<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:401px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/515095c96bb3f75363000017-620-465/florida-gulf-coast-university.jpg?maxX=401&amp;maxY=301" border="0" alt="florida gulf coast university" width="401" height="301" /></div>Elsa/Getty Images</div>Florida Gulf Coast, the fun-loving team <a href="http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/tournament/2013/bracket">blowing up NCAA Tournament brackets everywhere</a>, is also taking its toll on Vegas.
The LVH SuperBook took a $10 bet on the high-flying Eagles to win the South Region at 1,000-to-1 odds pre-tournament. William Hill also took a $10 bet on them to get to the Final Four in Atlanta, but at much smaller odds.
No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast will face No. 3 seed Florida on Thursday in the Sweet 16. The Gators <a href="http://linemakers.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/2013-03-24/ncaa-tournament-sweet-16-point-spreads-florida-gulf-coast-kansas-michigan-south">opened as 11.5-point favorites</a>.
FGC has knocked off No. 2 seed Georgetown and No. 7 San Diego State to become the first 15-seed to reach the Sweet 16 in tournament history.
The Eagles’ <a href="http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2013-03-24/ncaa-tournament-2013-fgcu-sdsu-result-score-game-florida-gulf-coast-san-diego">dominating win over San Diego State</a> on Sunday took a bite out of at least one Las Vegas sports book. They were 7.5-point underdogs and opened at +300 on the money line.
“Got hurt on Florida Gulf Coast, both money line and spread,” Wynn sports book director John Avello told <keyword id="1753696" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="The-Linemakers">The Linemakers</keyword> on Sporting News late Sunday night.
(It’s actually been an impressive two-year against-the-spread run for the Eagles. Just nine of their games have had point spreads the past two seasons – and Florida Gulf Coast has covered them all.)
Avello said his book lost six figures on the Florida Gulf Coast money line and spread bets combined against San Diego State. Should the Atlantic Sun Conference upstart keep winning, it could get worse for the Vegas books.
"We took 15 wagers totaling $150 on Florida Gulf Coast to win the tournament at 500-to-1 odds,” William Hill’s Jimmy Vaccaro told The Linemakers. “We had them 150-to-1 to win the region, but only had one taker at $10."
Let’s not feel too bad for the books. Business was brisk this past weekend, according to Vaccaro.
"Handle was through the roof, better than last year,” said the Vegas veteran. “The first day was outstanding, and Friday was even better. Things tailed off a bit Saturday and Sunday because of less games, but overall, it's been better than ever. I wish we could do it all over again this week."
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Florida Gulf Coast's Miracle Run Is Hurting Vegas Bookies

<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/51472b056bb3f7cb01000006-620-465/louisville-basketball.jpg?maxX=400&amp;maxY=300" border="0" alt="louisville basketball" width="400" height="300" /></div>Elsa/Getty Images</div>The <keyword id="1606264" type="SPORT" weightage="60" keywordseo="NCAA-Tournament">NCAA Tournament</keyword> bracket has been unveiled, so it’s time to sharpen your pencils, get to work and make some money.
Here are 10 things to know before filling out the sheet for your office pool.
1. Know your scoring system. If you’re in a standard-format pool that rewards one point for a Round of 64 win, two points for the Round of 32, and so on, don’t pick a lot of upsets. It doesn’t pay. As long as you get two or three Final Four teams and the champ, you’ll be in the hunt.
Other pools reward risk-takers, giving twice the points when you correctly pick a lower seed to win. Some use a “multiplier” in which a No. 1 seed earns one point for a victory, while a No. 11 seed earns 11 points. In those pools, it pays to take chances.
2. If you haven’t heard of Georgia Tech professors Joel Sokol and Paul Kvam, now’s the time to get familiar with them. They came up with a formula that’s proven remarkably accurate for predicting wins and losses in the NCAA Tournament. It’s called LRMC, for “Logistic Regression/Markov Chain Model.” It factors in margin of victory, strength of schedule and road wins.
Their <a href="http://www2.isye.gatech.edu/%7Ejsokol/profspicks/profspicks13.htm" target="_blank">bracket is up</a>, and the professors have No. 3 seed Florida beating No. 1-seed Gonzaga for the title. The profs have three No. 1 seeds in the Final Four: Gonzaga, Louisville and Indiana.
