We all have habits – it makes us who we are. Some of our “good” habits help us get through the day by accomplishing routine tasks without much effort or thought. However, some “bad” habits can affect how others see us and can influence future success. In a work setting, habits have an impact on how productive we are and can make or break an opportunity for advancement.

Becoming aware of your habits is the first step. After all, they’re habits – we don’t always know we’re doing them. James Claiborn, a psychologist and co-author of The Habit Change Workbook: How To Break Bad Habits and Form Good Ones, has a few suggestions:

• Try to become “hyper-aware” of your habit. That means trying to focus on the habit when you’re doing it. One way to accomplish this is to keep a journal or a checklist to figure out how often you’re doing it and when it happens, under what circumstances.

• Instead of focusing on what you’re not going to do, focus on your goal of what you are going to do. You are trying to replace your “bad” habit with a positive one.

• Take some time to think critically about the habit you want to change and come up with alternatives. You’ll be better able to “call yourself out” and hold yourself accountable.

• Focus on your environment. Can you make some changes to your workspace that will encourage new behaviors? Remove triggers and make it harder to continue your “bad” habits.

Work habits worth changing

Melany Gallant and her co-authors in the TalentSpace Blog, discuss the top bad work habits from the perspective of managing talent and employee performance. If you hope to move up into hotel management, these are some of the habits you’ll need to address:

1. Being unable/unwilling to make changes: Change makes some people very uncomfortable. If you have the habit of resisting change, you’ll need to find a way to get around your fear. Change is inevitable and to move ahead in your career, you need to embrace new ideas and processes when they come along. Don’t get left behind because you feel uneasy about change.

2. Choosing not to participate or socialize: Isolating yourself by never attending a social function with co-workers or meeting them for lunch makes it hard for you to build relationships and collaborate. Being personable and taking the time to interact with your team members shows that you have good manners and are a friendly person who likes people.

3. Having a negative attitude:  Being a “negative Nancy” is no fun for anyone, especially for your co-workers. Bad vibes spread quickly and can become a recurring habit. If you can turn this one around and be a more positive influence by handling adversity with a smile, you’ll be recognized as someone who can handle yourself and is ready to move up.

4 Being disorganized: One of the most important traits of a good hotel manager is organization. If you can never find your “stuff” and are always late, you’re not going to be in line for a promotion anytime soon. Figure out a way to organize your day so you can be more productive and efficient.

5. Shirking work: This bad habit causes you to shy away from trying new things or taking on a new task. If you’re always explaining why you can’t do something, you’re not learning and you’re not stepping up for your team. You need to project a good work ethic and get noticed for the right choices.

6. Not sharing your skills/knowledge: If you’re in the habit of keeping all your information or abilities to yourself to avoid competition, you’re on the wrong track. Managers need to mentor others and sharing your experience is another way to demonstrate you’re ready to move up. It shows you understand how to support your team and stand out as an “expert” in what you do.

7. Being dishonest: If you tend to be unable to “fess up” when you’ve made a mistake and you find yourself spreading the blame around, you’re failing to exhibit another important leadership trait. We all make mistakes and not taking responsibility is a character flaw that doesn’t inspire loyalty or commitment. If your co-workers don’t trust you, they won’t follow you, either.

8. Gossiping: This is a time-wasting habit that can come back to bite you. Spending time dishing about your teammates, the boss, or the company can set you up for a fall later on. Steer clear of the lunch crowd that gossips and ditch this habit.

9. Taking things personally: Feedback is all about getting better… it’s not a personal attack. Learn to take criticism as constructive input and aim for improvement. Having an attitude of always looking for ways to improve is the best way to move up into management.

10. Procrastinating: This one can really be your downfall when it affects your job performance. Putting off tasks until it’s nearly too late and then rushing to get them done at the last minute makes for sloppy work and a lot of pressure – not only on you, but it can affect your whole team. Time management is a skill that you’ll need to cultivate if you plan to become a hotel manager.

What can you do to make some changes?

No matter how ingrained your habits are, you can change. Just because you’ve done things a certain way in the past doesn’t mean you can’t change your path. As mentioned above, changing habits means substituting another (more positive) behavior for the one negative routine you’re dropping. It takes time and commitment, but once you recognize the benefits, you can make it work.