[Playing hooky doesn't pay]

A recent study of workplace absenteeism found that three out of five employees who phone in sick feel fine. They are simply playing hooky.

Andrea Nierenberg, president of a management and consulting firm in New York City, says this practice is unwise and hurts your career in the long run. "Someone else will have to pick up the slack or you'll miss deadlines," she says. "This is a bad move that won't win you any fans at the office."

[CEOs share their secrets of success]

USA Today surveyed some of the country's most influential chief executive officers and discovered these secrets of their success:

- Be a team player. "You're only as successful as your team," says Mike Eskew, CEO of United Parcel Service.

- Focus on substance, not flash. Marie Toulantis, the CEO of the Internet subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, says it's more important to gather facts and solve problems than design slides and invent buzzwords.

- Encourage responsibility. Everyone in the company – from the CEO down to the lowest-level employees – should be instilled with a sense of personal accountability for their jobs.

- Trust your instincts. Dane Madsen, CEO of Yellowpages.com, says you should consider all the information available when solving a problem. But don't be afraid to listen to your gut.

[Pros and cons of office friendships]

Jan Yager, author of Friendshifts: The Power of Friendship and How it Shapes Our Lives, says that office friendships can significantly aid your career. A friend at work can clue you in to office dynamics, provide feedback on your performance, act as a sounding board for your thoughts about the job, and make the workday more enjoyable, thus enhancing creativity and productivity.

However, office friendships can spell trouble if you're not careful. Yager advises people to be discreet about discussing or repeating personal information, and to think twice before revealing negative thoughts about managers, other co-workers, and the job itself. It's also best to stick with peer-level friendships and avoid making a personal connection to a boss or someone at a lower level.

[Avoiding bad listening habits]

The International Listening Association lists these 10 bad habits as the most irritating to speakers:

1. Interrupting the speaker

2. Not looking at the speaker

3. Making him feel like he's wasting your time

4. Showing interest in something other than the conversation

5. Getting ahead of the speaker and finishing her thoughts

6. Not responding to the speaker's questions

7. Saying "Yes, but ... " as if you've already decided negatively

8. Topping the speaker's every story with "That's nothing, let me tell you about ... "

9. Forgetting what was covered in previous discussions

10. Asking too many questions about details