3. Winning a conference tournament is not essential. Five of the last 15 national champs won the title after losing in their conference tourney: Kentucky (2012), North Carolina (2009, 2005), Syracuse (2003) and Maryland (2002). But no team has won it all after losing its conference tourney opener. That spells doom for No. 2 seed Duke and No. 3 Marquette, which both went down early last week.
4. Vegas knows best. Bookmakers have the best power ratings around, and their lines are better indicators of a team’s strength than its seeding is. But just two lower-seeded teams, No. 9 Missouri and No. 11 Minnesota, are <a href="http://linemakers.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/2013-03-17/ncaa-tournament-point-spreads-opening-betting-lines-las-vegas-odds">favored over higher seeds</a>. Mizzou opened as a 2-point favorite over No. 8 seed Colorado State, and the Golden Gophers opened as 2.5-point faves over No. 6 UCLA.
<keyword id="1753696" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="The-Linemakers">The Linemakers</keyword>’ Power Ratings: <a href="http://linemakers.sportingnews.com/power-ratings">How the tournament teams stack up</a>
5. The Mountain West is still searching for respect. The MWC was the fifth-best conference, just barely behind the ACC and ahead of the Pac-12, SEC, and Atlantic 10, according to <a href="http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/bkc1213.htm" target="_blank">Jeff Sagarin’s ratings</a>. The Mountain West sent five teams to the tourney: New Mexico, UNLV, Colorado State, Boise State and San Diego State. But before you make some chic picks, remember the conference is 15-33 in the NCAA Tournament and has never sent a team to the Elite Eight.
6. Defensive efficiency matters. Bleacher Report <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1564635-12-dos-and-dont-for-filling-out-your-bracket/page/2" target="_blank">noted</a> that since analyst <a href="http://kenpom.com/" target="_blank">Ken Pomeroy</a> started computing adjusted defensive efficiency in 2003, a team ranked 19th or better in that category – and usually in the top 10 – has won the tournament. Louisville, Florida, Georgetown, Wisconsin and Kansas enter the tourney as the top five in that stat.
7. Everyone knows a No. 16 seed has never beaten a No. 1. The little guys are 0-for-112 and counting. Only seven Nos. 14 or 15 seeds have won a tournament game in the last 13 years, and two of those came last year when 15-seeds Lehigh and Norfolk State pulled off stunners over Duke and Missouri, respectively. In contrast, a No. 12 seed has made the Round of 32 in 11 of the past 12 years.
8. Rick Pitino doesn’t leave early. This is Pitino’s sixth tournament coaching the No. 1 overall seed (four at Kentucky, two at Louisville), <a href="http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/page/tcmen13trends/2013-men-ncaa-tournament-bracket-trends-consider-making-picks-field-68">ESPN.com notes</a>. The previous five won the championship once (1996), lost in the title game once, reached the Final Four once and got eliminated twice in the Elite Eight. And only one of those teams, the 1997 Kentucky squad, lost to a team seeded lower than No. 2.
9. Trust your gut. Sure, we’ve just given you a bunch of predictive, statistical info, but don’t rely solely on someone else’s expertise. Where’s the fun in that? Take ownership. Show conviction in a team you believe in, regardless of what experts say. When that squad comes through, you’ll feel a deep sense of satisfaction.
10. An intelligent sleeper pick comes from Butler coach Brad Stevens. He knows what it takes to go deep in the tournament (he led Butler to the finals in 2010 and 2011), and he likes Saint Louis this year. The fourth-seeded Billikens play the kind of basketball that wears well in March and April.
“I’ve said all year to anyone who would listen to me, and even people who wouldn’t, how good Saint Louis is," Stevens said. “They’re a legitimate contender to win the whole thing. I believe that wholeheartedly.
“On pure strength, there’s no one better than these guys," Stevens added. “I know everyone is going to be chasing Indiana in the tournament, but Saint Louis is old. They’ve been through it, they’ve done it, and they are men. They are men."
NCAA Tournament: <a href="http://st.snimg.com/pdf/ncaa-basketball/2013/mens-printable-bracket.pdf">Print your bracket</a>

Ten Tips To Help You Win Your NCAA Tournament Pool

<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/513f7d9269bedd7057000003-620-465/big-east-tournamen.jpg?maxX=400&amp;maxY=300" border="0" alt="big east tournament" width="400" height="300" /></div>Chris Trotman/Getty Images</div>Anticipation is building for the NCAA Tournament, but why wait for action?
