Some habits are dysfunctional and will hurt your career. However, not all habits start as dysfunctional. Some of these habits likely helped you get to where you are. As the saying goes, “what got you here won’t get you there.” The dysfunctional habits listed below hurt your ability to manage yourself and others. As a result, if left unchecked, they hurt your career potential. Take some time to evaluate yourself and if you identify these habits, consider making a change.
Overcome These 20 Dysfunctional Habits That Hurt Your Career
These are the top dysfunctional workplace habits and actionable ideas on how to improve. Breaking these workplace habits improves your reputation and career potential.
Fear of conflict
A fear of conflict is normal. However, it becomes dysfunctional when you avoid it, and that is when it hurts your career. First, you won’t confront issues head-on because you avoid difficult conversations. As a result, you won’t address coworkers that don’t pull their weight. Or, you allow a failing project to continue failing, or you let your boss and others talk down to you. Above all, you won’t ask for the raise you deserve or your earned promotion because you avoid conflict.
Break the habit of avoiding conflict by checking your assumptions. Conflict is normal and healthy, and most people fear it. Keep the potential benefits in mind on how comforting the conflict will improve your situation. Next, conduct your research to develop multiple solutions. Finally, break the habit of avoiding conflict by staying calm, objective, and focused on the business needs.
Not planning or setting goals for the week
Flying by the seat of your pants is a dysfunctional habit that hurts your career. Additionally, it will only get you so far before your lack of planning catches up to you. Without knowing what activities are your priority or what to complete first, you waste valuable time. Even more, it can cause you to feel overwhelmed.
Instead, keep a running list of your active projects. Then, before ending each day, outline the top 3-4 items you want to complete tomorrow. Some people create a to-do list every morning before starting work. Others will create one at the start of the week. Regardless of the system you use, make a plan and set goals.
Finger-pointing is a dysfunctional career habit
Finger-pointing is one of the most common dysfunctional career habits. Additionally, it is the biggest inhibitor of problem-solving and innovation. I refer to finger-pointing as chasing ghosts. Imagine working to address a problem and being redirected to another team or individual. So you spend time analyzing the other team or person only to arrive back to the same place you started. Now you’ve wasted time going down a path that wasn’t the root of the issue.
Finger-pointers exaggerate the negative, play the victim card, and pass the problem around like a hot potato to other departments or coworkers. Finger-pointing is the most egregious of the dysfunctional habits because it doubles as character assassination.
It can be difficult to stop the habit of finger-pointing. However, owning up to a failure is a true sign of leadership. Challenge the assumptions that you did everything you could, that you had no control or were powerless. Learn from your failures and identify how to avoid them again in the future to stop the victim mentality.
Controlling and domineering
Perfectionist tendencies create the dysfunctional habit of being controlling and domineering. When we are in the early stages of our careers, we want to avoid failure and prove ourselves. As a result, we try to control everything. However, you have to let the right people handle certain tasks as you continue your career progression. Failure to overcome the dysfunctional habit of controlling will create a perception of being rigid and micromanaging.
To break this career-killing habit, conduct regular check-ins to get status updates, share goals, review metrics, and problem-solve. As a result, your team will feel heard and empowered. Additionally, you will have the information you need to feel comfortable with how things are progressing.
Being resistant to change
If you aren’t on the side of change, then you will get managed out. So, being resistant to change is a dysfunctional habit that hurts your career. Change is constant, and the speed at which changes happen is accelerating. Change brings several emotions, from fear of the unknown to the feeling you are losing something you were comfortable doing.
Instead, be a change advocate. Help yourself, and your coworkers see the benefits of the change. Get clarity on why the change is needed and what would happen if the status quo continued. Resistance to change usually occurs because of a lack of communication or clarity around the change. So acting like a change advocate will elevate your standing within the organization.
Multi-tasking
Multi-tasking is a dysfunctional habit that starts with your first job. You want to earn the reputation of being able to do the most amount of work and being able to juggle multiple projects at once. Multi-tasking works well for entry-level activities. But as the projects get more complex and the stakes higher, it becomes less effective.
Break the habit of multi-tasking by establishing blocks of time to work on each activity. Having uninterrupted time to focus on a task ensures you deliver the best work. In addition, take breaks between each project because having a little downtime helps clarify the problems you are solving.
Overworking and avoiding downtime
Another dysfunctional habit that starts with good intentions is overworking yourself and avoiding downtime. The workplace has become overly competitive. So it is reasonable to believe you have to work 80 hours and skip lunches and breaks. Unfortunately, over time, this habit will cause you to burn out. Additionally, it reduces your creativity and lowers your efficiency.
Break the habit of overworking by scheduling downtime and breaks throughout your day. Even better, take time for a brisk 30-minute walk in the middle of your day. You will be amazed at how it reenergizes you because the cardio gets your blood pumping and increases your oxygen levels.
Negativity is a dysfunctional habit that hurts your career
Everyone had a bad day, and that is healthy. However, showing up daily with a bad attitude and being a naysayer is a dysfunctional habit that will hurt your career. Negative feelings happen from working too many hours, not getting along with coworkers, or being frustrated with the pace of a project. Holding on to the habit of negativity will alienate you from your peers.
Identify what is frustrating you and look for options to change it. As a result, you will improve your outlook and become more positive. Take a mental health day to do something you enjoy. Break the dysfunctional habit of negativity by focusing more on what brings you joy at work.
