First Person: Ways to Avoid Ruining Your Career

I have been surprised over the years by the things people say and do in the workplace. Having seen and heard so much, you would think that nothing would surprise me, but I have to admit, I am still being shocked on a regular, consistent basis. Employees are ruining their careers in the most subtle ways and I don't know that they even realize it. For example, I'm not exactly sure what happened to professionalism, but I would love to know why it has become extinct in the mind of some. One of the things that I do on a regular basis when I answer the phone at work is provide a full greeting, including my name to the caller on the opposite end. This doesn't sound like a bad idea, right? Well, I have caller id and one particular colleague knows that, so she laughs when I greet her as if I don't know she is the one who's calling. I love to hear her say, "Knock it off" or ask why is it that I "greet" her in this fashion. The reason I do this is simple, I need the practice! I know that if my greeting doesn't sound professional that those who are closest to me will inform me as well as offer alternatives. In addition, I would hate to answer the phone in an unprofessional manner and hear the voice of a business partner that I would ultimately need to apologize to because I shouted, "Heeeyyyy Girl!" instead of using a standard greeting! Making a decision to conduct yourself in an unprofessional manner is one way to ruin your career, but keep in mind there are several others.

Most organizations have professional appearance guidelines and whether we agree with them or not, they exist for a reason. Having attended a party or two in my day, I am familiar with what to wear should I decide to go dancing with friends after 8pm. Those wardrobe selections and what I wear between 8am and 5pm during the week don't intertwine. There is a clear distinction between what I wear for fun outside of work and what I wear to work. Perception is reality to many of us and one of the invisible rules in an organization is that you should always "look the part". If this rule wasn't true, we could wear whatever we felt like wearing to an interview, jeans, t-shirts, flip-flops, shorts, etc. The reality is that we don't present ourselves this way because we want to be taken seriously as a professional. We also understand that a person's image is built upon how they present themselves visually.

Remaining professional and adhering to professional appearance guidelines will enhance your workplace reputation, but there is one more no-no that I have to share with you. My former supervisor made it known that he didn't like surprises, meaning he didn't want to be blindsided with information that could have been shared beforehand. He wanted us to understand protocol, follow it, and to keep the business needs in the forefront. My team members would speak with my leader, his leader, or any other supervisor before giving me an opportunity to reach a solution pertaining to their issue. Not only did this frustrate me, but I had to spend time in unnecessary meetings, which meant that my other assignments were being neglected. My team members didn't realize that regardless of who they spoke to, I was still the one who ultimately resolved the problem; they just created more work for me in the process. I learned to understand that people don't always do as they should; I don't, so how can I expect team members to? However, some leaders hold grudges when employees do not follow protocol. The impact to the employee is a bad reputation and a lack of mobility within the organization. I have learned that negatively impacting your career isn't always the result of a major occurrence, but can be the collective minute behaviors that we implement over time. Therefore, we must always remember to remain professional, to wear appropriate work attire, and to follow protocol so that we don't ruin our careers.

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