8 Bad Habits that Make You Look Unprofessional

8 Bad Habits that Make You Look Unprofessional Everyone has some bad work habits. You might be the most punctual, inoffensively friendly person around, but there’s always something that occasionally causes colleagues to roll their eyes. It’s a fact of life- none of us is perfect. However, recognizing these bad habits, and working hard to correct them, can do a lot to keep your work reputation as high as possible. Here are 8 bad habits that make you look unprofessional. 1. Being a Debbie DownerYou know the type- the other shoe is always about to drop, the successful completion of one project just means another one is around the corner, everyone else is just so incompetent all the time. You may not even realize how much you’re complaining, but it’s definitely something to keep an eye on.2. ProcrastinatingCounterintuitively, multitasking makes it so much easier to procrastinate: â€Å"I’ll do these three things now, and that other thing later.† Then that fourth thing gets pushed back, and pu shed back until it’s a week later and you’re still not done with it. This is especially problematic if the delayed task is something needed by someone else, because then it makes you look undependable.3. OverpromisingOverpromising is dangerous, because either you set yourself up for an onslaught of extra work, or you fail to deliver, which means your professionalism takes a hit. Colleagues and bosses need to know they can depend on you to deliver on time, and part of that is knowing the limits of what you can and can’t do within a certain timeframe.4. Trying to please everyoneBeing a people-pleaser is an impulse that comes naturally to a lot of us†¦after all, you want everyone to think you’re awesome at delivering awesomeness. But that can easily shift over into Pushoverville, where people take advantage of your eager nature. It can also come off as sucking up, or cause frustration when you’re trying to placate one boss who wants things one wa y, a colleague who wants them another way, and someone from a different department who needs things done a third way. It’s much better to use your judgment find the best way to handle something, and make sure that everyone knows why you’re doing it your way.5. Swearing like a pirateMany workplaces have become more casual in dress and attitude in general, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay to swear up a storm, especially when you’re talking about work. Everyone has slip-ups when they’re especially frustrated, but if you drop the f-bomb in front of coworkers more than a few times, it shows a lack of professionalism and care about how you present yourself in public. In terms of self-restraint, think broadcast network standards, not HBO.6. Running lateThere’s always a reason- traffic on the commute, dog ate the car keys, your favorite TV chef was showing you how to make bacon soufflà ©s on the Today Show. Chronic lateness just never makes y ou look good, even if you have one of those jobs where it doesn’t really matter if you’re at your desk at 9:00 or 9:20. Being there on time (except in those times when there really is a terrible commute) shows everyone that you’re ready to get things done.7. Making excusesWhen things go wrong, don’t be that guy/gal who always has a bunch of excuses ready to go. Excuses sound exactly like what they are, and when you use them, everyone around knows it. If things go wrong, own it and resolve to move on, and people will respect your honesty and drive to get things right.8. Being too flirtyBoundaries? What boundaries? Even if the flirting is harmless, you don’t want to run afoul of any sexual harassment policies your company has- especially if you don’t know the flirtee very well. Also, if it seems like you’re flirting to get ahead at work, that won’t endear you to your colleagues. Complimenting coworkers is fine, but try to keep it brief, friendly, and professional.Do any of these sound uncomfortably familiar to you? If so, don’t worry- we all have stuff to work on when it comes to workplace behavior. And there’s always time to recognize, correct, and start fresh!

