Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom

Break the Habit: Worst Mistakes You Made in 2013

How can you improve your work productivity and relationships in 2014? By not doing the same old, same old. To stop making the same mistakes over and over, you need to understand what it is that you're actually doing wrong in the first place, and learn how to fix it. I've listed the mistakes I know you're making, even if you don't. What are they?

1. Not paying attention. More work and less time equaled some sloppiness on your part. Documents went out the door with errors, and at some point you were the victim of an email snafu—you answered so quickly you either “replied all” by accident or forwarded something you shouldn’t have.

2. Focusing too much on you, you, you. Were you perhaps a bit selfish this year? Yes, you're the boss and you're extremely busy, but if you're too self-absorbed, your workplace relationships suffer. Remember, as cliche as it may be, "There's no 'I' in team."

3. Lying to cover up an honest mistake. There’s nothing wrong with a little fib, right? Until you get caught, that is. If your employees catch wind of it, you'll lose their respect and trust. Nobody’s perfect. Next time, just come clean.

4. Not pursuing professional development. Maybe you’ve been around the block a few times and don’t think you need to learn anything new about your industry or job. Training is not just for junior level people; if you didn’t take your skills up a notch in 2013, make it a goal in 2014.

For more, check out the full post at the AMEX Open Forum.

4 Ways You're Derailing Your Career

The worst kinds of career gaffes are those you do unintentionally. It’s easy to see why reaming out the boss or taking an unscheduled vacation might get you into hot water, but more subtle self-destructive behaviors can be just as damaging. Here are a few to watch out for.

1. You’re all business at the office

While it’s essential to be productive and possess a strong work ethic, you don’t want to be perceived as the person who couldn’t care less about her co-workers. If you never make casual conversation and are always declining happy hour invites, your managers and colleagues are going to think you don’t like them, which will cause them not to like you – and we far prefer to work with people we like and with whom we have strong personal bonds. So if there’s a clique you can tolerate, join it. The “I’m not here to make friends” attitude is a good way to ensure you aren’t there at all.

2. You don’t see the writing on the wall

Layoffs and firings rarely come completely out of nowhere. By ignoring signs that your industry or company is floundering, you are much more likely to get caught in a job loss situation from which it’s difficult to recover. For example, if more and more of your job responsibilities are being automated, you’d better start developing some skills that can’t be. And if you’ve been given a performance improvement plan, don’t get defensive. Instead, treat it like your own personal Bible and follow it to the letter.

For the remaining tips, please have a look at Intuit's Fast Track blog.

Even in the Digital Age, Beware Your Handwriting

In a world in which written communication mostly takes place electronically, handwriting is a forgotten art. Heck, elementary schools don’t even teach cursive writing anymore. Nevertheless, opportunities to expose your handwriting do come up every now and then, and you’d be surprised how easy it is to form judgments about someone based on his or her penmanship.

Graphology is the study of handwriting, especially when employed to analyze a person’s character, personality, and attributes. According to Pens.com, you should be on the lookout for these markers (forgive the pun):

Size

If your letters are large, you are telling the world that you are outspoken, outgoing, and people-oriented, and that you love attention. You may pretend to be confident, though it isn’t always real. If your letters are average-sized, you are showing others that you are well-adjusted and adaptable. Tiny letters indicate that you are withdrawn, studious, and meticulous.

Spacing

Wide spacing between words tells others that you enjoy your freedom and don’t like your style cramped. Narrow spacing between words indicates that you don’t like being alone and that you may be intrusive.

For more, check out the full post at Intuit's Fast Track blog.