A knave is a dishonest or unscrupulous person. Unfortunately, knaves have a way of infiltrating companies—perhaps even yours. Keep an eye out for them in their varying manifestations. Some tend toward arrogance. This is an unfortunate but all-too-real occupational hazard for those enjoying success at the cutting edge. Jealousy in another morale-killer that puts people in a win-loss mindset instead of a win-win mindset. These are just a few examples, but you know the self-absorbed type who can’t seem to play nice. They can become a problem when other employees come to believe that success is achieved only through the adoption of similar tactics. This only augments the knavery.

Knaves are looking out for number one without any regard for the success of the team or the company. Divas, by contrast, are ambitious creatives who, though eccentric—perhaps even annoyingly so—tend to consider the team’s success a critical objective. Avoid the knaves, but the divas are often worth tolerating.