Sharp bettors know there are just as many opportunities, if not more, to find value in conference tournaments.
“If I was on the other side of the counter, I’d rather be out here (in Las Vegas) for the conference tourneys because you’ve got more games and the lines aren’t as solid,” said Jeff Stoneback, manager of Mirage Resorts International sports books. “A team wins at 10 o’clock on a Wednesday night and you’ve got to put a line up for them by 8 o'clock Thursday morning.
“And then you’ve got teams playing three or four nights in a row against some very fresh teams, and you’ve got to be right, but is that team gonna be tired or keep up their unbelievable roll like Connecticut did a few years ago? That makes it fun.
“In the NCAA Tournament, everyone gets a day off and the same schedule, so there’s an equal playing field. (In conference tournaments), there’s a lot of variables, which create much better betting opportunities.”
Handicapping the conference tournaments 
Richie Baccellieri, an analyst for <keyword id="1753696" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="The-Linemakers">The Linemakers</keyword> on Sporting News, said conference tourneys and the NCAAs are all rich in opportunities because teams are out of their normal routine.
“You can always find something because of the uniqueness of that type of game,” said Baccellieri, who ran the books at Caesars, MGM Grand and the Palms.
The first thing to handicap is a team’s strength on a neutral court, suggests Baccellieri.
“Home court varies anywhere from no points to 6 or 6.5 points,” Baccellieri said. “Take that off the table, and it truly does become a rating.”
In general, Baccellieri looks for lower-scoring games and more underdogs in conference tourney play.
“Teams that are dead all year long have a fresh start,” he said, citing Loyola Marymount as a perfect example. “It’s their last chance to do something.”
The Lions finished dead last in the West Coast Conference (1-15) and entered WCC tourney play on a 14-game skid. They then reeled off three straight wins – including one as an 11-point dog – before covering in a loss to top-ranked Gonzaga.
Counting its regular-season finale, Loyola Marymount ended the season on a 5-0 ATS run.
With quick turnarounds in conference tourney action, Baccellieri suggests paying careful attention to injuries and going the extra mile to get all available injury info via local websites.
Conference tourneys often involve rematches, with teams sometimes playing each other for a third time. Study the first and second matchups and look for important factors that could be outliers, such as big disparities in free throws or 3-point shooting. Also note who was and wasn’t healthy for those earlier meetings.
Several mid-majors and smaller conferences just completed their tournaments. The big boys start Tuesday with the Big East. Wednesday brings the Big 12, SEC, Pac-12, Mountain West and Conference USA, with the ACC, Big Ten and Atlantic 10 following Thursday. Don’t forget the Big Sky, Big West, WAC or MAC either.
What's happening in Vegas
It won’t match what’s on tap next week, but Las Vegas sports books will be buzzing this week.
It doesn’t hurt that four conference tournaments are being played in Vegas this year. The Pac-12 is at the MGM, the Mountain West at the Thomas &amp; Mack, and the WAC and WCC at the Orleans.
“A lot of college basketball fans will be in town to support their teams,” Stoneback said, anticipating increased action.
Conference tourney week – it’s actually two weeks – doesn’t carry the luster of the Big Dance, but you can bet games from 9 a.m. Vegas time until late at night. About 40 games will be on the board Thursday, and the same goes for Friday.
“There are people that come out specifically for the conference tournaments,” Stoneback said. “It seems to be building up more each year.”
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Why Conference Championships Are Better Than The Big Dance For Bettors

<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:398px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/510aa3b569beddb75300000b-1410/baltimore-ravens-ray-rice-4.jpg?maxX=398&amp;maxY=298" border="0" alt="baltimore ravens ray rice" width="398" height="298" /></div>Getty Images/Jeff Gross</div>We’re just a few days away from kickoff, so it’s time to start pinpointing your <keyword id="54897" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Betting">betting</keyword> strategy for <keyword id="101238" type="SPORT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Super-Bowl">Super Bowl</keyword> Sunday. There are practically countless ways to wager on 49ers vs. Ravens – the point spread, the total, the money line and <a href="http://linemakers.sportingnews.com/nfl/2013-01-28/super-bowl-props-bets-49ers-vs-ravens-odds-betting-lines-las-vegas-picks">pages upon pages of props</a>. <keyword id="1753696" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="The-Linemakers">The Linemakers</keyword> are here to offer some guidance.
