Brazen Life » habits

Being a hardworking and competent employee is the first step to holding onto your job, but staying on your boss’s good side won’t hurt, either. Chances are your boss has pet peeves, and you’re committing several of them without even knowing. (Click here to Tweet this thought.)

To stay on your boss’s good side, read on to find out the 10 things you’re doing at work that drive your boss crazy — then promptly stop doing them.

1. You show up late

Sure, everyone has been stuck in traffic or overslept once or twice. Being late a couple times won’t hurt you. But habitual tardiness could cause you trouble.

Your boss perceives your lateness as disinterest or apathy towards your job, which surely doesn’t make you employee-of-the-month material.

2. You’re a Negative Nancy

If you find yourself complaining about everyone and everything in the office, break the habit immediately. Workplaces with a positive atmosphere are the most conducive to productivity.

Your boss knows your complaining can be contagious and could bring your whole office down. Next time you have something negative to say, save it for your journal.

3. You need too much handholding

Your boss hired you because you seemed like you could get the job done. Presenting them with every little problem about each task demonstrates the exact opposite of why you were hired in the first place.

Your boss doesn’t have time to oversee every one of your tasks. Put on your problem-solving cap and figure it out. If you come off as incompetent, don’t expect to keep your job for much longer.

4. Your meeting etiquette sucks

While some meetings may be less relevant or interesting than others, maintain a professional demeanor no matter how long the meeting drags on.

Your boss will notice if you aren’t taking notes, if you’re disinterestedly scrolling on your laptop (i.e. checking Facebook) or if you don’t contribute when you should. Follow along. Don’t be caught off guard and make it obvious you weren’t paying attention when someone asks you a question.

5. You have a new excuse for everything

Whether you were late to work, forgot to send an important email or did a project incorrectly, don’t make excuses.

Your boss hates when you can’t take ownership of your mistake. It shows your lack of honesty and professionalism. Own up. It’s better to apologize (but don’t overdo it) and fix your mistake.

6. You’re just lazy

Nothing infuriates a boss more than a lazy employee. It shows you don’t care about your job or your company, making your boss wonder why they hired you in the first place.

Try to be diligent and prove to your boss that you value your job by working hard.

7. Your work BFF is your cell phone

While it’s commonplace to keep your phone on your desk or send a quick text during a break, don’t make it a habit. Your boss will notice if you’re preoccupied with your phone when you’re supposed to be working.

Keep your cell phone use to a minimum, and please turn off your obnoxious Miley Cyrus ringtone. Your officemates don’t care if you came in like a wrecking ball.

8. You’re a broken record of other people’s ideas

When you’re in a meeting or having a discussion, your boss wants to hear fresh, innovative ideas and opinions. If an idea was stated once, repeating it won’t make it sound any more new or different.

Your boss will notice if you consistently copy your coworkers’ ideas. It’s certainly something you don’t want a reputation for. Instead, try to think of a relevant new perspective or build on someone else’s ideas.

9. You smack gum like it’s your job

Your office is not the place for Bubble Yum unless you work alone or at home where no one will see or hear you. Gum chewing can be loud, gross and unprofessional.

If you interact with people, whether you’re speaking at a meeting or sitting in a quiet office, stick with a breath mint.

10. You’re a tattletale

If you can think of no other way to get ahead than to throw others under the bus, beware. Your boss can tell the difference between a concerned employee and a snitch. If you resemble the latter, your middle-school behavior won’t be tolerated for long.

Instead of being the one to bring bad news to your boss about someone else’s screw-up, turn it into a problem-solving opportunity.

Your daily actions could be ticking off your boss without you even knowing. Constant laziness, tardiness and even gum chewing could result in a pink slip with your name all over it. Be aware of habits and actions that could rock the boat at work — and avoid them at all costs — to improve your job security.

Savannah Marie is a social media enthusiast and writer from New York. She is the editor of her blog Mixios and a freelance writer for 12 Keys.

The ambitious gear needs to be in overdrive to get to the next rung on the ladder, but before you go accelerating, know that there are some speed limits.

Despite what you’ve heard about the surefire ways that’ll get you to the top sooner, some habits can actually end up labeling you as a doormat—and doormats are not fun.

Here are six habits you should nix early in your career to ensure you aren’t being counterproductive in your pursuit of success:

1. Not taking your lunch break

You want to show your manager you understand meeting deadlines is crucial, and sometimes it means skipping your lunch to get that report done by noon—but every day shouldn’t look like this.