Profile of Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal

Profile of Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal Portugal is a country that has no coast along the Mediterranean Sea, only the Atlantic Ocean, so the countrys advances in worldwide exploration centuries ago may come as no surprise. That said, it was the passion and goals of one man who truly moved Portuguese exploration forward, the man known as Prince Henry the Navigator (1394–1460). Formally, he was Henrique, duque de Viseu, senhor da Covilh. Fast Facts: Prince Henry the Navigator Known For:  He founded an institute for explorers, and people from around the world visited to learn about the latest discoveries in geography and navigation technology.Born:  1394 in Porto, PortugalParents:  King John I of Portugal, Philippa of Lancaster, of EnglandDied:  1460 in Sagres, PortugalSpouse: NoneChildren: None Although Prince Henry never sailed on any of his expeditions and rarely left Portugal, he became known as Prince Henry the Navigator because of his patronage of explorers, who increased the worlds known geographic information through the sharing of knowledge and by sending expeditions to places previously uncharted. Early Life Prince Henry was born in 1394 as the third son of King John I (King Joao I) of Portugal. At the age of 21, in 1415, Prince Henry commanded a military force that captured the Muslim outpost of Ceuta, located on the south side of the Strait of Gibraltar, on the northern tip of the African continent and bordering Morocco. It became Portugals first overseas territory. On this expedition, the prince learned about gold routes and became fascinated with Africa. The Institute at Sagres Three years later, Prince Henry founded his navigational institute at Sagres on the southwestern-most point of Portugal, Cape Saint Vincent- a place ancient geographers referred to as the western edge of the earth. The institute, best described as a 15th-century research and development facility, included libraries, an astronomical observatory, shipbuilding facilities, a chapel, and housing for staff. The institute was designed to teach navigational techniques to Portuguese sailors, to collect and disseminate geographical information about the world, to invent and improve navigational and seafaring equipment, and to sponsor expeditions. Prince Henrys school brought together some of the leading geographers, cartographers, astronomers, and mathematicians from throughout Europe to work at the institute. When people returned from voyages, they brought back with them information about currents, winds- and could improve existing maps and seafaring equipment. A new type of ship, called a caravel, was developed at Sagres. It was fast and was much more maneuverable than prior types of boats, and though they were small, they were quite functional. Two of Christopher Columbus ships, the Nina and the Pinta, were caravels (the Santa Maria was a carrack). Caravels were dispatched south along the western coast of Africa. Unfortunately, a major obstacle along the African route was Cape Bojador, southeast of the Canary Islands (located in Western Sahara). European sailors were afraid of the cape, for supposedly to its south lay monsters and insurmountable evils. It also hosted some challenging seas: tough waves, currents, shallows, and weather. Expeditions: Goals and Reasons Prince Henrys expeditionary goals were to increase navigational knowledge along the western coast of Africa and find a water route to Asia, to increase trade opportunities for Portugal, to find gold to provide the trips own funding, to spread Christianity around the world, and defeat Muslims- and perhaps even to find Prester John, a legendary wealthy priest-king thought to reside somewhere in Africa or Asia. The Mediterranean and other ancient East sea routes were controlled by the Ottoman Turks and Venetians, and the breakup of the Mongol Empire made some known land routes unsafe. Thus came the motivation to find new water routes heading East. Exploring Africa Prince Henry sent 15 expeditions to navigate south of the cape from 1424 to 1434, but each returned with its captain giving excuses and apologies for not having passed the dreaded Cape Bojador. Finally, in 1434 Prince Henry sent Captain Gil Eannes (who had previously attempted the Cape Bojador voyage) south; this time, Captain Eannes sailed to the west prior to reaching the cape and then headed eastward after passing the cape. Thus, none of his crew saw the dreadful cape, and it had been successfully passed, without catastrophe befalling the ship. This was the first European expedition to sail past this point and successfully return. Following the successful navigation south of Cape Bojador, exploration of the African coast continued. In 1441, Prince Henrys caravels reached Cape Blanc (the cape where Mauritania and Western Sahara meet). The expedition brought back some blacks as exhibits of interest to show the prince. One negotiated his and his sons release by promising several slaves upon their safe return home. And so it began. The first 10 slaves arrived in 1442. Then it was 30 in 1443. In 1444, Captain Eannes brought a boatload of 200 slaves back to Portugal. In 1446, Portuguese ships reached the mouth of the Gambia River. They were the first Europeans to sail that, too. In 1460 Prince Henry the Navigator died, but work continued at Sagres under the direction of Henrys nephew, King John II of Portugal. The institutes expeditions continued to venture south, then rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and sailed to the east and throughout Asia over the next few decades. The European Age of Discovery and Its Aftereffects The 100-year period from the mid-15th century to the mid-16th is called the European Age of Discovery or Age of Exploration, when Portugal, Spain, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and France sent out voyages to previously unknown lands and claim their resources for their country. The cheapest labor to work on plantations for crops such as sugar, tobacco, or cotton were slaves, brought on a triangular trade route, one brutal leg of which was known as the middle passage. Countries that are former colonies still suffer the aftereffects today, especially in Africa, where there is poor or inconsistent infrastructure in many areas. Some of the countries just gained their independence in the 20th century. Sources Dowling, Mike. Prince Henry the Navigator. MrDowling.com. https://www.mrdowling.com/609-henry.html.â€Å"Henry the Navigator.†Ã‚  Biography.com, AE Networks Television, 16 Mar. 2018, www.biography.com/people/henry-the-navigator.Henry the Navigator.  Encyclopedia of World Biography.  Encyclopedia.com.  https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/history/spanish-and-portuguese-history-biographies/henry-navigator.Henry the Navigator Facts. YourDictionary.com. http://biography.yourdictionary.com/henry-the-navigator.History. Sagres.net. Allgarve, Promo Sangres, and Municipia do Bispo. sagres.net/history.htm.Nowell, Charles E., and Felipe Fernandez-Armesto. â€Å"Henry the Navigator.†Ã‚  Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, Inc., 12 Nov. 2018, www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-the-Navigator.The Portuguese Role in Exploring and Mapping the New World. Library of Congress. loc.gov/rr/hispanic/portam/role.html.Prince Henry the Navigator. PBS. https://www.pbs.org /wgbh/aia/part1/1p259.html.