Mistake That Must Be Avoided At Work

We've all heard of (or seen firsthand) people doing some pretty crazy things at work.

Truth is, you don't have to throw a chair through a window or quit in the middle of a presentation to cause irreparable damage to your career.

No matter how talented you are or what you've accomplished, there are certain behaviors that instantly change the way people see you and forever cast you in a negative light.

The following list contains some of the most notorious behaviors that you should avoid at all costs.

1. Backstabbing: 

The name says it all. Stabbing your colleagues in the back, intentionally or otherwise, is a huge source of strife in the workplace. One of the most frequent forms of backstabbing is going over someone's head to solve a problem. People typically do this in an attempt to avoid conflict, but they end up creating even more conflict as soon as the victim feels the blade. Anytime you make someone look bad in the eyes of their colleagues, it feels like a stab in the back, regardless of your intentions.

2. Gossiping: 

People make themselves look terrible when they get carried away with gossiping about other people. Wallowing in talk of other people's misdeeds or misfortunes may end up hurting their feelings if the gossip finds its way to them, but gossiping will make you look negative and spiteful every time, guaranteed.

3. Taking Credit for Someone Else's Work: 

We've all experienced that stomach-dropping feeling that happens when you discover that someone has stolen your idea. Taking credit for someone else's work — no matter how small — creates the impression that you haven't accomplished anything significant on your own. Stealing credit also shows that you have zero regard for your team and your working relationships.

4. Having an Emotional Hijacking: 

This includes throwing things at co-workers, screaming at them, making people cry, and other telltale signs of an emotional hijacking.

Emotional hijacking demonstrates low emotional intelligence, and it's an easy way to get fired. As soon as you show that level of instability, people will question whether or not you're trustworthy and capable of keeping it together when it counts.

Exploding at anyone, regardless of how much they might "deserve it," turns a huge amount of negative attention your way. You'll be labeled as unstable, unapproachable, and intimidating. Controlling your emotions keeps you in the driver's seat. When you are able to control your emotions around someone who wrongs you, they end up looking bad instead of you.

5. Announcing That You Hate Your Job: 

The last thing anyone wants to hear at work is someone complaining about how much they hate their job. Doing so labels you as a negative person and brings down the morale of the group. Bosses are quick to catch on to naysayers who drag down morale, and they know that there are always enthusiastic replacements waiting just around the corner.

6. Bragging: 

When someone hits a home run and starts gloating as they run the bases, it's safe to assume that they haven't hit very many home runs. On the other hand, if they hit a home run and simply run the bases, it conveys a business-as-usual mentality, which is far more intimidating to the other team.

Accomplishing great things without bragging about them demonstrates the same strong mentality — it shows people that succeeding isn't unusual to you.

7. Telling Lies: 

So many lies begin with good intentions — people want to protect themselves or someone else — but lies have a tendency to grow and spread until they're discovered, and once everyone knows that you've lied, there's no taking it back.

Getting caught up in a lie, no matter how small, is exhausting and hard on your self-esteem. You have to be authentic if you want to be happy with who you are.