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7 Deadly Sins in Business – Pride 
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Bob Ryan, About Purpose, Inc. ©2009
““This is a business newsletter, what do I care about The 7 Deadly Sins?” Read on. Because those 7 Deadly Sins that most of us grew up hearing about will destroy a business just as fast as they are said to destroy our lives. This is the last in this series on why you really should care about The 7 Deadly Sins in your workplace.
Last issue, we focused on envy which may be one of the most dangerous of the 7 Deadly Sins in the workplace because of what it can lead to. Can you spell, “going postal?” Read 7 Deadly Sins - Envy.
Pride. We have saved the worst for last. Why the worst? Because pride is the root of all the other six deadly sins. When people’s self image becomes distorted into believing they are better, brighter, quicker, more attractive, etc., they become hardened to input from others. They become blinded to the cues in the environment that less prideful people take note of and use to shape their behavior.
Not to be confused with “pride in one’s work, or workplace” which are good things, pride is an excessive love of self; excessive belief in one’s own abilities; inordinate self-esteem, leading to conceit; disdainful behavior or treatment (Webster).
Pride leads people to believe more highly of themselves than is realistic. Prideful people are often blinded to the realities of the situation, to the other people around them, and to the future ramifications of their actions. Prideful people disdain others’ input, advice and warnings. They “go it alone” in a belief that they and their judgment and abilities are superior to others’. Beyond confidence, they display an arrogance that hardly endears them to their coworkers. Click here for a great article on arrogance vs. confidence.
Enough said? Probably, but take a closer look at some of the negative effects of pride in the workplace.
Alienation of coworkers, team members, supervisors, customers, vendors, etc.
Failure to learn from others.
Failure to give credit where credit is due.
Corollary: unawareness of others’ contributions to your success.
Tendency to avoid training a replacement. (After all, who could possible replace me?)
Narrow solution sets to problems.
Short term thinking due to rejection of historical perspective from others.
Erosion of team spirit.
You see, pride isn’t really about promoting oneself. Pride is a rejection of others. It is rooted in selfishness and low self-esteem. Prideful people are forever holding a mirror up to themselves so that they can’t see how others see them. They live in fear of discovering who and what they really are.
One of the more often quoted truths in the Bible is, “Pride goes before destruction; a haughty spirit before a fall.” To paraphrase Smoky the Bear, “Only you can prevent pride.” Examine yourself. Allow a regular dose of humility. Truly listen to what others have to say. Open yourself up to constructive criticism. Save your workplace from the destruction caused by pride.