If you’re gunning for a new role at work, there's a good chance that plenty of other people want what you’re after. But not everyone blocking your ascent is trying to supplant you on the mountain. Some may slow your progress by distracting you from your goals, or by sucking up the time or energy you need to excel. Spot these career saboteurs—and out-maneuver them.

1. Your Best Friend at Work

However unfair it may seem, your bosses and coworkers think of you in the context of who you’re tight with at work. And if your best pal is an underachiever, his lackadaisical performance could be kneecapping your career by association, explains Roy Cohen, career counselor and author of The Wall Street Professional's Survival Guide. You don’t have to shun your slacker buddy. But by also befriending the all-stars in your office—chatting them up in front of your bosses, or stepping out to lunch with them as often as you do with your lazier colleagues—you’ll insulate your reputation.


2. Your Boss

“Some bosses believe if you look too good or get too much attention, it will make them appear less effective and less important as managers,” Cohen says. Is your chief quick to applaud your performance in private, but stingy with praise in front of your coworkers or the company executives? That’s a sign he may be undermining your upward movement, Cohen says. The next time he lauds your performance during a one-on-one or quarterly review, ask him to put his praise in a letter so you can add it to your personal portfolio. That way, when a new role opens up that you want, you can present proof that you’ve been kicking ass.

3. Your Office Fling

Most relationships fail. And if you work alongside the person you’re dating, things are bound to get messy and uncomfortable for both of you at some point in the near future. Even if the fling works out, dipping your pen in the company ink conflates your personal life with your career—and that combination is never good for your professional image, Cohen says. Just say no to sleeping with your coworkers, he advises.

4. Your Wife

Ideally, your significant other throws all her support behind your career. But even a well-meaning partner may see your job as her competition for your time and attention. To combat that, talk to her frequently about your day at work and your responsibilities, Cohen recommends. Invite her out for drinks with your coworkers, or to any company get-togethers that allow partner participation. The more you share your job with her, the more she’ll feel included and invested in what you do, Cohen adds.

5. Your Kids

Most employers understand—and are cool with—the demands children place on your time and life outside of the office. And occasionally working from home or leaving early for kid-related emergencies or events is alright so long as you never, ever make it seem like your family is interfering with your ability to handle your work responsibilities, Cohen stresses. “Never present your kids as a burden,” he advises. “Instead, try to convey the impression that you can easily juggle your kids and your work.” Otherwise your bosses—even if they think you’re awesome—will assume you’re too wrapped up with your tykes to handle a promotion.

6. You

A lot of guys just go about their business, expecting their bosses to recognize their achievements and to single them out for promotions. But along with hard work—and resisting the urge to browse Facebook at your desk—moving up the office food chain requires both self-promotion and a game plan, Cohen says. Request meetings with your superiors to discuss the next steps in your career and to ask what you need to do to achieve them, he suggests. That serves the dual purpose of letting your bosses know you want to move up while establishing in their minds a set of goals by which to judge your progress.