Interpersonal Skills You NEVER Want to Display

Sometimes we all act less than perfectly. Maybe we get mad and yell. Maybe we pout. Maybe we throw another person under the bus. Maybe we argue long past the point of common sense.

Or maybe, as I once witnessed, we decide to throw a chair. (OK, maybe you don't go that far.)

If you've ever behaved less than professionally, chances are you felt bad about it later -- maybe for a long time.

Don't. Learn from your mistakes and let them go. And if you're struggling to do so, console yourself with the fact that some people -- some very successful people -- have done much worse things than you. (And most of them are NSFW, so be forewarned.)

1. Bill O'Reilly

After you watch this I'm willing to bet you'll start using, "We'll do it live!" as a catchphrase when something goes wrong. (I do.)

2. Kasey Kasem

America's Top-40 host (and voice of Shaggy on Scooby Doo) clearly doesn't appreciate being forced to make the awkward transition from upbeat music to sad stories about love and loss. (Then again, who does?)

3. Christian Bale

Stay out of his eye line while he's trying to act. Is that so hard?

(I spent a year or so slipping in a, "Are you professional or not?" whenever I could. Same with "Oh, good for you..." and now you probably will, too.)

4. Jesse Jackson

Listen to this and then decide just how Reverend Jackson's comment about his desire to remove an important part of then-Senator Barak Obama's anatomy was "taken out of context." (If you decide it was, I need to start using the whole context excuse a lot more often.)

5. Reese Witherspoon

Admit it. You've always wanted to be able to play the, "Do you know who I am?" card. (First I have to actually be somebody, but still.)

6. Kanye West

I'm not saying his opinion was wrong. And I'm not saying he isn't entitled to his opinion. But I am saying that there is a time and a place for everything, and in this instance, he found neither.

7. Buddy Rich

Before drummers like John Bonham, Keith Moon, and the inimitable Questlove, there was Buddy Rich. Arguably the best-known drummer in the world, he was also a band leader, and in that role was definitely a poster child for abusive leadership techniques.

Try to imagine talking this way to your team.

Then again, don't imagine it. Don't even think about it. Ever.

 I also write for Inc.com:

• 8 Things Truly Outstanding Leaders Do Without Thinking
• Why Great Leaders Get Angry -- and Show It (ironic, right?)
• 8 Ways to Make an Unforgettable First Impression
• How the Most Successful People Think Differently
• 8 Habits of People Who Build Extraordinary Work Relationships

Check out my book of personal and professional advice, TransForm: Dramatically Improve Your Career, Business, Relationships, and Life -- One Simple Step At a Time. (PDF version here, Kindle version here, Nook version here.)

If after 10 minutes you don't find at least 5 things you can do to make your life better I'll refund your money.

That way you have nothing to lose... and everything to gain.