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Beware of These Fatal Temptations of Leadership

November 8, 2001

"Smart leaders know that leadership is about responsibility - not power.  You have a responsibility to avoid the fatal temptations of leadership, but that means recognizing them before you succumb to them.  Beware of these common temptations:

-Self protection.
Too many leaders become obsessed with maintaining their status and protecting their careers.

 -Popularity.
Everyone wants to be liked, but in the long run, neither your employees nor your superiors will like you if you don't achieve results.  Aim for long-term respect by making tough but necessary choices.

-Harmony.
A workplace without disagreements is quiet but it can quickly become sterile.  In order to grow, an organization needs exchanges of ideas even if they lead to conflicts and controversies.
Adapted from The five Temptations of a CEO, by Patrick Lencioni (Jossey-Bass) (Positive Leadership, 1999, p. 14)."

Reference: Staff. (1999, January). Beware these fatal temptations of leadership.  Positive Leadership.

How well are you at delegating work?
* A listing of all the Ohio State University Leadership Center's resources is available on our website www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~leaders

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Created: 2009-01-02, Updated: 2009-01-12