The best piece of advice we can give you is to treat the Super Bowl like it’s just another game. In other words, don’t step out just because it’s the Super Bowl and risk five or ten times your normal bet.
Ravens money last week pushed the point spread down to 49ers -3.5 at a lot of sports books. But we’re starting to see <a href="http://linemakers.sportingnews.com/nfl/2013-01-28/49ers-vs-ravens-point-spread-super-bowl-betting-line-las-vegas-odds-peppermill">more 4s pop back up</a>, and that’s where we see the game closing -4 feels like the right number. So if you like the 49ers on Sunday, you may want to grab the 3.5 while you still can.
Linemakers Rick Herron and Richie Baccellieri have different opinions on the game, but they can both win their bets. Rick is leaning to the dog and thinks there’s a chance he’ll be able to get them at +4.5. Richie likes the 49ers on the money line (-170).
We’ve told you this before, but the value is typically with the favorite on the Super Bowl money line. The public likes to take its shots on the underdog to win outright at plus-money, and the books adjust accordingly. That means there’s no value with the dog on the money line.
“The value is always stripped on the underdog money-line by about 20 percent, because that’s the side the majority of money-line bettors will take,” <a href="http://linemakers.sportingnews.com/nfl/2013-01-22/ravens-vs-49ers-super-bowl-xlvii-47-betting-strategy-vegas-line-point-spread">Micah Roberts wrote last week</a>. “If wanting some plus-money on the dog, the better value is playing a few of the special point-spread props that are booked as their own entity and not tied in with the game.”
Want a can’t-lose betting strategy? Well, one doesn’t exist. But Richie suggests putting yourself in a situation where you can minimize your risk and maximize your potential win. That strategy involves betting the 49ers on the money line, and taking the Ravens plus the points.
Here’s how that could work:
Bet $170 to win $100 on the 49ers on the money line; also bet $165 to win $150 on the Ravens at +4. It’s impossible to lose both bets, yet you can win both.
If San Francisco wins by 5 or more, you win $100 on the 49ers money-line bet, but lose $165 on the Ravens. Net loss of $65.
If Baltimore wins outright, you lose $175 on the 49ers money line, but win $150 on the Ravens with the point spread. Net loss $25.
But if the 49ers win by a field goal or less, you cash both tickets. Profit of $250.
And if the 49ers win by exactly 4, you push on the Ravens and claim your $100 winning on the money line bet. Net profit of $100.
So if you’re willing to put yourself in a worst-case scenario of losing $65, you can set yourself up for a tidy $250 win – and have a heck of a lot of fun watching the biggest game of the year.

Here's The Smartest Way To Bet On The Super Bowl

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="28008" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Tom-Brady">Tom Brady</keyword> will enter a game as an underdog for the first time in five years on Sunday.</li><li>As things stand, the Buccaneers are 3-point underdogs in their Week 1 matchup against the Saints.</li><li>According to ESPN, Brady has not been an underdog since a 2015 game against the Buffalo Bills.</li><li>Brady has a knack for winning despite what the oddsmakers say. In 13 games as an underdog since 2010, Brady has gone 10-3 agains the spread and 9-4 straight up.</li></ul>Tom Brady will be in unfamiliar territory when he takes the field on Sunday. Not only will Brady be playing for a new team after 20 years as a New England Patriot, he'll also be an underdog.As things stand, <a href="https://www.insider.com/nfl-picks-week-1-expert-picks-against-the-spread-2020-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Buccaneers are 3-point underdogs against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday</a>. Normally, this wouldn't be big news — the Saints are a strong team, and they're playing at home against a division rival.But according to ESPN, Tom Brady has not been listed as an underdog heading into a game since 2015, but now he's got some doubters again in the Vegas linemakers.The last time Brady was the underdog was in <a href="https://twitter.com/BFawkes22/status/1303114575999569928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1303114575999569928%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.insider.com%2Ftom-brady-underdog-buccaneers-vs-saints-2020-920-9">2015's Week 2 game</a> against the Buffalo Bills. But the Patriots wound up winning 40-32.Over the course of his career, Brady has excelled while playing as an underdog.