You work hard at your job. You want to be productive and effective. And in order to be productive and effective, it’s important for your manager and coworkers to have confidence in your work, and trust you to get it done right.

But according to author John Brandon, there are four mistakes that you can make that can shake your coworkers’ trust and make you lose credibility. Here’s a list of those mistakes with tips on how to avoid making them:

  1. Brag about your successes (constantly) – First, you should know that it’s perfectly OK (and even advisable) to tell your manager about all of the good things that you’ve accomplished. It’s important that your manager knows about the great work you do! But it’s probably not necessary to tell your coworkers about it all the time. Constant bragging could cause them to view you negatively, and they may start to question whether you’re really as great as you say you are. So make sure your manager knows about the projects you’ve completed and the good feedback you’ve received. That’s crucial! But you probably don’t need to mention it every time you talk to your coworkers.
  2. Criticize other people – If you often criticize certain coworkers, it will reflect badly on you. It will make people start to wonder whether you’re also criticizing them when they’re not around. Your coworkers will lose trust in you and may not want to collaborate with you in the future. So try to be kind – even when you’re feeling frustrated.
  3. Don’t tell the whole truth – If you tend to bend the truth just a bit to make yourself look a little better, you should stop. It’s a bad habit to get into. Even if you’ve gotten away with it in the past, eventually someone is going to realize that you’re not being entirely honest. And at that point, you’ll lose your credibility. So be truthful, even when it’s hard or scary. Your coworkers will appreciate your honesty and respect you for it.
  4. Yell at your coworkers – Some people lash out when they lose their tempers. They might yell at their coworkers or make a harsh, cutting remark. If that sounds like you, you should try to control your anger. Lashing out at others never makes a situation better. It only makes other people view you in a negative light. So the next time you get frustrated, take a deep breath and remain calm. Be civil and polite, no matter how annoyed you might be feeling.

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Brandon, J. (2021, June 4). 4 ways to completely destroy your credibility at work. Entrepreneur. Retrieved from: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/373714