The truth is that most leaders didn’t get where they are because of their communication skills.
Most often, they were strong individual contributors who achieved business results relating to company growth. But now that they’re at the top, they need to master the new and challenging skills of engaging and influencing others to connect each and every employee to overarching company goals. They can only go so far on their technical skills and abilities. Those used to be the requirements to get things done. Today, leaders who want to accomplish goals and move a business forward know that work gets done through others.
Before that can happen however, leaders need to be aware of a whole host of bad habits that can derail even the most motivated leader’s initiatives.  I call these “The Se7en Deadly Sins of Leadership.” 
Oh, yes, they are sins, and they are deadly. In my experience, I’ve seen that ineffective and struggling leaders succumb to one or more of these communication challenges. Alternatively, strong, influential leaders, whether consciously or not, avoid these deadly sins to connect with their employees and drive company-wide success.
Now that you can envision a positive outcome, let’s briefly introduce those Se7en Deadly Sins...

Myopia: The sin of only seeing what’s right in front of you
Hypocrisy: The sin of failing to practice what you preach
Sloth: The sin of being too lazy to commit time and resources to great communication
Detachment: The sin of being disconnected and distanced from your team
Materialism: The sin of finding more value in counting short-term deliverables than in achieving long term goals
Presumption:  The sin of assuming that everyone shares your perspective and understanding
Irrelevance:  The sin of failing to provide meaningful context for project and company goals

I’ll go into more detail on each sin over the coming months.  You’ll learn how to avoid committing these sins and their associated behaviors.   These strategies are proven and I’ve seen them work irrespective of the industry, economy or the leader’s personality.  Becoming familiar with these sins and examining how you can change your behavior to avert them is crucial for effective communication in your organization.
What sin are you most guilty of?
-David Grossman
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