<a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/tom-brady-has-an-improbable-six-year-streak-thats-likely-going-to-end-against-the-saints-in-week-1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to CBS Sports</a>, Brady has been listed as an underdog 13 times since 2010. In those games, Brady went 10-3 against the spread for bettors, and won nine of the games outright.While Brady might miss the stout defense of the Patriots to back him up, the absurd amount of offensive weapons at his disposal in Tampa Bay means there's good reason to believe he can upset the oddsmakers once again.<ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li></ul><a href="https://www.insider.com/nfl-picks-week-1-expert-picks-against-the-spread-2020-9">NFL WEEK 1: Our official predictions for who wins this weekend</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/fantasy-football-start-em-sit-em-week-1-2020-9">23 players to start or sit in fantasy football for Week 1 of the NFL season</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/video-kansas-city-chiefs-fans-boo-moment-of-silence-2020-9">Kansas City Chiefs fans boo moment of silence 'dedicated to the ongoing fight for equality' before NFL's opening game</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/draftkings-nfl-week-1-best-value-plays-2020-9">The best value plays in your DraftKings lineup for Week 1 of the NFL season</a>

Tom Brady is about to be an underdog for the first time 5 years, and it's a good reason to bet the Buccaneers on Sunday

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<td style="color: #000000; text-decoration: none; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;" width="700">This is part of the "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/moving-forward" target="_blank">Moving Forward</a>" series offering advice to small business owners on technology, mentorship, productivity, and growth. "Moving Forward" is sponsored by Ink from Chase®. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/moving-forward" target="_blank">More posts in the series »</a></td>
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 <div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/5255b32eeab8eaaf0b00e44b-902-676/laughing-leader-4.jpg?maxX=480" border="0" alt="laughing leader" width="480" /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/senatormarkwarner/4554480445/sizes/l/in/photostream/">Flickr Senator Mark Warner</a></div></div>It doesn't matter how smart you are. Having too much <keyword id="77474" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ego">ego</keyword> isn't good for you or anyone around you.
Two in five CEOs fail within their first 18 months of leading an organization, according to a <a href="http://hbr.org/2005/02/ending-the-ceo-succession-crisis/ar/1">study published in the Harvard Business Review</a>. One-third of chief executives from Fortune 500 companies don't make it past three years.
The most successful leaders are aware that emotional intelligence is required in a business environment.
"No matter how open minded or easy to talk to you may be, having a top executive role requires that you use diligent, mindful effort to stay grounded and in touch with how the decisions you make effect the people on the assembly linemaking widgets for you every day," writes author Jen Shirkani in her book "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/EGO-Vs-EQ-Emotional-Intelligence/dp/1937134768">EGO vs. EQ: How Top Leaders Beat 8 Ego Traps with Emotional Intelligence</a>."
Below are eight of the most common ego traps that Shirkani says will destroy any leader's career:
<h2>Ego Trap #1: Ignoring feedback you don't like.</h2>
Every leader needs to hear the truth, even if they don't like the message. Shirkani says that executives and business owners need to ask themselves this question regularly: "How am I doing as a leader and how do I know I have an accurate answer?"
Here are some signs that you've fallen into this ego trap:
<ul>
<li>
You think that you're a good leader because you don't receive much negative or constructive feedback.
</li>
<li>
You do not regularly ask for feedback and when people try to give it to you, you get offended and ignore or rebuff them.
</li>
<li>
You secretly think to yourself: "If they don't like what I'm doing, they can go get a job somewhere else."
</li>
</ul>
<h2>Ego Trap #2: Believing your technical skills are enough.</h2>
This ego trap "gets triggered any time a leader overvalues his technical skills, industry knowledge, or field expertise at the expense of other emotionally intelligent <keyword id="34454" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="leadership">leadership</keyword> attributes, such as flexibility, self control, and social skill," writes Shirkani.
Here are some signs that you've fallen into this ego trap:
<ul>
<li>
You consider yourself too great a leader to waste your time accommodating people.
</li>
<li>
You are focused on catching others in a mistake rather than letting them work through the issue at their own pace and accepting their process, knowledge, and creativity.
</li>
<li>
You take a lot of pride in hearing others tell you that you're great or a genius.
