4 tips to avoid a disastrous career sabotage in Singapore

Here are some tips Singapore executives might find useful in avoiding a disastrous career sabotage.

Have an open mind

If you are a new hire in the company, adopt an open mind and embrace the new environment and colleagues. Do join your co-workers for lunch on the first day to build rapport and know each other better.

This will also enable them to talk and chat with know you in a casual environment. New role represents new challenges. Do take every new task and responsibility as an opportunity to value-add to your professional life.

Do share your past working experiences with your new colleagues but never boast about your achievements. The last thing you want is being outcast in your new career.

Improve quality time at work

If you are already a ‘senior’ in the organisation, chances are you are too familiar with the all the processes and just treat what you are doing day in day out as a mundane.

It’s just like brushing your teeth in the morning or taking the always crowded train after work. Something that you need to do but with no enthusiasm or passion.

Try to add in some variations to your daily tasks to make it more worthwhile and enjoyable to spend your precious 8 hours in the office. As the old saying goes “Don’t do different things. Do things differently.

Avoid getting into office politics

In any office environment, be it big or small, there’s bound to be certain degree of ‘gossip’ and the typical ‘who don’t like who’ scenarios.

Though it’s important to gel and get into the clique of your colleagues, do steer clear of the ‘cross firing’ between fellow colleagues and remain as neutral as possible.

This will save you from the unnecessary ‘flaming’ and also allow yourself not to be involved in unproductive bicker.

Be approachable and jovial

Be the one to offer help when another colleague is in need and chances are you will be reciprocated subsequently.

Do share good natured jokes with colleagues occasionally to create a light hearted working environment. No one likes to be in a 'super serious' kind of environment which is both tense and nerve wracking.

Do not overdo it though, if not very soon you will be called 'the joker or clown' which is definitely undesirable.