Demonstrating poor manners
Having poor manners is a dysfunctional habit that hurts your career. Manners are critical to creating your personal brand and a positive perception of who you are as a person. Poor manners are easy to spot, interrupting others mid-sentence, telling someone to “come here,” and asking for something by saying “give me X.” These are not only rude, but they are annoying to the receiver.
Instead, break the habit of poor manners by saying please, thank you, excuse me, etc. After someone speaks, before you jump in with your opinion, thank them for whatever they contributed. It is easy to build a better habit with manners, but it requires a focused effort. Additionally, everyone deserves your good manners, so apply them equally.
Poor communication
There are many ways poor communication is a dysfunctional habit that hurts your career. First, an absence of communication by not keeping your coworkers informed of your progress. Second, poor manners by being rude. Additionally, bad grammar is a cause of poor communication.
Proper communication is vital to a healthy workplace. It enables coworkers to continue collaborating to meet the organization’s goals. Break the habit of poor communication by actively listening, prompt responses to requests, return phone calls, and stay open to new ideas and solutions.
Not being a team player is a dysfunctional habit
With so many teams working remotely, it is easy to get disconnected from them. However, not being a team player is a dysfunctional habit that hurts your career even if most of you conduct most of your work independently. In addition, if you have the habit of not being a team player, it demonstrates you cannot connect with others, which hurts your career potential.
Break the habit by showing appreciation for your coworkers and celebrate their achievements. Additionally, offer to help them with tasks and maintain a positive, friendly attitude.
Uncoachable/not accepting feedback
Our highly changing and rapidly evolving workplaces have no room for the dysfunctional habit of being uncoachable or an unwillingness to accept feedback. Unfortunately, it is easy to establish this habit when you are a top-performer in your field but not listening to feedback limits yourself and your career.
Instead, accept criticism by saying thank you when it is provided. Even more, actively ask for feedback to show you want to improve and evolve. Being coachable helps you adapt to changes within the organization and market.
Lying or telling half-truths
Lying in the workplace is a dysfunctional habit that hurts your career. This bad habit causes people to lose trust in you, and it damages your reputation. Telling half-truths are equally damaging once the whole truth comes out. Lying at work could even cost you your job, making it harder to find another one.
Growing your career and reputation requires integrity so people know they can rely on you. To eliminate your habit of lying, think before you speak, make sure what you say is truthful. Even if you think the consequence is minimal, no lie is worth the risk.
Going to work sick is a dysfunctional habit
Maybe you want to save your sick time for something more urgent. Perhaps you have a big project due and feel you can’t miss a day. Whatever the reason, going to work sick is a dysfunctional habit that hurts your career. Even more, it jeopardizes the health and safety of your coworkers.
When you are sick, call out so you can rest and recover more quickly. Or, at the very least, work from home rather than the office. While you may view it as a weakness, your coworkers will thank you for not spreading it around.
Showing up late to every meeting
Showing up late to work or meetings is a dysfunctional habit that hurts your career. It creates the perception that you don’t care about your job or value your coworker’s time. Furthermore, no matter how great you are when at work, the only thing people will remember is how you are always late.
Break the habit of showing up late by showing up early. Make sure to build in buffer time to avoid unforeseen delays like traffic or technology issues. Even more, show up prepared to contribute.
Procrastinating
It is easy to procrastinate, especially with long-term projects. However, procrastination is a dysfunctional habit that hurts your career. Perhaps you think you do your best work when under pressure. Unfortunately, the same may not be true for the coworker who has to wait for you to do your piece before they can do theirs. Not only will your coworker hate you for waiting until the last minute, but the quality of your work suffers too.
So to break the habit of procrastinating, divide your project into bite-size pieces. Then, leverage your calendar to ensure you are adhering to deadlines. And finally, try to deliver your items early.
Poor body language
Another dysfunctional habit that hurts your career is poor body language. Body language can indicate that you are insecure, lack confidence, don’t care, or are hiding something. Conversely, your body language can say you are confident, in charge, speak your mind, are a good listener, and believe in yourself.
To break the habit of poor body language, pay attention to how you present yourself. For example, maintain eye contact and keep your arms uncrossed.
Have a sloppy appearance
People will treat you differently based on your appearance. For that reason, having a sloppy appearance is a dysfunctional habit that hurts your career. So, even if your company has a relaxed dress code, dress toward the higher end of the range. Don’t neglect personal hygiene either.
Break the habit of an unkempt appearance by assuming you are meeting with the CEO or your top client. Additionally, you are always interviewing for your job. So make sure you are showing up with the best appearance possible.
Being hungry for power
Acting on your hunger for power is a dysfunctional habit that hurts your career. Claiming control over resources, having a singular focus on your own goals at the expense of others, and an unwillingness to compromise will alienate your coworkers.
Keep your hunger for power in check by enlisting advisers, mentors and asking for feedback. Any of these systems will help you hold yourself accountable. Additionally, share power and lend your influence so others can leverage their strengths.
Poor email ettiquette
Having poor email etiquette is a dysfunctional habit that hurts your career. For example, perhaps you ignore your inbox, so you keep people waiting for a response. Or, you respond with one-word replies that come across as rude, direct, or abrupt. Even worse, you continue to reply-all when “all” no longer needs to be included. This dysfunctional habit makes you look unprofessional, and that hurts your career.
Break the poor email etiquette habit by regularly scrolling through your inbox for anything urgent. Next, add some pleasantries to soften how the reader interprets what you’ve sent. Think long and hard before hitting reply all, and when in doubt, pick up the phone to have a conversation. Once an agreement has been made, follow up with an email outlining what was discussed.
