Emelia Mazza wrote this article in The Daily Mail, so look it up for her expertise but the highlights follow here.

Five Personality Traits that hold you back:

  1. Pessimistic Attitude
  2. Bad tempered & quick to react
  3. The Workplace Bully
  4. The Apologist
  5. The Change Resister

So here is an ambitious topic for a short venue like 240, but let’s start October off BIG! I look at these traits as facets of one’s “work” personality. In other words, many people possess these traits to one extent or another and having some shadow of them on you is not necessarily a career killer but if you have two or more, you had better think about taking an inventory of yourself.

Numbers 1, 2 & 3 are obvious so let’s put pin in those and steer clear of those traits for obvious reasons but 4 & 5 are intriguing.

John Wayne famously said, in one of his best roles in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, “Never apologize, it’s a sign of weakness.” That may be a little extreme but the person that is constantly apologizing, especially when it’s not their fault tends to get a little annoying and annoying doesn’t get you promoted.

Number 5 becomes an issue in this fast paced world of business and hotels. New ideas come and go. And the one that resists is the “obstructionist.” You become the person who is perceived as negative. You don’t have to be the change resister. Register your concerns, occasionally, just to be on record and then move on. When you see the train coming and you are standing in the middle of the track, it doesn’t do you much good to think you can resist it. Remember, ideas, just like the train, come and go. Like I said, you may go on record but then, think embrace, not resist. This makes you positive and a doer and all the things that you want to be perceived as.

So look in the mirror and be honest and assess yourself to determine if any of these traits dominate your actions or your reputation. As my Dad always told me, your reputation precedes you. If any of these traits dominate, get to work.

It’s going to be a great day out there, MAKE IT!