- Unreliability
- Not ‘fessing up’ to mistakes
- Missing deadlines
- Saying one thing but doing another
- Having an excuse for everything (bosses hate that — they just want you to get the job done, and on time)
- Blaming the other person
- Trying to cover up mistakes (instead of just owning up
- To what you’ve done and working out how to fix it — not taking responsibility shows that someone has a weak of character, a real career killer)
- Gossiping and talking about people behind their backs
- Stirring up trouble or undermining what the boss is setting out to achieve
- Griping (nothing is ever good enough for you)
- Resisting change (The one constant thing in most businesses, especially growing ones, is change. How can you be a fast growth business without constantly challenging the status quo and doing things differently? Employers love employees who adapt and even embrace change; it is the way we do things. I can’t imagine what it would be like to work with people who love to grumble and criticise new ideas and processes.)
Other traits and behaviours that came up were:
- Tardiness (all those sick days or long lunches add up, and bosses notice — especially if you then lie about it)
- Running your personal life from your desk
- Being a bully (I was bullied by an employee some years ago, and it is really very distressing. Bullying includes needless swearing in the office and making threats. Bosses want happy peaceful teams, not dominating or passive aggressive ones.)
Next time you complain about your boss, spare a moment to think, ‘I wonder what I’m doing to bother them?’ What goes around come around, and people who are liked are the ones who get the promotions.
This is an extract from Live What You Love by Naomi Simson (Harlequin, $29.99 pb, $19.99 e-book, onsale now).