Mistakes That Hurt You at Work - The Muse

Mistakes That Hurt You at Work - The MuseMistakes That Hurt You at Work Its been a few years, and youve been exceptionally diligent. Ever since you realized it was a possibility, that versetzung has been your goal, and youve been gunning for it with everything youve got. But, wait. Before you keep charging blindly ahead, make sure your grand plans arent derailed by any of these easy-to-make mistakes. 1. Winning Over Your Boss But notlage Your Co-workersYour direct supervisor will have a big say in whether or not you get to move up, so it makes perfect sense to curry his or her favor. But before you keep nodding yes to everything your manager says, consider the impression youre making on your colleagues. It might be completely obvious to everyone but you that youre running for office and ready to sacrifice anyone standing in your way.To prevent any resentment from building up, youll want to be a bit mora mindful of the way your actions to please your boss make you look in front of you r co-workers. After all, its not like these people just go away when you get promoted. In fact, you will still have to work with them- and possibly even manage them. 2. Focusing on New Responsibilities But Neglecting Your Current OnesIts great to be eager, but obsessing over your next career move instead of focusing on your present role isnt going to get you anywhere. Its easy to get carried away with newer, possibly more exciting responsibilities, but neglecting your core duties will get you in trouble. You wont make a very compelling case for yourself to take on a greater role in the team if you cant even manage your current assignments. In other words, before you get too preoccupied with revamping the internship training schedule or planning the regional conference, make sure your main responsibilities are completed in a timely and consistent manner. 3. Going Above and Beyond But Not Letting Anyone KnowSo, youre knocking out old and new responsibilities, helping out colleagues, a nd mentoring interns. If anyone is paying attention, that promotion should be yours. Problem is, you cant rely on other people to pay attention. If youre not fully promoting yourself and your achievements, it almost doesnt matter that youre killing it at your job. So, how does one actually do this? Its all about setting aside time to talk about and celebrate team successes with your manager. Check out this handy guide on how to brag at work (without sounding like a jerk) for a more step-by-step guide. 4. Not Creating a Plan for When You Actually Do Get PromotedThis one might be the least obvious one. What is your team or company going to do if youre not longer in your current role? If you dont have a plan in place, that can be a serious deterrent for promoting you. Plan for your succession, or if youre in a more entry-level role, document processes you oversee, training youve completed, and your general responsibilities so that itll be easy to train someone to take your place. It mi ght feel a bit presumptuous to be getting ready to move on to a new role that you may or may not get, but when it does happen, youll look completely prepared and ready to take on that promotion.The moral of this story is that getting promoted shouldnt just be about you. If youre able to make it about whats best for the team or the company, youll be not only be making a better impression on everyone involved, youll also be more likely to get that coveted promotion. Good luckPhoto of man with ladder courtesy of Shutterstock.