The 7 Deadly Sins of IT Management

These lists are always somewhat amusing. Can you find any ministry parallels?

1. Lust for New Technology

There are many kinds of lust in the IT universe — lust for power, for position, even (gulp) the physical kind. But believe it or not, the most damaging unbridled desire in the IT workplace might just be gadget lust.

2. Information Gluttony

Not as expensive as lust but more common is the sin of hoarding information. Too often, this unwillingness to share one’s expertise is mistakenly believed to be the path to job security.

3. Avarice as an Action Item

When an IT project fails, more often than not, it is due to a lethal combination of arrogance and greed.

4. Slothful Approaches to IT

IT professionals work hard — that’s a given. But all too often, they’re unwilling to step outside their comfort zones or go the extra mile. Despite their hard work, IT managers often commit the sin of sloth by not doing the right things for the business.

5. In-House Envy

Fiefdoms, kingdoms, and silos have a tendency to develop over time as a company matures. In other words, people stop sharing information and instead spend most of their time protecting their own turf and envying the status or budgets of others.

The result? Duplication, lack of transparency, and culture-destroying politics that can cripple an organization.

6. Wrath Management

Call it management by intimidation. But losing one’s head at high volume is no way for an IT manager to motivate his or her troops.

7. Pride Creep

Pride manifests as sin when it blinds IT managers into thinking they know everything they need to know — even when they know very little about a given topic.

So, what do you think? Your turn.

[HT: NetworkWorld]

John Saddington

I am the CEO of 8BIT and a Full Time Entrepreneur/a>. I like what I do.