If you feel like you just can't get ahead, maybe it's time for a hard look in the mirror. The easy route is to blame your career stagnation on other people, but it's also possible for your own behavior and personality traits to destroy your career. The experts at the Job Network have identified seven personality characteristics that can hinder your progress up the corporate ladder.
1. Complaining After a Meeting
It's one thing to grumble, but a truly detrimental personality trait includes complaining after someone makes a decision. Consider the example of failing to speak up during a meeting. When the time comes to voice your concerns over a certain project, you stay silent. Then you decide to complain about the meeting afterward. Your supervisor may not like your attitude if you didn't speak up when given the chance.
2. Putting Yourself First
When you impede progress or ruin a meeting because you're having a bad day, you put your lousy mood ahead of everyone else's feelings and devalue their time. Try to think of the team every once in a while — or notice that everyone else has the same daily dilemmas that you do — to give your career some perspective.
3. Shunning the Team
Give credit where credit is due rather than applauding yourself for coming through for the team. Your team is better than the sum of its parts, and you are a vital cog in that well-oiled machine. However, you should step up and help out at any given opportunity. Lift up your teammates rather than tearing them down. Teamwork and team building help foster creativity, innovation, collaboration and trust. Learning how to work with a team might also elevate your career to new heights, so ditch the personality trait that says everything is all about the "me" in team.
4. Non-Stop Complaining
Are you part of the solution or part of the problem? Your boss and your teammates might not enjoy someone who complains all the time. Count how many times you complain on any given day. If you do this more than three times per shift, consider dialing back on the griping.
5. Gossiping
Gossiping can get you into real trouble, and it can cause chaos at work. Sometimes your coworkers tell you things in confidence because they're your friends and they trust you. Don't betray someone's trust by ruining a professional relationship. This poor personality trait can destroy your career and someone else's.
6. Behaving Crudely
No one expects you to be Miss or Mr. Manners — but lay off the nose picking, crude jokes, lack of decorum, cursing and personal hygiene issues. If you exhibit any of these behaviors, you shouldn't wonder why you sit alone in the break room every day.
7. Too Much Sarcasm
When you're sarcastic, you demean and belittle your team, and no one knows whether you're sincere. Rather than making snide or sarcastic remarks, trying showing care and compassion. You can still have humor without laughing at someone else's expense.
A good manager may see your bad personality trait and note it in a formal review. When that happens, you're on notice to improve that characteristic. Failing to shape up might stunt your professional goals.
Photo courtesy of Ben Schonewille at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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