Six Workplace Attitudes that can Stall Your Progress
Workplace attitudes can make or break your career. Listed below are six workplace attitudes can hamper your progress at your workplace. Read to find out if some of the attitudes seem familiar:
Walking Around with Injured Looks
The human mind is a hub of activity. Depending on your interests, preoccupations, and personality type, all sorts of thoughts can cross your mind; and there are thoughts that can give you an injured-looking expression. Some such thoughts are:
The boss doesn’t recognize my merit; I am being underpaid; I am better than my co-workers but paid less than them; I am deliberately not given the opportunity to excel; the boss probably doesn’t like me.
If you genuinely believe this to be true, talk to the management. Of course, be nice about it, and don’t ever make it sound personal by declaring nobody likes me.
If nothing works, quit. And find someplace where you think you can be more appreciated. However, if by chance you end up at such unappreciative workplaces three times in a row, then most probably it is not chance. It’s you. Try to work on your attitude. Remember, nothing is more off-putting than a person who thinks the entire world is conspiring to mistreat him/her.
Being Jealous of Your Co-Workers
A common workplace attitude is being jealous of your coworkers. Jealously almost always springs from low self-esteem and lack of confidence. Some ways in which jealousy can manifest itself are: You find it difficult to like someone else’s work; you can’t bring yourself to celebrate a co-worker’s achievement; you find it downright torturous to compliment someone on a job well done. You may also harbor, conscious or unconscious, jealousy towards the boss. Surprisingly, this is quite common.
Remember, a negative emotion like jealousy is not only stressful but it also has a poisonous orbit. Your co-workers can sense it; your boss can feel it. People may not know why but they will feel uncomfortable in your company.
But, like all other negative attitudes, jealousy is not something you are stuck with for good. You can always consciously work on being the best and most genuine version of yourself there could possibly be.
Passing the Buck
Do you often point fingers at others when you miss your deadlines? Do you often say ‘It’s not my fault, A was responsible for it’? If yes, you need to work on your tendency to blame others.
Passing on the buck or holding others responsible for unfinished agendas and missed deadlines is an immature way to handle things and never sits well with the management. You will not only hamper your chances of success but will also fail to grow as an individual.
One important mark of a well-developed personality is the ability to take responsibility for your deadlines and act proactively instead of waiting for things to happen.
Taking Things Way Too Personally
Let’s consider another workplace attitude that is quite common. Imagine these scenarios: A co-worker makes a remark about your work and you believe the remark in some ways puts a dent in your authority.
It’s an official gathering, you are 10 minutes late and the co-workers start the party; for you, it’s a trigger to dwell in that dark world where people have joined hands to undermine you.
A co-worker didn’t greet you, and you take it as a personal affront. You believe the co-worker deliberately ignored you.
Remember, the world doesn’t revolve around you. People seldom make special arrangements to exclude you. People can forget; they can be preoccupied. And they probably don’t even know you have a fragile ego that’s easily riled.
Taking things personally is another sign that you are not comfortable in your own skin. Stop making comparisons, dwell on your positive attributes, and try to acquire the skill sets necessary for being successful in a job.
Not Being Able to Take Criticism
Any criticism of your work or any facet of it could be simply what it seems on the surface: an opinion about or a remark on your work or some aspect of your work. Don’t take it as a reflection on you as a person. Learn to take criticism with grace, reflect on it, and see if it can help you improve.
If you constantly feel the need to be validated by other people, if any small criticism can impact your self-image in a big way, you are in the danger zone. Imagine living a life at the mercy of other peoples’ opinions!
Criticism, when taken in the right spirit, can go a long way in improving your work. It can offer new perspectives you may or may not have previously considered. Be open to criticism and try to see it for what it is: a point of view, an opinion from a different standpoint.
Remember, your worth as a person is not entirely dependent on the work you do. You are important in your own right as the unique human being that you are. Learn to let go of the need to find constant validation.
Treating your Job as a Time filler
You are treating your job as a time filler if your biggest aim in life is to somehow survive the 9–6 drudgery.
Okay, the job you are doing is not your true calling. You are putting up with the work you don’t like because it helps you make a decent living. Or you are busy learning what you actually want to do and decide to endure the ordeal till that happens. Don’t. Nothing justifies such an attitude.
No matter how much you try to camouflage it, this attitude will be reflected in the way you work, and the type of deliverables you create. Do aspire for higher things in life, but give your full attention to the work you are doing and while you are doing it. Loyalty and diligence are qualities that shine through no matter where you work.
Besides, treating your job as a time filler is not just being dishonest it is also counterproductive. Life is not about filling empty hours. It is about living every moment and doing the things you can be proud of.
Give the work you do your 120 percent, go the extra mile, and be eager to accept responsibilities. Even a seemingly menial job, when done with dedication and love can transform your outlook and can give you a sense of achievement so vital for living a satisfying life. You can work at loving your job by reminding yourself how it is contributing to your life.
Are there some attitudes that you would add to the list? Share your thoughts in the comments.