If any of the following behaviors sound like you or someone you work with, beware! In Why CEOs Fail, David L. Dotlich and Peter C. Cairo describe the most common characteristics of derailed top executives and how you can avoid them:

• Arrogance—you think that you're right, and everyone else is wrong.
• Melodrama—you need to be the center of attention.
• Volatility—you're subject to mood swings.
• Excessive Caution—you're afraid to make decisions.
• Habitual Distrust—you focus on the negatives.
• Aloofness —you're disengaged and disconnected.
• Mischievousness—you believe that rules are made to be broken.
• Eccentricity—you try to be different just for the sake of it.
• Passive Resistance—what you say is not what you really believe.
• Perfectionism—you get the little things right and the big things wrong.
• Eagerness to Please—you try to win the popularity contest.