What's the best way to get fired?

I've been fired once (I deserved it), and I've almost been fired a couple of times (I'm learning I don't make a very good employee sometimes).

Most employees think that their mistakes will get them fired, but unless you have a real crank for a boss - and you own up to your mistakes and don't repeat them, most mistakes won't get you fired.

What gets you fired is attitude - a bad one and lots of it. Bad attitudes show up in a lot of different ways: absenteeism and lateness, poor performance, not caring about your job and being unapproachable. But the worst display of a bad attitude comes in meetings.

Your eyes roll at every suggestion, you act bored and indifferent, you don't participate, you argue and you are generally disruptive. Nothing bothers supervisors, managers and bosses like someone who is disruptive and difficult in a meeting (that was me in an almost-fired moment).

Ian McKenzie at Human Resources 101 lists 5 points of the participant's role in a meeting, and #2 is key: Look confident and interested. If a boss feels that an employee is engaged, happiness follows.

Having attitude problems? Discover the source by looking in the mirror.