Techies - 17 ways You Undermine Your Own Career

I was browsing through old bookmarks and came across a nice little slideshow from Baseline: 17 ways You Undermine Your Own Career. The tips come from a book by Sandy Allgeier called The Personal Credibility Factor: How to Get It, Keep It, and Get It Back (If You’ve Lost It) and, though a slideshow isn't the *best* way to deliver career advice, you'll find this is a good enough list of things you should take a look at to be sure *you* aren't sabotaging your own career in these tough economic times. Granted, some of the items are no brainers, but others can be hidden items that you may not know that plague you.

Take a look at the first ten:

1. Not doing what you will say.
   "If you're not sure you can follow through on your promises, don't make them"
2. Breaking or changing appointments.
   "When you have to make an exception, it will be just that - an exception."
3. Chronic lateness.
   "Plan ahead and arrive a little early" Bonus: You're less stressed.
4. Messiness and lack of organization.
   "Important things will fall through the cracks. People assume you're equally sloppy in your work."
5. Bringing your personal life to work.
   "Your boss notices when your friends, spouse and kids call ten times a day."
6. Overpromising and underdelivering.
   "Always do your research before you make a promise. There's nothing wrong with saying 'Let me think about it and get back to you'".
7. Cutting people out of the loop.
   "It really doesn't matter whether others have the authority to impact the final decision or not. Keep them informed of your thoughts as you work through the process."
8. Bending the truth.
   "Little lies lead to bigger ones. 'Admitting to a mistake is is far better than being branded a backstabber and a liar'"
9. Jack of all trades, master of none.
   "Overextend yourself and you're sure to make mistakes. It's far better to say no to some things than to do a poor job at everything."
10. Stepping on others to get to the top.
    "With each put-down you are actually demonstrating your own lack of credibility. Everyone who hears you talk about this thinks 'hmm...sour grapes.'"

Read more here: http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Careers/17-Ways-You-Undermine-Your-Own-Career/

There are 7 more tips but I bet the book is full of excellent advice. If anyone's read it - I'd love to hear from you. Did you find anything on the list that you struggle with? Was there something you would have added? I need to say "no" more. I think that will be a life long journey for me..

If you have a more tips to share or related resources - why not leave a comment and get the discussion started? you know ya wanna!