Any of us can derail at anytime by displaying self-sabotaging behaviors in attempt to stand out or fit in. But if you stab yourself in the back early on, it may be more difficult to recover. Here are five missteps people make in their early career and how to avoid them:

• Crowing at the crack of dawn. Being confident is great, but being confident without also showing humility is a recipe for disaster. Once you learn how to balance modesty with confidence, you’ve tapped into the secret ingredient that will make you stand out from your peers as “emotionally intelligent,” making it easier to gain respect form your seniors and rise through the ranks.
• Focusing on “the way it was” at a former job. Be extra mindful of your tone when pitching new solutions to old problems, particularly among more senior colleagues. Start by acknowledging that you’re new but that you have some ideas about the problem, and want to discuss them with someone more experienced who better understands the context.
• Unabashedly hobnobbing with the boss. Some executive is going to take a shining to you. That’s how it should be. However, teammates may interpret your mentioning this relationship as boasting about special access and become jealous. If you want to discuss something you learned from your new mentor, focus on the lesson as opposed to the relationship.
• Taking the easy way out. When checking off your to-do list, find a balance between quantity and quality. Set aside time every day to make progress on one hard to-do, no matter how intimidating it feels. Those who tackle difficult tasks first are more productive than people who start with easy tasks.
• Being overly agreeable. It’s as natural to want to stand out as it is to want to fit in. One way we fit in is to agree even when we don’t — but this ultimately lead to groupthink and problems. When you disagree, gently question — not harshly challenge — your team’s assumptions and conclusions, framing your perspective as a discussion worth having.