On days you don’t have tight deadlines, take a break to replenish your mind and body. The company isn’t going to plummet in stock if you take 30 minutes to eat your sub sandwich. Eat your lunch and enjoy every bite. Take some time to step away from your desk, go chat up another coworker and enjoy the break.

2. Answering emails after hours

Your personal time is just that—personal. It’s your time to spend doing what you love to do, whether that’s hiking or lounging by the pool playing Candy Crush. And what you love to do probably doesn’t include monitoring your work email like your life depends on it.

Relax. Work-life balance is a must. There are times when you’ll need to be on-call for a project that’s extended itself after hours. Other than those times, toss your work phone aside and make a point not to look at it until the next business day. Your boss emailing you pictures of her vacation to Mykonos doesn’t warrant an immediate reply.

3. Not using your paid time off

One of the best parts of the benefits package is the vacation time! But what’s fun about it if you never use what you’ve earned? You can and you should use your vacation time. All of it.

The constant workload will often make you feel there will never be a perfect time to break away and go surfing in Maui, but the truth is there’s never a perfect time to do anything in life. The work will always be there. Set aside some time with your manager early on to discuss your vacation plans and all the projects that need to be completed before your trip. Simple.

4. Over-explaining yourself

You need to go to the doctor because you’ve been experiencing an annoying pain in your leg. Does your manager need to know why you have to leave early to go to the doctor? Absolutely not.

Sometimes we over-explain our situation to our employers to prove why we need the time off. A 12-minute synopsis is unnecessary. Things that happen in your personal life are your business. Providing a doctor’s note is the best way to show you’re being honest.

5. Not speaking up in meetings

Maybe you’re the newbie at the company or you just got promoted to a new division, but it’s not an excuse for not speaking up at every opportunity when you’re invited to a meeting.

Never underestimate the importance of what you have to contribute. Your creative idea could help launch a viral social media campaign. More often than not, someone else will say the exact thing you were terrified to say, and everyone will end up loving the idea. Don’t let this happen; own your ideas and speak confidently about them.

6. Taking on more work than you can handle

You’re only one person. You can’t do all the work by yourself. You shouldn’t have to, either. Sure, you want to impress your manager and other colleagues by showing them you know how to work efficiently and can handle your workload, but never compromise the quality of your work because you have too many other tasks to complete.

It’s okay to speak up and let your manager know when you’ve reached your capacity on the tasks you’ve been assigned. Speaking up, expressing concern about your workload and prioritizing your tasks will make you look responsible rather than incompetent.

What are some habits you feel can actually hinder your success rather than help it?

Jaimee Ratliff is a PR Consultant and a culture enthusiast based in Houston, Texas. She also likes to write about all things Generation Y . Follow her at @WhatJaiSays.

No matter what type of business you’re in, you still have business operations to tend to, people to deal with, a brand to build and a reputation to maintain. Incorporate these smart habits into your day-to-day work to streamline your business, help build your reputation and customer base and make it easier to avoid common mistakes:

1. Set achievable goals

It’s important to have long-term goals to work toward, but your short-term goals will help build the foundation that supports business growth. Enthusiasm often leads entrepreneurs to become overzealous and set goals that are hard to accomplish.

Start out with small goals you can achieve in a day or less and continue to expand from there.

2. Measure your progress

Keep track of short-term and long-term goals. Check your progress weekly or monthly to ensure that you’re on track. One way to know if you’re progressing at an appropriate rate is to research similar businesses to see how they evolved.

A business mentor in the same field can also help you determine whether or not you’re moving along at a rate that promotes growth without becoming overwhelming.

3. Know your strengths and weaknesses

As much as we’d all like to be experts at everything, some areas are better off in the hands of someone with experience. Be honest about your business strengths and weaknesses, and don’t be afraid to ask for help when your business is better served by doing so.

4. Set a schedule and plan your day

Entrepreneurs can find themselves being pulled in many different directions. It’s important to have a schedule to guide each day. Take time at the beginning of each week to plan a week-long schedule that includes appointments, tasks to be completed and any communication that needs to be made.

Be flexible enough to make changes, if necessary, and use your schedule to help avoid time wasters that prevent you from getting work done.

5. Network with other entrepreneurs

One of the least expensive and most effective learning opportunities to help grow your business is networking with other entrepreneurs. Whether the people you meet are novices or experts, the “two heads are better than one” line of thinking can help you find a solution to problems or learn something new that will enhance your business practices.

