5 Pro Moves to Skyrocket Your Career (By Avoiding These Toxic Habits)
Article:
“Excellence is not a skill, it’s an attitude.” – Ralph Marston.
Picture this: You’re in a meeting, full of ideas and energy. You speak up only to get interrupted. Later, your hard work goes unnoticed while someone else gets credit. You keep pushing forward, but something feels off. It’s not your work ethic, the unspoken behaviors swirling around you. The real obstacle to career growth often isn’t a lack of talent or ambition. It’s the culture you’re navigating and how you respond to it.
In most workplaces, certain negative habits linger, such as background noise, micromanaging, gossip, blame games, poor communication, and lack of recognition. These aren’t just annoying, they’re career traps. But what if you could flip them around and use them to fuel your rise?
Here are 5 pro tips to get ahead in your career—doing the opposite of what holds most people back.
1. Master Clear Communication
Bad behavior to avoid: Poor communication
Pro move: Be the one who brings clarity
When everyone’s speaking in vague half-sentence or hiding behind emails, stand out by being clear, direct, and thoughtful. Start by summarizing action steps after meetings. Ask clarifying questions when needed. Speak with purpose, not just to fill the air.
Clear communication builds trust, and trust gets you invited to bigger conversations.
Real-life example: A junior analyst at a financial firm began sending concise summaries after every team call. Within months, senior leaders started forwarding her recaps and inviting her to strategy meetings. She became the “go-to” for turning ideas into action.
2. Take Radical Responsibility
Bad behavior to avoid: Blame shifting
Pro move: Own your outcomes
When something goes wrong, most people look for a way out. Leaders, on the other hand, look for a way forward. Even if it’s not your fault, ask: What part of this can I own?
Radical responsibility doesn’t mean taking the fall for everything—it means showing up with a solutions-first mindset.
Try this: The next time a project hits a snag, lead with, “Here’s what I could have done better—and what I’ll do next time.” It signals maturity, and managers will take notice.
3. Trust and Empower Others
Bad behavior to avoid: Micromanagement
Pro move: Lead with trust even before you’re the boss
You don’t need a title to act like a leader. If you’re constantly hovering, rechecking, or fixing others’ work, it sends a message: “I don’t trust you.” That’s micromanagement in disguise.
Instead, be the person who asks, “How can I support you?” Let teammates lead in their zone of genius. Offer feedback without taking over.
Real-world win: One young professional consistently credited her teammates in group projects and gave them room to shine. Her director said that her leadership mindset, not just her performance, landed her a fast-track promotion.
4. Give Recognition Freely
Bad behavior to avoid: Lack of recognition
Pro move: Be the person who lifts others up
You don’t need a bonus budget to make someone feel seen. A simple “You crushed that presentation” or “Thanks for handling that under pressure” goes a long way.
People remember how you make them feel. Recognition breeds loyalty, and loyalty creates opportunity.
Pro tip: Shout out your coworkers in public forums, like team chats, emails, or meetings. It won’t just make them look good; it’ll reflect well on you, too.
5. Stay Above the Gossip
Bad behavior to avoid: Toxic gossip
Pro move: Protect your integrity
Gossip might feel like harmless venting, but it quickly chips away at trust and respect. Instead of joining the grapevine, be known as someone who speaks to people, not about them.
When negativity starts swirling, redirect the conversation or excuse yourself. Or even better—ask how you can help solve the problem causing all the chatter.
Leadership moment: A marketing coordinator once declined to bash a teammate in a lunchroom conversation, then later offered to help that teammate get up to speed. The manager overheard and quietly added her to the next-level training program.
The Career Advantage You Can Control
Getting ahead isn’t just about working hard—it’s about working smart in environments that don’t always reward the right things. When you intentionally do the opposite of what holds most people back, you position yourself as a leader long before your business card says so.
Start today by picking one of these pro tips and practicing it for a week. You’ll be surprised how fast people notice, and your confidence grows.
Ready to lead from where you are?
Subscribe to the EXCEL2WIN Leadership Newsletter for more real-world career tips, inspiring stories, and downloadable tools to help you level up with integrity and impact.
Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection
Ever walk out of a meeting and wonder, Did anyone really hear each other? Charles Duhigg’s latest book, Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection, dives into that exact problem—and hands you the tools to fix it. In a world overflowing with noise, Duhigg teaches you how to stand out by connecting deeply, clearly, and intentionally. This isn’t just about talking more—it’s about talking better.
Packed with stories, neuroscience, and real-world tips, Supercommunicators reveals how naturally magnetic people follow learnable patterns. From asking the right questions to reading emotional cues, the book breaks down how extraordinary communicators build trust and inspire action.
It’s the perfect complement to our blog, “5 Pro Moves to Skyrocket Your Career,” especially tip #1: Master Clear Communication. Duhigg shows that clarity isn’t just a career skill—it’s a leadership superpower.
Whether you’re leading a team or finding your voice, this book is your roadmap to being heard—and making others feel heard too.
Ready to become a Supercommunicator? Grab your copy today and unlock your next level. And don’t forget to subscribe to the EXCEL2WIN Leadership Newsletter for more game-changing insights and career tools!
