Do you hear complaints from people who are upset that their careers are going nowhere? They are the ones who never get the promotion or the new job. Why? Often these people have little quirks that define them in the workplace.
These are qualities or beliefs that can hold back your career. Very often there is little to no awareness of them. Here are a few that repeatedly keep people from Clearing the Path to long term success:
People won’t pay you for clutter: Loose papers and files in search of a home do not impress anyone. If you must have them, make sure that none of your customers can see the mess. If you’re in charge of a public space, its state is a reflection on you.
Project a clean and organized place of work. Figure out what you need to do to maintain it and then execute the plan.
People won’t pay you if you’re not a “morning person”: If a morning conversation with you consists of little more than groans and grunts, you’ve got a problem. No one wants to wait for you to warm up. You need to show up to work ready to go.
If you’re tired, go to bed earlier, inject coffee into your bloodstream, or do whatever you need to be awake. Your job is not the place where you wake up. That’s your bedroom.
People won’t pay you for excuses: Unless you’re a professional speaker, they don’t want to hear your stories.
You will face challenges but don’t let the story end at failure. Explain how you will address the problem. Problems love it when you throw pity parties because then you’re really no threat to them. Figure out what you need to do.
Bottom line: Don’t let these challenges become habits. Just because you’re not taught these things in school doesn’t mean you shouldn’t know them.
