Fun with the Seven Deadly Sins.

By the time you finish reading this I am hoping you will see that there can be fun and utility with the Seven Deadly Sins*. 

Most of us have heard of the Seven Deadly Sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins. They have been used since early Christian times to educate and instruct Christians regarding people's tendency to sin. The sins have changed over the centuries but currently they are: 

• Wrath: strong, stern, or fierce anger
• Greed (avarice): intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food
• Sloth: reluctance to work or make an effort; laziness
• Pride (vanity): excessive admiration of one's own appearance or achievements
• Lust: very strong sexual desire
• Envy: a feeling of discontent aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck
• Gluttony: habitual greed or excess in eating

Before I continue, I will want to point out that Scientific America MIND dedicated a special issue to The Seven Deadly Sins - Turn temptations into a source of strength (November/December 2013 issue); the magazine is affiliated with Scientific America so I think it is fair to say that there is some credibility with using the Seven Deadly Sins for insights into business thinking (and anything else that strikes your fancy) - I thought I would throw this out there for anyone asking themselves, "Where the hell is he going with this?"

As an aside, I will let you know my deadly sin is Envy... yes the little green monster. I have come to a point where I laugh at it now because in a practical sense, there is really little I have to be envious of  - But I still catch myself.

As I mentioned, I have found great fun and utility with the Seven Deadly Sins and want to share some of it with you. 

First of all, they simply are fun as a conversation starter or even a party game - All you have to do is ask, "What would you say your Deadly Sin is?" It is in the person's answer that is both fun and telling... it really doesn't matter which sin a person picks but more how they go about articulating their choice - It is all about the conversations and discussion. 

I have had people tell me they don't have any sins. 

I just smile and then wonder if they are self actualized enough to (at this playful level) pick "a sin" or so insecure that they do not want to admit a fault. We all have a sin so it's not really about if you have one or not... it's about the discussion itself and that makes it fun.

So now you have a new party game, but lets consider this in a more professional setting... as an interview question for example.

Like the party game, I am more interested in whether a person answers the question with a sin, or avoids the one word answer with some justification that they really have no "sins". For me, this is an indicator of self-actualization (or self reflection) and not being confident enough to highlight a personal challenge. 

With the articulation of a sin, like a perceived weakness, it then allows for the obligatory discussion as to how the person is addressing the weakness. Let's take me for instance... with envy (and I will say up front, it is one of the nastier sins), it has allowed me to strive and stretch harder to overachieve goals, as well as learn how to turn my envy into a benign entity instead of something that is destructive.

Ultimately, this is why I like the "Seven Deadly Sins Game"... in a very simplistic way, it forces us to look at who we are, our triggers, and biases. 

The game can better help us understand ourselves (as well as develop checks and balances for ourselves), particularly when we are looking at situations with a critical and objective eye... either individually or with our teams.

iamgpe

PS: Check out the Robin Hood Game.... it is also fun and insightful. Click Here