as unprofessional by their employers.
However, I think that leaders occasionally may have to use their anger in the workplace. I don’t mean that they should run around yelling at their employees, slamming doors and punching walls. But often people who are too soft-spoken and easy-going are steamrolled by those who work for them and with them. If they use their tempers wisely and show people that they mean business, all of a sudden those clients and employees and co-workers will sit up and take notice.
Like in all aspects of life, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. You don’t want to be squeaking (or in this case, yelling and screaming and pounding the desk) too often. But if you do it occasionally, you’ll make your point.
GreedOne of my often-quoted sayings is “Greed is good,” so I have mixed feelings about greed being a workplace sin. I believe that you have to be motivated by some sort of insatiability for success. I guess that’s greed in a way. If you’re not driven, you won’t succeed.
Where greed can hurt you is if you want too much too soon and you only consider the short term, forgetting that some time you have to sacrifice the here-and-now in order to plan ahead. It’s worth it in the end when you work hard toward a long-term goal instead of only living in the present.
So, yes, greed is good, because it inspires you and drives you to work hard so you achieve and win and succeed. But don’t let it get in the way of long-term success.
SlothThere are few things I hate more than laziness. I work very, very hard and I expect the people who work for me to do the same. So if you’re lazy at work, you will get absolutely nowhere. While you’re sitting back twiddling your thumbs, you will watch everyone else whiz right by you on the fast tracks of their careers.
If you want to succeed, you cannot relax. You can’t do just the minimum, just what it takes to get by. Complacency is ridiculous for anyone who has aspirations of success. Treat every day, every project, every client as if your entire career depends upon how you handle it.
I never take vacations because I can’t handle the time away from my work. I recently read that these days, a high percentage of the people who do take vacations tend to check email and voicemail and call in to the office when they leave. Those are the people I want working for me.
Never be lazy. Never be complacent. When you sit down to do nothing, everyone will race by you.
GluttonyWhen it comes to success, it’s hard not to want it all. And, to be honest, I’m not so sure that’s a bad thing. This, to me, is a lot like greed. If you have high aspirations and yearnings for big things, then you work hard and long and fast to get it.
But the caution here is that if you gorge yourself on just one thing - like someone sitting down at an incredibly prepared meal who later can’t push away from the table - then you lose. You become overwhelmed by that one experience and maybe too sluggish to tackle other projects or maybe even other parts of your life.
Some people think my work is my life. That’s true in a sense. But I also have time for a wonderful family and some fun, especially golf. Even then, I do business while I’m out on the links, but I enjoy what I do.
Overindulging in any one thing isn’t healthy - even if it’s work. Find a way to maintain some kind of balance and you’ll succeed.
LustFirst of all, it’s not what you’re thinking. Get your mind out of the gutter. When I’m discussing lust in the office, I mean an intense longing for other people’s success or other people’s work instead of your own. (Not an intense longing for the attractive person in the next cubicle.)
Here, they liken the sin of lust in the office to the “grass is always greener” theory. If you are obsessed with what your co-workers are accomplishing or striving for, then it’s guaranteed that your own achievements will pale in comparison.
Don’t become consumed with anything but your own work and your own triumphs. Any other obsession will create a negative environment and foster resentment and just not be constructive.
In the office, the only passion you should have is for your own work and your own victory. Don’t watch anyone else climb the ladder of success. Focus on yourself and you will succeed.
Gandhi's Seven Deadly Sins1. Wealth without Work
2. Pleasure without Conscience
3. Science without Humanity
4. Knowledge without Character
5. Politics without Principle
6. Commerce without Morality
7. Worship without Sacrifice
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