6. Continue learning

Many entrepreneurs have gained their knowledge and experience through hands-on learning. In addition to continuing to learn in this manner, it can be beneficial to take classes or attend workshops and exhibitions pertaining to your business. Knowledge you can put to use in your business will always pay for itself in the long run.

7. Acquire and manage talent

The day will come when you can no longer run your business as a one-person show. When this day arrives, it’s essential to hire people who share your vision and feel enthusiastic about helping you achieve your goals. Seek talented people whose experience and knowledge complements yours.

The habits and practices you bring to your new business can either help you achieve success or cause you to struggle needlessly. To avoid struggling or failing, incorporate these seven tips from the get-go. Although it might be tempting to cut corners to save money or time, you can gain efficiency through smart business habits.

Plan accordingly so you can set achievable goals and measure your progress along the way. As your small business grows, bringing others aboard—whether through networking or the hiring of employees—can help you continue to grow and succeed.

Lucy Harper works for Touchpoint Digital, a full-service digital advertising agency that specializes in offering digital marketing services, PPC and social media campaigns.

Do you feel like you should be further along in your career? Have you received performance reviews and felt disappointed that you didn’t rate better? Are you stuck or frustrated in your job?

You could be engaging in what a recent survey calls “career-limiting habits.” The study found that 97 percent of employees described themselves as possessing at least one of these five traits: (1) unreliability, (2) responding with “it’s not my job,” (3) procrastination, (4) resistance to change, or (5) projecting a negative attitude. Their bosses believed fewer than 1 in 5 employees would actually make the changes in their behavior that could boost their careers.

If you find yourself in a professional rut and think a career-limiting behavior may be holding you back, consider these five ways to pull yourself out:

1. Look where you’re going

Name your desired outcome. Put pen to paper and record where, specifically, you want to go next in your career. Give yourself a date by which you want to accomplish this goal. Does your current position help or hinder you in reaching your goal?

Writing your vision helps you articulate where you’d like to be and may help you identify why you’re stuck. Namely, you may be in a dead-end job that’s not helping you progress. Stay positive, engaged, and committed by keeping this goal statement in front of you where you can read it daily.

2. Name what’s stopping you

Write down the obstacles that are standing in your way. What’s bugging you about the job? Take a few minutes to air all of your grievances (to yourself!) in writing.

Next, organize them into three categories: those within your control, those you may be able to influence, and those out of your control. Put a big slash mark through the obstacle that are out of your control entirely.

Now brainstorm what you can do to overcome the remaining ones. By focusing on what you can do, rather than what you can’t, helps counteract negative feelings and behaviors that are keeping you stuck.

3. Adopt a new communication style

Pay attention to your own communication style. Are you assertive? Are you a quiet thinker and planner? Do you talk before you think?

Next, pay attention to your boss’s style. If your boss is direct and “get it done” but you need time to process information and plan, you may come across to her as slow, procrastinating, or even resistant to feedback or authority.

Modify your approach to match the boss’s style. Use the same words your boss uses, match her tone and approach to the degree you can. Mismatched communication styles lead to many misunderstandings about effectiveness and intention.

4. Try on a new you

Trying different things to see what works and what doesn’t can be fun, if you take the attitude that this is an opportunity to learn. Seek outside experts or inside mentors to talk to about your options for changing. Ask for advice and feedback on what you are doing right and where you might need to modify your behavior.

Take a look around the culture–who succeeds and why? Become like a curious detective, look for “clues” to get unstuck and picking up tips all around you. Try out a new behavior–such as coming in early, or volunteering for a hated task–and observe how others react and how it makes you feel.

5. Don’t be a Debbie Downer

Think the boss is a jerk? Hate the company culture? Can’t stand the people in the corner offices? The more you tell yourself how horrible they are, the more you will respond negatively in your behavior.

Remember that most people, including company leaders, haven’t had the chance to learn good leadership skills. They are often doing the best they can. Try to give them a break. Make it your job or your role to be helpful to them and to the company overall.

If you find you just can’t stand the person or people in charge no matter what you try, it might be time to find another job.

Remember that we often control the perception of people around us more than we think. Take these steps to turn your career-limiting behaviors into career-enhancing habits–so you can look forward to your next performance review.

Beverly Flaxington is a business advisor specializing in individual and organizational behavioral change, and the award-winning author of five books, including her newest, Make Your SHIFT: The Five Most Powerful Moves You Can Make to Get Where YOU Want to Go (ATA Press, 2012).