These 7 mistakes make you look unprofessional at work

Your intelligence quotient isn’t the only factor that determines your growth and success at the workplace. Your emotional quotient is just as significant. Having strong emotional intelligence shows that you have what it takes to become a true leader and can handle any difficult situation that might arise at work. On the contrary, an emotionally weak person will immediately break his or her chances at boosting their career. Here are some of the biggest emotional intelligence mistakes that you need to avoid in order to appear professional.

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Taking credit for others' ideas

Being a team player is not only important but is an indispensable characteristic a strong professional needs to possess. However, nothing makes you look like you’re out for solo glory than taking credit for someone else’s idea. You may have the ability to take the initial idea forward and towards success, but if you do not give credit where it's due, you won't get very far in your career.

Breaking down too often

Not keeping your emotions in check is a crucial mistake to make at the workplace. An emotional burst out at workplace is an absolute no-no. It shows inability to communicate your thoughts clearly and hence a lack of leadership quality. As a professional, you're expected to maintain a stable reputation while inside the four walls of your office.

Avoiding difficult conversations

You may be someone who doesn’t like tackling difficult conversations, but as a professional, you will inevitably come across such a situation at some point in your career. When that happens, if you try and avoid it instead of standing up to it, you will end up creating even greater problems. A communication gap is never a good thing.

Being unassertive

Being assertive is also about being confident and decisive. If you’re too hesitant about expressing yourself, you might come across as timid and unready to take on responsibilities. However, being assertive doesn’t mean having your way all the time. You should be tactful enough to say no without impairing your relationships with your boss or your colleagues.

Not knowing colleagues' names

Sometimes, losing your credibility at work can come through as simple a thing as not knowing the names of the people you work with. You come off as an egotistical and self-important person who doesn’t care for the team. No matter how good you are, too much arrogance and indifference will drag you down at some point in your life.

Displaying body language

Showing poor body language gives the impression that you’re inadequate and incompetent. For instance, avoiding eye contact while speaking to someone feels like you’re hiding something or that you are simply uninterested in the conversation. These traits unmistakably make you look highly unprofessional. Keep these factors in mind.

Not moving on

If you’ve made a mistake in the past, then it’s not wrong to regret that moment. However, if you can’t let go off it and dwell on the slip-up for too long, it starts to affect your work in tangible ways. Only an unprofessional person allows failure to bring their confidence down so much that they are unable to move on from it. On the other hand, a true professional will learn from the mistake and improve themselves in the future.

Sometimes acknowledging your fallibilities is the only thing you need to know to achieve your success goals. How many mistakes you have been making?