Sleeveless tops and dresses are best worn with a jacket. However, many companies located in warmer climates have begun to accept them worn without either a jacket or sweater. In the Midwest, during the summer, uncovered arms are the norm. However, if you have tattoos on your arms I would have them covered. You do not want your tattoos, instead of your professionalism, to be a topic of conversation.

Here are some voicemail greetings that could stand a revamp:

• I really don’t want to talk to you but if I have too, leave a message. (trying to be funny and it is not)

• The low grunt and the name. This is after the prerecorded greeting letting you know the person is not available.

• The rushed name spoken in an out of breath sound voice – like the speaker has ran a marathon.

• The voice that sounds as if the speaker is on his/her death bed.

If you are not sure what you sound like, call in from another phone and listen to your voicemail greeting. If it sounds close to any of the above—change it!

A recent Facebook posting showed a woman having one foot up on the arm of the seat in front of her. Please! But maybe the women had a leg problem. I would have asked the flight attendant to move her to a row where there was an empty seat so she could put her foot up.

This brings me to men who take off their shoes and have a pronounced odor coming from their feet. I get it if is a long flight but ask for a pair of slippers or bring a pair with you.

Food smells are another problem. If you are going to bring food on the plane to eat choose items that do not have a strong odors. Be a good airline travel pal.

Recently, I worked with a middle manager who wanted to be considered the next Director in her group. However, she has a challenging time when receiving or giving critical feed because she cries easily.

A tip that helped her was taking a deep breath when she felt the urge to cry coming on. She partnered with a colleague to practice this technique which has helped her tremendously. Within six weeks of three times a week practice, she got dramatically better at managing tearing up during difficult conversations.

Recently I was involved in a project and the coordinator corresponded with me via e-mail. The e-mails were less than friendly. They were quite terse and in some cases a bit accusatory when answering my questions. For example, one comment was- why are you asking these questions – did you not read my last e-mail?

I was shocked when meeting her in person. She was a very nice person, very sincere and quite helpful. My point is that it may be a good idea to read your e-mails out loud before sending. Is the tone reflective of your intent? This is why US Today has said so many problems are caused by e-mail. Maybe had this person and I had a face to face meeting or even a phone conversation, I would not have developed a negative perception of her.

There are folks in this world who like to throw you off with the “gotcha” question or comment. It comes out of the blue and the purpose is to show power. The way to protect yourself is to ask questions to help you get grounded without sounding defensive.

A gotcha moment happened to me recently and I was totally unprepared. Now, I would begin the conversation by asking the question – can you clarify this for me? This would have not only have helped me stay grounded but it would have added balance to the discussion. Putting this tool in place creates a win for you as well as a strong show of confidence.

The Chicago Tribune Career Builder mentioned these seven shortcomings that will definitely kill your chances of being promoted:

1. Procrastination that results in missing deadlines or using lame excuses like the computer crashed.

2. Having a sense of entitlement: The “company owes me” is a phrase I hear all the time.

3. Doing only what is required of your job conveys the dreaded “It’s not my job” attitude.

4. Staying in your own corner: Eating lunch alone and never joining in on office social events.

5. Not being a team player: Only looking out for yourself.

6. Looking like you are going to a party or a picnic: Too much business casual is a career killer.

7. Maintaining your contacts: Meeting someone once is not networking.

Our everyday actions have a long life span. And in today’s highly competitive work world, every action is critical.

A major component of leadership presence is behavior. Below are seven behavior derailers:

• Smoking in public

• Being negative about yourself

• Constant complaining

• Acting like you have a close relationship with a colleague only when you want a favor

• Never apologizing for making a mistake

• Acting like you are smartest person in the room

• Gossiping