5 Reputation-Ruining Phrases You Should Never Let Your Boss Hear You Say

5 Reputation-Ruining Phrases You Should Never Let Your Boss Hear You Say5 Reputation-Ruining Phrases You Should Never Let Your Boss Hear You SayIf you want to get ahead at work, there are certain things you should steer clear of saying in the office. Even if what youre saying is true (and everyone knows it). Every time you want to lash out at an irritating manager or co-worker, take a breath and watch your words. Finding productive ways to work through your frustrations will put you that much closer to landing that promotion. Sometimes its as easy as walking away from the situation and taking a deep breath, other times its as hard as confronting the person professionally. (And sometimes its as fun as taking a coloring break.)However, the answer is never to let your boss overhear you say these five things in your moments of frustration1. Thats Not my JobHeres the thing about your company- its (hopefully) always growing, expanding, and revising its goals as needed. And that means that youre going to be asked to take on assignments that fall outside of your exact job description. Especially if youre competent and able to handle everything thats currently on your plate. If you want to be seen as a team player (and someone who cares about his or her own career growth), you need to take on new responsibilities- even if its leid entirely in your wheelhouse. Hey, you may learn a new skill and even find that you enjoy something you never thought you would. However, if youre literally unable to do the assigned task (because its accounting-based and youre a marketing associate), youre allowed to turn it down. The key here is to do it in a way that reminds your boss that its leid your job for a reason (i.e., you genuinely dont know how to balance the books), rather than simply whining. Instead SayIm more than willing to take on extra responsibilities, but Im afraid that number-crunching is not my strong suit, and I dont want to let you down. Is there another assignment you need help with? Or can I help you find another solution? Its OK to be honest with your manager when it comes to this. In fact, he or she will probably appreciate it because, in the long run, youre saving everyone a lot of welchested time and stress. The key here is for your message to be I want whats best for the team, more than, Im not staying a minute past 6 PM tonight.2. Hes Such a Jerk/Tool/TyrantFill in the blanks. We all have moments at work when were so incredibly annoyed at our boss, colleague, or client that were tempted to whine about the situation to anyone who will listen. Heres the rub Complaining in the workplace is not only unprofessional, but its also dangerous and bad PR for yourself.You may think you can trust that cubicle mate with whom you eat lunch every day, but she may also think she can trust her friend in marketing not to repeat this gossip to anyone else. And before you know it, your venting confessions going around the office like a game of telephone. By the time it gets back to that alleged tyrant, its escalated into something far worse than what you said.Instead SayI really want to work together/for you, but when you yell at me/dont respond to me/criticize me in front of the team, it makes me feel demoralized and unvalued. What can I do to facilitate a more open line of communication?Rather than griping about your concerns behind the perpetrators backs, set up a meeting with the person in question to address the issues in a professional, clear, mature way. When youve had a bad day or someone has rubbed you the wrong way one time too many times, take a deep breath, try to calm down, and then have an honest conversation. If you really need to rant, do it later to someone who has nothing to do with your job.3. Grimace.So much of communication comes through not what we say, but rather our tone, body language, and delivery. Ive all seen it people rolling their eyes, making faces behind their boss back in a meeting when they hear someth ing they dont like, and sighing loudly when asked to do a lame assignment. Though you may think no one notices, its simply bad form, and theres a pretty good chance that someone does. Instead DoPoker face.Dont make your dissatisfaction obvious to others. When a person is tense, nervous, angry, defensive, or disingenuous, those feelings are often broadcast to other people in the room- even if that person doesnt know it. This sounds silly, but you can practice this nonchalant face in your mirror at home. Or, alternatively, you can take selfies and find out if your face reflects Im open and listening to what youre saying as much as you think it does.4. I Guess Ill Just Stay Late- AgainPeople arent mind readers, so you need to learn to say what you mean. Passive aggressively sighing and muttering to your boss that you have so much work to do isnt going to get you anywhere.Instead SayI appreciate the additional responsibility youve given me, but Im trying to figure out how to get everyth ing done within relatively normal working hours. Though I dont mind staying late on occasion, it would help me to hear from you what projects take priority so I can tackle those first.Approaching it this way helps you to get clear direction from your supervisor- versus toiling away every night until you get schmerzlich or burned out. Maybe your supervisor does know how many hours youre putting in, but maybe he or she doesnt and will be concerned to learn that youre working until 9 PM every night. You wont know until you address it like an adult.5. I Tried That Once and it Didnt WorkIn her best-selling book, Basic Black The Essential Guide to Getting Ahead at Work (and in Life), former Hearst Magazines President Cathie Black tells of her frustration when she first arrived at the media company and repeatedly heard this refrain, which screams of a defeatist attitude. Instead SayWeve actually tried that in the past and it did not succeed. However, if we change variable X or variable Y, it might lead to better results. If it doesnt work this time, lets come up with another plan altogether.If you take another stab at it or explore another avenue, you may find that youll be successful the second time around. Or, as Black suggests in her book, ask yourself, Why didnt the idea work originally? What was the fallout, and what did we learn? By remaining goal-oriented and opening yourself up to alternative routes to success, youll be a lot more fruitful.Ultimately, its about maintaining a positive attitude- at least outwardly- if youre aiming to win extra points with your boss and co-workers. Putting on a brave face, being a team player, and knowing what you should and shouldnt say in front of your boss will help you develop a good reputation at work.Photo of boss listening courtesy of Shutterstock.