Here at EvadingMediocrity, we’re all about doin’ a damn good job at work and having a little something on the side to so that you’re continually challenged and doing more than your average dude. Well, here’s a list of things you DON’T want to do in your day job either because they hurt you professionally, limit your growth and learning, or are just plain dumb.

1. Be the guy that does little things well -  A lot of young professionals, at early stages in their careers, are often put in positions or given responsibilities that can be described as “monkey work”. Although there’s absolutely nothing wrong with becoming proficient at these tasks (as boring as they may be) for the sake of understanding the business and being close to the actual work, you never want to get too good at these kind of tasks/work. You always want to focus on the bigger picture, the greater strategy, the business objectives and how yours (and everyone else’s) work fits together. These are the kind of traits that are sought when manager’s promote people. Afterall, if you get too good at the little things, why move you?

2. Talk about how busy you are all the time. – Why? Because everyone else is too. There is an obvious difference between pushing back if you are truly overloaded and bragging about how much work you do, how sleepy you are, or how late you stayed. Trust me, unless you are getting just godly amounts of useful stuff done, no one is impressed. Pretty soon people might think you are overcompensating for something…

3.  Not sticking up for what you believe in. – Its all about respect in the workplace. For this point, sometimes it may be difficult to stick up for your own idea or point in a big meeting with lots of managers, executives, or people from other business groups that may not yet be familiar with you, your workstyle, or your personality. However, as an intelligent human being, you should always voice your opinions and facts! (Especially cold, hard numbers if you have them) Everyone in the room will appreciate the perspective you bring (when you have facts) as well as the points you make if you truly do have a reason to be saying them. What would be worse is if you had an idea or point, did not stick up for it enough and the business spent needless cycles with a less effective solution only to arrive at your initial conclusion. Now who feel’s like a jackass? Or more pointedly, who is to blame?

4. Sticking up for what you believe in too much. – The counterpoint to the above is that you should know your limit. You never want to create ill will with too many people at the workplace as the “guy who wants everything his way”. Learn to be flexible and compromise as well as how to better argue and stick up for your points in a positive, collaborative manner and you’ll be able to push this limit to the max before becoming that guy.

5. Forget that you are at work. – A lot of companies these days (especially startups, tech companies, etc…) try to create an environment in which employees feel comfortable. Usually this is so that you are more productive and will stay later/work harder/stay with the company longer. In these more relaxed environments, its often easy to forget that you are amongst co-workers, managers, and others. Have a good time at work but don’t become so lax that you are perceived as inappropriate (one of the worst things that could happen to you professionally), lazy, or unprofessional.

6. Burn bridges. – This is an obvious one I think, but people lose sight of it a lot when discussions get intense or when matters get personal or political. A lot of the time, the more people you know within an organization, the more valuable you are to the organization. The reason for this is obvious. You know how to get things done or will at least know someone who does. In all of your behaviors at the workplace, never act in a way that will jeopardize this future for yourself. Afterall, word spreads fast at the workplace – if you piss someone off, don’t expect the repercussions of that to be small.

What do you think? Have you ever personally experienced one of these? Got another one that you think we’re totally missing? Let us know in the comments