Nine “Good” Behavior Traits That Could Be Harming Your Career

By: Sara London | PPAI Media PC Today

In the workplace, developing and refining the right behavior traits can help you grow your career. Whether you work in sales, management or another role, you know it’s better to listen to your colleagues than interrupt them and it’s best to show up prepared for meetings than scrambling for your notes. While some traits are truly helpful, others may unintentionally damage your professional reputation. Wondering if you may have developed a few behavior traits that aren’t especially beneficial? Keep reading this issue of Promotional Consultant Today. We share thoughts from author Sara London on some of the top anti-skills to watch for and avoid at work. 1. Empathetic vs. flip-flopping. It’s good to understand where others are coming from, but you can be empathetic to a fault. If you constantly go back and forth on your views or you can’t seem to make a decision, you could come across as weak or insecure, notes London. 2. Confident vs. arrogant. Confidence is a key trait, especially when you work in sales. However, if you find yourself feeling unheard, you may go into defense mode and start slipping into an arrogant mindset. London says a good way to delineate between the two is to ask for and accept feedback. You can also commit to staying open to others’ ideas. 3. Multitasking vs. distracted. You may feel like you’re charging forward on your projects and tasks but doing too many things at once can be a sneaky way of keeping yourself distracted. Set a timer on your phone and commit to doing one thing at a time instead of distracting yourself with many tasks. 4. Fun vs. unreliable. You can be well-liked and still be responsible. While you may start out simply wanting to make your colleagues laugh, you could cross the line and end up damaging your professional reputation. If you try to imitate the fun bosses on TV, you may be seen as flaky or erratic, notes London. 5. People pleaser vs. dishonest. It can feel uncomfortable giving honest feedback. You want your team members to like you, and you may worry how they will respond to a negative review or bad news. If you don’t always share all the details or omit certain facts to avoid confrontation, you may be inadvertently creating a dishonest company culture. 6. Nice vs. passive-aggressive. Nice people usually want to avoid confrontation. As a result, they may become passive-aggressive. According to London, passive aggression can show up in multiple ways, from “forgetting” deadlines to withholding important information. 7. Tenacious vs. stubborn. There’s a fine line between being persistent and being downright obstinate. Don’t let a desire to win prevent you from seeing others’ opinions. Stubbornness is not an attribute, but an anti-skill, notes London. 8. Mellow vs. apathetic. Are you usually easygoing and level-headed at work? This is good—unless you become so indifferent that you consistently let others make decisions for you. Someone who is apathetic used to care significantly about something that they don’t really care about now. This could also be a sign of depression, so monitor your feelings. 9. Mindful vs. discriminatory. If you take your desire for inclusivity too extreme, you may be unknowingly reinforcing stereotypes, says London. Your perceived progressiveness could be an anti-skill. Many seemingly positive behavior traits may be doing you more harm than good. Whether you’re an easygoing person who likes to have fun at work or you always try to see other people’s points of view, stop and consider if your traits have veered too extreme.