By: Bikram Vohra

In a test run done for a master’s degree in management it was seen that the best way to have your career shortened is by indiscreet talk. Especially against your superiors. The old hackneyed saying about walls having ears is more than true, it actually happens.

For a start never fall for the trap of a colleague who tries to get your opinion on the office situation, however tempting it might be. That colleague is a collector of gossip scraps and he will use them against you. And every office has one.

Therefore, never let your guard down and share insights about your superiors. If you don’t like them you can always leave but don’t badmouth them.

Perhaps the three most ‘dangerous’ areas where you can be caught out are the office dining area where staff gather to eat because at that time there is a certain camaraderie and you tend to say something out of line.

The second is office parties where the social setting encourages loose talk and in the bright light of day it can come back to bite you.

Also, the toilet and the water cooler wherever people gather for tea, coffee or a smoke. You will be surprised how many careers have been washed away because the person could not keep his opinions to himself.

The fact is that you are not acquainted with the details, you assume things about the boss, you don’t know his or her problems and you are probably blathering away to be part of the gang and become popular. Great, that popularity will hold you in good stead when they dump you for not being a team player.

Another thing you should avoid is becoming the ringleader. It is all very well to show the guts and start those signature campaigns and round robin letters or lead the staff to the HR office and stage the protest to the sound of drums, but if you get a reputation for being a troublemaker is there any reason why the organization should keep you? Would you keep someone who is creating trouble on the floor?

There is another habit that some people have of calling a select group of colleagues to their homes and discussing office politics. There are extreme cases where you can be taped but even if not, the host is gathering intelligence and more likely than not will use it to further his prospects … you can do yourself a favor and avoid these invitations because they are loaded with TNT … if it explodes in your face don’t blame anyone else, you did it to yourself.

Another major ‘don’t do this’ is putting it in writing and being a hero. No boss likes to receive these point-by-point whining complaints about how the office is run. You don’t like the way it is run and the door is wide open, be the man, and close it gently after you.

Most of us never realize that behind our backs someone is trying to cut us down and remove us from the race. We think our indiscretions are not being registered. That is so stupid.
Everything gets registered and it gradually mounts up. Until, one day the company says why do we need someone who doesn’t like us, let him go.

You go and then you dare to wonder why and you feel victimized. Hey, you started it.