6 Habits Sabotaging Your Career Success!

Want to progress your career and move on at work? Ditch these bad habits to help you succeed.

Are you sabotaging your own success at work? It's easy to slip into bad workplace habits that will diminish your chances of shooting up the career ladder. In fact, you probably don't even notice having these little habits. But small behavioural quirks can hold you back in a big way. So read on to find out about some common bad workplace habits - and how to stop them in their tracks.

1) Not being your own cheerleader

So, you work hard and perform brilliantly. That's great but it's not enough! Often your achievements will be overlooked or missed by your boss, not because they are trying to be mean, but because that's what happens in a fast-paced working environment. So you have to be your biggest cheerleader by pointing out your successes to the people who are in charge. Do it carefully and tactfully, though, because nobody like a boaster! Keep a list of the small successes you've had throughout the year, so you can highlight them during your annual work assessment.

2) Letting loyalty kill your career

It's great when the people you work with become friends. It makes your life so much more pleasant to actively enjoy working with your colleagues. But this can also become a trap that kills off your career! Remaining within the same job area or company for years because you feel a sense of loyalty to the people there will stifle your chance to grow professionally. Your working life should be about moving onwards and upwards on your desired career path. As uncomfortable as it may feel, loyalty to one company may prevent you from excelling.

3) Being trapped by perfection anxiety

If you exist in a state of fear about making a mistake at work, you become trapped in a cycle of perfection anxiety. Instead of becoming anxious about every single small detail, you should focus on the bigger picture. Take risks professionally, don't be afraid to ask for help and trust your own judgement. Accept that you will sometimes make mistakes and will sometimes fail. The real test of your skills comes in picking yourself up afterwards, putting things right and improving for the future.

4) Over-sharing personal information

Sharing a joke with colleagues is good for morale. But over-sharing the gory details of your weekend is too much - and could even hold you back in your career. There's a fine line between personal and professional which shouldn't be crossed. If your attitude is too informal in the office, then colleagues won't take you seriously or will think you can be trusted to make big decisions. If you are always over-sharing with colleagues about mistakes in your personal life, who could blame them for believing the same might be true in your professional life?

5) Trying to do it all

You want to perform to the best of your ability at work. Of course you do! But you can't be brilliant at absolutely everything. In fact, if you try to do everything, then you're bound to make a mistake. So recognise that colleagues have areas of expertise that you don't. Delegate the relevant tasks to them. It's a sign of strength to be able to own your weaknesses and not to be afraid of delegating those tasks to others. It's all about teamwork, not total domination!

6) Being a mini me

While co-operation and teamwork are essential for your success at work, this doesn't mean you can hide behind your team. If you minimise yourself through your words and your actions, you will become invisible - and nobody wants that to happen! So if you usually begin your sentences with a sentiment that devalues your worth, such as 'it's probably not important but...' or 'if you're not to busy to speak to me...' then colleagues will see you as timid and unimportant. Likewise, if you use body language that minimises your physical presence, then colleagues will doubt your ability to make decisions and be authoritative. So no slouching or crossing your arms! Stand tall and make eye contact.

If you have questions about any aspect of your life, perhaps talking to one of our psychic readers could help you find some clarity?