</li>
</ul>
<h2>Ego trap #3: Only surrounding yourself with people like you.</h2>
You hate compromising or hearing other people's opinions if they don't agree with you. Therefore, you surround yourself with people who are just like you.
"When you hire others who live on your wavelength, you unintentionally create a support system of people who are not equipped to challenge you, to question your thinking, or to offer you a different perspective and direction," writes Shirkani.
Here are some signs that you've fallen into this ego trap:
<ul>
<li>
You don't have anyone in your inner circle who has a work or communication style opposite your own.
</li>
<li>
Decisions are typically made among the executive team quickly and easily with minimal challenging viewpoints.
</li>
<li>
Your executive leadership team lacks diversity.
</li>
<li>
Challengers in the company are instantly seen as "not team players."
</li>
</ul>
<h2>Ego trap #4: Not letting go of control.</h2>
Don't focus on the nitty-gritty activities that take away from the more high-level responsibilities the organization needs you to oversee, says Shirkani. At this point in your career, you need to learn how to let those tiny details go and focus your time on developing strategy, growing and engaging talent, and keeping an eye on the overall business landscape.
Here are some signs that you've fallen into this ego trap:
<ul>
<li>
You always get involved - even with seemingly minor details.
</li>
<li>
You spend more time focused on company operations than you do looking outward at the industry or business landscape.
</li>
<li>
When you are away from the office, nothing gets done. People don't know how to proceed without you around.
</li>
<li>
You feel people need very detailed instructions in order to perform well at your company.
</li>
</ul>
<h2>Ego trap #5: Being blind to your downstream impact.</h2>
Not knowing how your actions affect others is one of the biggest mistakes you can make as a leader.
"Shifting priorities arbitrarily, feeling hot about a project one day and cold the next, making everything a priority at once so that nothing is prioritized - all of these behaviors, and others, can get in the way of sustaining the organization's long-term goals and cloud the company's vision," says Shirkani.
Here are some signs that you've fallen into this ego trap:
<ul>
<li>
You routinely ask people to help you with a task even if it's not their job.
</li>
<li>
You call last-minute meetings, assuming that everyone will clear their schedule for you.
</li>
<li>
You allow things to fall completely off the grid, and then suddenly request an update. 
</li>
</ul>
<h2>Ego trap #6: Underestimating how much you are being watched.</h2>
Your employees are always paying attention to what you do, say Shirkani, and you should never underestimate this. "Whether it's the time you arrive at work, the way you sign your emails, or the accolades you give or neglect to give to the team members at the year-end party - in all these ways, and many more, your employees are watching you," she says.
Here are some signs that you've fallen into this ego trap: 
<ul>
<li>
You think there are different rules for executives than everyone else.
</li>
<li>
At company functions, you sit with your standard group of peers instead of using it as an opportunity to meet employees you don't know.
</li>
<li>
You believe it's OK to behave like everyone else at meetings because you think you're just like them. At the end of the day, you are still their leader.
</li>
</ul>
<h2>Ego trap #7: Losing touch with the frontline experience.</h2>
"As a senior executive, it is all too easy to become disconnected from the troops," writes Shirkani. "The contrast between the frontline environment and the physical surroundings of the average executive - large, private offices, dining-room-sized conference tables, and private gyms or private jets - is one reason."
Be sure to make time to check in with your subordinates and see how they're doing.
Here are some signs that you've fallen into this ego trap: 
<ul>
<li>
You have employees working in locations you have never visited.
</li>
<li>
You always fly first class or on the company jet, while your travel policy requires that all employees fly coach.
</li>
</ul>
<h2>Ego trap #8: Relapsing back to your old ways.</h2>
If you're able to connect with your subordinates during certain occasions and completely alienate them in other situations, Shirkani says your employees will begin to think that you're not genuine or trustworthy.
Here are some signs that you've fallen into this ego trap: 
<ul>
<li>
You find yourself operating on autopilot, not making mindful choices in interactions with others.
</li>
<li>
You see certain audiences as worthy of your best efforts while others, in your view, are not.
</li>
<li>
On good days, you demonstrate high EQ, but you feel justified letting it slide on bad days.
</li>
</ul>
When you're at the top of an organization, it's easy to believe that skills and hard work are all that's needed to keep you at the top. Falling into one of these ego traps will result in employee disengagement, lowered morale, increased turnover, or decreased motivation, says Shirkana.

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