Little things that you do every day without thinking could be driving your coworkers crazy. Your bad business habits can give you a bad reputation and make you the topic of water-cooler gossip. Take a deep breath—and a good hard look at yourself—and then ask yourself if you are guilty of committing any of the following reputation killers.
If yours is an open office environment, your mouth could interfere with someone else's productivity.
Are you nosy? People eventually get irritated with the person who has to know every little thing that goes on. If staying abreast of workplace happenings is part of your job, schedule brief meetings for people to bring you up to date. Otherwise, try to mind your own business.
Are you unprepared? It wastes other people's time, so don't be. It looks bad if you constantly interrupt discussions with questions you should already know the answers to. Get into the habit of giving yourself 15 minutes before your meeting to make sure you are prepared.
Are you a kiss-up? Constantly trying to win your boss's approval will make you unpopular, even with your boss. Sometimes you'll have to stand up for yourself or defend a fellow colleague. If you can't, you will lose everyone's respect and look like a wimp.
Do you share too much information? Most people do not want to know about your problems and personal life but are too polite to say so. A too-casual attitude makes you look unprofessional. Don't assume that everyone is your best friend; people could be laughing at you behind your back.
Do you have sticky fingers? Invest in your own supplies, and don't grab other people's pens, calculators, or other personal items.
Do you talk too loudly? Some people are easily distracted and have problems concentrating when there is a lot of noise. If yours is an open office environment, your mouth could interfere with someone else's productivity.
Are you confident? It's very important to have self-assurance, both for the benefit of your personal life and for your career success. The next time you turn in a project, don't immediately start making excuses for why it might be of poor quality. If you are sure of yourself, others will pick up on it and may view you as a more valuable part of the team.
Are you too wordy and repetitive? If so, the people you're blabbering to may feel like walking away but will stick it out until you're finished talking to be nice. However, be aware that their attention probably left you ages ago.
Bad habits are not broken; they are replaced by good ones. It takes persistence and approximately 21 days to develop a new way of doing things. Of course, sometimes you will mess up and fall back into a bad routine, but if you keep working at it, you just might keep your name out of the mud.
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