When you’re frustrated at work, it can be difficult not to react negatively. But it’s important that you maintain a healthy perspective in order to maintain a successful practice. Lashing out or getting too comfy can mean the end of good business. Like the seven deadly sins, you must make an effort to avoid the following 5 fatal on-the-job attitudes:
1. Anger. Anger is generally a masking emotion, meaning it is a cover for deeper, more painful ones. If you’re feeling angry you must ask yourself what you’re really feeling. Sadness? Disappointment? Frustration? Hopelessness? All these emotions can hide safely beneath anger, making it difficult for you to deal with your true feelings. Not only that, but anger can be extremely destructive.
2. Envy. Think of all the famous fables, stories and fairy tales. Did jealously ever get anyone anywhere? No. In fact, it’s generally a fatal flaw that destroys both antagonists and heroes alike. And in your line of business, jealousy only distracts you from performing your job well.
3. Complacency. Webster defines complacency as ‘self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies.’ Unless you’re continually trying to improve your game, chances are you’ll become complacent, unaware that you’re losing that competitive advantage.
4. Short-sightedness. Your vision should be clear, and it should continually inspire you to greater accomplishments. With clarity of vision you can properly order priorities and ensure lasting success. Once you lose sight of that, however, things can quickly spiral.
5. Arrogance. Like jealousy, there are no inspiring stories about great leaders who achieved their goals with arrogance. Most clients are interested in working with financial professionals who will listen and appreciate their thoughts and concerns. If you plan to service any of those clients, arrogance will deter you.
It’s important that you evaluate your workplace attitude to see if you’ve become the biggest obstacle to your own career advancement. Sometimes a slight change in perspective is all it takes to change the trajectory of your future.
Increase Your Profitability
If you would like additional help on increasing the profitability of your business and your clients’ businesses, purchase In the Black, a book that shares nine principles that make businesses more lucrative. You can begin applying these principles to your practice, or your clients’ businesses, immediately. And, as a financial professional, you can use this information to enhance your practice by becoming your clients’ Profit Expert. Order In the Black today and have 9 principles, at-the-ready, that you can use to enhance your accounting practice.
