10 SELF-SABOTAGING BEHAVIORS THAT MAY BE HOLDING YOUR CAREER BACK
IF
YOU'RE FEELING LIKE YOU'RE NOT GETTING ANYWHERE, THEN YOU COULD BE
MAKING ONE—OR MANY—OF THESE COMMON WORK SLIP-UPS.
Has
it been a while since you got a raise? Or maybe you’re hoping for a
promotion at your next review?
When
it comes to getting ahead at work, a lot of employees say and do
things that directly conflict with their goals, career experts say.
"Some
people try too hard and many are unaware of the results of their
actions," says Neal
Hartman,
professor at the MIT
Sloan School of Management.
"They think they’re making a positive impression, but they’re
actually doing the opposite."
While
the best way to get a raise is to ask for one, it also helps to make
sure you aren’t doing any of these 10 things that will get you
passed over:
1. YOU COMPLAIN
If
you are consistently critical of your company’s policies or
procedures, you could be hurting your chances for a raise, says
Hartman.
"There’s
always someone in the office who complains," he says.
"Complaints can be good if they bring results, but constant
complaining that doesn’t offer ideas on how to make things better
is bad. People don’t relate to complainer in a positive way."
2. YOU PANIC
If
your initial reaction to every new challenge or assignment is to
panic and say you’re overworked and stressed, then you could get
passed over for a promotion, says Mary
Ellen Slayter,
career expert at Monster.com.
"Even
if you eventually calm down and do a great job, that initial fear
sends a signal to management that you may not ready for the
additional burdens that often come with a promotion," she says.
3. YOU TRY TO BE A SUPERHERO
Employees
who spread themselves too thin and don’t do honest appraisals of
their strengths and weaknesses can get themselves passed over for a
raise, says Jeremy
Cohen,
general manager of The
Talent Studios,
a Los Angeles-based recruiting firm.
"If
you never say ‘no’ to your boss or are too insecure to say ‘I’m
confused, can you explain that one more time?’ you risk
overpromising and underdelivering," he says. "Managers want
solid performers but will only relate to them if they are inherently
human. Those who don’t acknowledge any blind spots come across as
disingenuous."
4. YOU STEP ON TOES
Sometimes
in an effort to get noticed, people try to take over work that is
outside of their job description. They think it will demonstrate what
they could do at the next level, but it could be holding them back,
says Hartman.
"This
causes two problems," he says. "First, they fall behind on
their real work. And second, their manager could feel a little
threatened if they’re trying to take on part of his or her job."
5. YOU "BROWNNOSE"
The
office brownnoser thinks that he’s impressing the boss with
flattery, but the reaction is actually the opposite and it could get
you passed over for a promotion, says Hartman.
"When
someone is overly complimentary and positive, people find them to be
disingenuous," he says. "It’s not flattering and in some
cases, it’s annoying."
6. YOU SAP MORALE
If
you’re whiny, crabby, pawn off work, or are frequently late, you
affect those who are around you and it will not reflect positively
during an annual review, says Slayter.
"A
team member who contributes undue stress among surrounding
employees—even if that person is great at their job—may not be
worth the additional expense of a raise," she says.
7. YOU DON'T THINK FOR YOURSELF
An
employee who requires explicit step-by-step instructions for every
task, big or small, can decrease overall team efficiency, says
Slayter.
"Managers
may not want to delegate additional tasks and responsibilities to
employees who can't decide when to deviate from instructions in
special circumstances," says Slayter. Case in point—the
administrative assistant who says to her boss: "You said not to
put any calls through, so I told the governor to call back
tomorrow.’’
8. YOU TRY TO BE A CONSTANT THOUGHT LEADER
The
person who attends the conference circuit, constantly retweets
articles, and tries to adopt and share every strategy they learn has
become part of recent business lexicon, says Cohen.
"After
a while, these people appear interchangeable because they lack
unique, lasting perspective that gives them a true identity in the
eyes of their manager," he says.
9. YOU HAVE POOR COMMUNICATION SKILLS
One
thing that gets people noticed is the quality of their communication
skills demonstrated through presentations, reports, and emails, says
Hartman.
"If
you deliver clear messages, you’ll get noticed in a positive way,"
says Hartman. "The person who quickly types an email that has
misspellings and hits send before reviewing, however, is being sloppy
and will generally get passed over for a raise."
10. YOU KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN
The
person who believes that promotions are based on merit and doesn’t
acknowledge the complex interpersonal and group dynamics at play will
most likely get passed over for a raise, says Cohen.
"This
solid, silent citizen keeps his or her head down, works hard, and
waits for promotions and performance reviews to happen to them,"
he says. "They will be beat out by other workers who meet with
their manager early and often, express their one-, three-, and
five-year goals, and proactively set the choreography and path for
the responsibilities they want."
BYSTEPHANIE
VOZZA
http://www.fastcompany.com/3039182/10-self-sabotaging-behaviors-that-may-be-holding-your-career-back?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fast-company-daily-manual-newsletter&position=mac&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=12022014
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