20 Workplace Habits You Need to Break - Marshall Goldsmith

Marshall Goldsmith is an executive coach, who has worked with CEO's in the world's top corporations. His book, What Got You Here Won't Get You There talks about 20 workplace habits you need to break.

As you look at the list, try to identify the three you are most guilty of. For an even better perspective, do a confidential 360 degree evaluation with a dozen of the people you work with.

1. Winning too much: The need to win at all costs and in all situations.

2. Adding too much value: The overwhelming desire to add our 2 cents to every discussion.

3. Passing judgment: The need to rate others and impose our standards on them.

4. Making destructive comments: The needless sarcasm and cutting remarks that we think
make us witty.

5. Starting with NO, BUT, HOWEVER: The overuse of these negative qualifiers which
secretly say to everyone that I'm right and you're wrong.

6. Telling the world how smart we are: The need to show people we're smarter than they
think we are.

7. Speaking when angry: Using emotional volatility as a management tool.

8. Negativity, or "Let me explain why that won't work": The need to share our negative
thoughts even when we weren't asked.

9. Withholding information: The refusal to share information in order to maintain an
advantage over others.

10. Failing to give proper recognition: The inability to give praise and reward.

11. Claiming credit that that we don't deserve: The most annoying way to overestimate our
contribution to any success.

12. Making excuses: The need to reposition our annoying behavior as a permanent fixture so people excuse us for it.

13. Clinging to the past: The need to deflect blame away from ourselves and onto events and people from our past; a subset of blaming everyone else.

14. Playing favorites: Failing to see that we are treating someone unfairly.

15. Refusing to express regret: The inability to take responsibility for our actions, admit we're wrong, or recognize how our actions affect others.

16. Not listening: The most passive-aggressive form of disrespect for colleagues.

17. Failing to express gratitude: The most basic form of bad manners.

18. Punishing the messenger: The misguided need to attack the innocent who are usually only trying to help us.

19. Passing the buck: The need to blame everyone but ourselves.

20. An excessive need to be "me": Exalting our faults as virtues simply because they're who
we are.