Be resourceful. Never use your manager as a dumping ground for problems. Whenever you report a problem, always suggest at least one solution.

Be straightforward. Honesty never hurts. So if you notice a policy or plan that doesn’t seem right, say so.

Be willing. You’re not going to win every time. If your boss overrules you, do best you can to make policy or plan work, despite your reservations.

Succeed. Last, but far from least: Salespeople (and other employees) who meet their goals and beat their quotas are most likely to attract their boss’s positive attention.

Michael McCann is managing director of The Business Cafe, author and speaker. Michael's book, Connecting with Key Decision Makers, (How to Reach Hard-to-Reach Businesspeople Who Can Say "Yes") is for businesspeople seeking new business and adults seeking new employment.

4. Defending your turf instead of defending merits of your proposal.

Choose alternative that will bring results, not one your ego's riding on. 5. Losing a client or sale because you "lose it".

Pain, physical and emotional, can also cause us to do things "without thinking."

6. Firing a good worker because you're "on fire".

The office thermostat causes a lot of stress in offices. When it gets too hot, we get groggy, then prone to anger and violence. 7. Freezing in middle of your keynote speech.

The brain can't differentiate between what's real and not real. Speaking isn't life-threatening. It isn't even dangerous, but many of us act as if it were.

8. Pounding your chest instead of pounding pavement.

Posturing rarely gets you what you want. Instead of bellowing, strutting and bluffing, try honest communication and empathy.

9. Snoozing and losing.

Sleep is primal; get enough or you'll be dosing off in meetings.

10. Shooting up instead of shooting up corporate ladder. Addictions reside in reptilian brain. Please get help if you need to. Passing out at client-company picnic will ruin your career, and alcohol will ruin your life.