Career Trends: Beware of these 4 habits that can destroy your credibility at work

Edition: June 17th, 2021
Curated by the Knowledge Team of ICS Career GPS

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Excerpts from article by John Brandon, published in Entrepreneur.com

The way we work is changing, but that’s not the only shifting thing in the workplace: Your credibility with your coworkers can also shift — and it can happen faster than you think.

Make a few loudmouth remarks, berate people too much, or make up a few loose facts, and you will be ostracised as someone who lacks credibility. It doesn’t matter whether you do this virtually or in the break-room in the office.

You should think about whether the words you say and the attitudes you espouse at work are causing people to question your abilities.

Here’s a list of 4 habits that you must steer clear of, especially in your work environment:

1. Announcing your own success constantly

People who tend to be successful never brag about it. If someone does that, his/her coworkers tend to think the person has some shortcomings. We doubt their success because they talk about it so much!

Fortunately, there’s an easy remedy for this one. Let the results speak for you. Stop announcing your success and focus on achieving your major milestones.

2. Talking badly about others

Some people think that by bad-mouthing others, they can berate them and push them down the ladder of success – ‘where they belong’. However, the opposite is true. Eventually, your coworkers will start to realise your bad-mouthing is a sign that you can’t control what you say.

This method of destroying your credibility is widespread and people often don’t realise it. Badmouthing destroys credibility because coworkers will wonder what other negative remarks you are making, especially about them!

3. Playing fast and loose with facts

Politicians often have their own set of facts at different times. You may be tempted to do the same – coming up with half-truths designed to make you look better or escape blame.

While it’s easy to pump up your ego and pretend you know what you’re talking about, it’s also easy to fact-check — because numbers don’t lie, and most of your colleagues wouldn’t either. Eventually, people will find out if someone is fudging facts and the person will lose his / her credibility.

4. Berating people endlessly

The reason why this can make you lose your credibility at office has much to do with your own cachet. We’re all a bit scared of such colleagues and wish to avoid them.

Mostly, you lose credibility because people don’t just respect you for what you say, but also for how you say it. Add a dose of humility and civility and you’re credibility will go sky high.

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(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article mentioned above are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of ICS Career GPS or its staff.)

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