1. The need to win each time 
2. The overwhelming desire to add our two cents to every discussion 
3. The need to pass judgment on others 
4. Needless sarcasm and cutting comments
5. Starting with “no”, “But”, “However”
6. Need to show how smart we are
7. Speaking when angry
8. Negativity: the need to share negative thoughts even when not asked
9. Withholding Information
10. Failing to Give Proper recognition
11. Claiming credit we don’t deserve
12. Making excuses
13. Clinging to the past
14. Playing favorites
15. Refusing to express regret
16. Not listening
17. Failing to express gratitude
18. Punishing the messenger
19. Passing the buck
20. An excessive need to be “me”: exalting our faults as virtues simply because they’re who we are

Read more here: http://davidmaister.com/blog/319/20-Bad-Workplace-Habits

David ask's two questions at the end of his post related to the bad workplace habits listed above:

(a)  Which of Goldsmith’s 20 bad habits would you say is the most damaging?

(b)   Which do you think are the most common?

Check out the comments following his post for some interesting thoughts on the most damaging and/or common bad habits. For me, it is hard to choose one Über damaging behavior - they can all be toxic and have negative effects on your org. For instance, #7 "Speaking when angry" is certainly not fun for anyone, and #8 "Being Negative" and sprinkling it around lends credence to the old saying "one rotten apple can spoil the whole barrel". #9 "Withholding information" can lead to mistrust (and misunderstandings, and...), and #12 "making excuses" is so prevalent in most organizations that it's now the norm. If I HAD to pick only one that was the most damaging, I'd go with #7 "Speakng when angry". It's hard enough to remain professional and conduct yourself appropriately during stressful times, but if you open your mouth when you KNOW you are angry, get ready for the backlash. Practice self awareness and learn to be aware of how your actions and behaviors impact those you work with - something I continue to work on personally. If you feel the anger swelling, take a few deep breaths, try to seperate the personal feelings from the professional issue at hand and respond only when you've had enough time to calm down and think. Ask that the meeting/conversation be rescheduled to buy time or leave the room if you have to. Nobody wants to watch an angry rant and you usually end up looking/feeling a bit foolish. Of course all of this is subjective and depends on your own perspective, personal experience and willingness to grow..

Don't forget to check out the excellent book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There from Marshall Goldsmith -- it's a great read with tons of excellent info on building a better you!

Related: Personal Development: 10 Tips For Avoiding Career Sabotage

posted by Raven at Raven's Brain under Personal Growth
Tags: Personal Growth, Career Development, Bad workplace Habits, Personal Development, Marshall Goldsmith