- Not knowing why you were hired ~ Stop telling yourself you’re not qualified for your job, and start focusing on what you can achieve.
- Following up too slowly when managing staff ~ your boss says ‘get rid of him’ yet you go to his defense biding time, if your authoritarian boss sees you as insubordinate you may soon join him out the door.
- Ignoring the Peter Principle ~ getting promoted to a job you do not like. If you do not like people, you should not take a management role if you are offered one in a promotion.
- Ignoring the corporate culture ~ you do not wear t shirts when everyone wears button downs, etc.
- Wanting to be liked by everyone ~ decisions should be dictated by the situation, not by your sympathies or personal feelings.
- Failing to protect yourself when a new boss appears ~the arrival of a new manager signals significant changes. Don’t ignore or underestimate them. Resist the new leader, who in turn opposes you, guess who usually loses in this scenario?
- Going public with your private thoughts ~ if you must gossip about your peers and superiors, save it for your family at home.
- Day-to-day problem solving calls for solid judgment ~ Blowing up one day because of a problem and taking it in stride the next makes you look unreliable.
- Blaming bad news on someone else ~ there’s no harm in admitting you have made a mistake.
- Asking employees to do something you will not do yourself ~ if you won’t go the distance, how can expect others to put in long hours?
