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5 Ways You Are Sabotaging Yourself In The Workplace (& How To Stop)
You may be sabotaging yourself and not even know it.
Every time you are seen or heard you make an impression - good or bad. When these impressions are consistent, others know what to expect from you - good or bad. The impressions you make influence other people’s opinions of you which form your reputation. These impressions are aligned with your values and together define your personal image.
Robert McFarlane said:
“Humans are animals and like all animals, we leave tracks as we walk: signs of passage made in snow, sand, mud, grass, earth and moss. We easily forget that we are track markers.”
So every time you are seen or heard, the tracks you leave affect your image and reputation - negatively or positively! If you haven’t defined your personal image and how you want to be perceived, others will define you based on many factors.
Here are 4 tracks which can lead to career stagnation.
01. Always Late
When you are always late for meetings, deadlines, appointments, others will define you as not reliable, not conscientious and not respectful of their time. Your actions may cause missed deadlines and additional work for everyone else. You will not be taken seriously
How To Correct:
Look for a pattern in your lateness. Examine if you are late for everything all the time or only some things some of the time and why. Understanding the why can help you to stop sabotaging yourself.
Knowing how to do it will upgrade your image: Plan to be 15 minutes early for meetings, appointments, calls. Gather everything you’ll need ahead of time. Strive to meet deadlines and deliver ahead of schedule when possible. Being punctual in returning calls, meetings and appointments will show you are professional and a team player.
02. Your Image Doesn’t Match Your Career Aspirations
In white collar jobs, people tend to judge your suitability based on how you show up in those environments. If you don’t dressed for the position you are aspiring to, if your attitude is annoying or aggressive, if you are unprofessional, you are taking yourself out of the game.
To correct:
To be visible and noticed by management, look at the environment you are aspiring to and observe the people who work there, how they dress, behave and speak. Adapt the behaviour, attitude, dress and speaking to suit your personality and to easily fit into that environment. Don’t overlook the skills you’ll need to get there.
03. Conscious Lack Of Knowledge
If you are deliberately refusing opportunities to learn new skills or to do your job well, your non-actions will have a negative impact on your coworkers who will have to pick up the slack and feel resentful towards you.
How To Correct:
You are doing yourself a disservice if you are not constantly upgrading your skills. Learning new skills, how to use new tools and how to do things quicker will reduce stress, increase your knowledge and maybe spark new interests or hobbies.
04. Talk Too Much
Don’t be like Chris Tucker in the movie, Rush Hour. His mouth is like a Seven-Eleven - it never closes. People will stop listening to you because you go on and on about nothing. You, on the other hand, like to hear the sound of your own voice and like being the centre of attention and are unaware of how irritating you are.
How To Correct:
Observe how people react when you are talking. Do they walk away, look bored and disinterested or cross the street when they see you coming? Ask someone you trust if you talk too much. Believe what they say and from now on, listen more than you speak. When you do speak, get to the point, don’t ramble. If they need more information or clarification, they’ll ask.
When you stop the self-sabotaging actions like the ones mentioned above, you start to create a new self-image that will leave tracks you can be proud of.
Excerpt from ABC For The Workplace by Gloria Pierre
Gloria Pierre
AUTHOR
Gloria Pierre, seasoned communication expert, is the President of Clearly Speaking, where she leverages her skills and experience to guide business professionals towards improved communication and accent reduction. Her profound belief, "How you communicate is how you are perceived", fuels her passion to help individuals create the positive impression they aspire to make.
Gloria is also an accomplished author, producing resources that perfectly complement the training offered at Clearly Speaking. These works include "ABC for the Workplace", "ABC’s Of Networking", "ABC for Speakers & Presenters", "(K)New Words", "An English Guide to Pronunciation" and "Mispronounced & Misunderstood".
Throughout her career, Gloria continues to win the hearts of her clients, which range from entrepreneurs and job seekers to supervisors and managers, through her unique, comprehensive approach to verbal and non-verbal communication. Her teachings not only improve presentation skills but effectively diminish workplace conflict while increasing overall productivity. For more of Gloria’s insights, reach out to her through her LinkedIn.
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