Always being at our best as professional women could be a challenge sometimes. Our performance at work not only depends on how good we fulfil our tasks and responsibilities, but also on the things we purposely avoid doing. While avoiding to do certain things at the workplace in maintaining quality of our professional work execution comes natural to some among us, others among us could have never heard of them. In any case, to ensure that you are always at your best, I share with you 6 things you should never do at work.
Burn bridges
You do not have to be good friends with everyone at the office but try to always maintain an amicable relationship with colleagues. Treat every colleague with respect, even when their behaviour or the things they do annoy you. The best thing to do is learning to adapt a forgiving attitude that makes it easier for you to deal with these issues. Whatever happens, do not ever burn bridges as you never know when you need their help or assistance, and how your relationship will benefit you in the future.
Take it personally
You know that every feedback and criticism you receive at the office is work-related, meaning that it has nothing to do with you as a person. Do not ever forget that! Of course negative feedback about yourself is not something you long for but once they do come your way, you are able to remain as calm as possible. The last thing you want is to react poorly to criticism. With this in mind, you prevent your emotions from prevailing and deal with the situation professionally. You move on and use them as learnings to improve your work performance.
Mix up work with private issues
Even if you get along with your colleagues so well that they feel like best mates, do not forget to keep the relationship professional for the purpose of adding value to the company. Do not get me wrong, I am a big fan of sharing personal stories with co-workers for creating a stronger bond but the little details you might want to keep it to yourself.
Ignore enquiries
Irrespective of the enquiry size, you handle each and every one of them with professionally and seriousness. You understand that someone has put the effort and time in asking you for information or help. So you try your best to respond, even if it is a simple answer such as “no, thank you”. Also, in times that it is more effective or efficient to handle an issue with verbal clarification, you do not hesitate to hop on the phone for a call. Things you can not find an answer to, you refer them to your colleagues and follow up on it properly.
Gossip about other lady bosses
The biggest no go is talking behind the back of other lady bosses. It does not need to be said that gossipping at the workplace hinder you from performing at your best but it will also harm your professional reputation. As a successful and confident woman you rather focus on your own success and bundle forces with other professional women to reach for the top together.
Walk into the meeting room unprepared
Always ensure that you take some time to do the necessary preparations. Depending on the nature of the meeting the preparation can differ from making a proposal to doing research. Walking into the room unprepared is not only a lack of respect for the other party, it will also be a great waste of your own precious time. If you know in advance that you need more time for the preparations, then you should propose another (more realistic) meeting date.
Have you ever committed one of these faux-pas? Is there anything else you avoid to do at the workplace? I’d love to hear from you.
Until next time!
Love always,
Mee-Ling
[Previously published on ThoughtCatalog]
