Last week, I riffed on the importance of the ability to hear raw stupidity, look it in the face and keep a straight, emotionless game/poker face.  Let's face it, it's a skill your kids are going to need.

Why? Because repeated emotional reactions, even in small body language mannerisms, make people write you off. In addition to keeping a poker face, I'll add another essential career skill to the mix. If your reaction to every negative event is to blame others or otherwise say it wasn't your fault, you're screwed.  People are going to write you off if they see it from you every day.

You don't have to complain out loud to be viewed as reacting negatively.  You see it in small mannerisms all around you.  The frown. The sigh.  Or my favorite, the hands out with the palms pointing up - that one really pisses me off when I get it from my kids.

Apparently, it really irks the New York Jets as well.  They've taken to fining quarterback Mark Sanchez in practice for negative body language.  More from Business Insider:

"NFL quarterbacks are supposed to be the leaders of their team.

Being a leader requires a certain type of physical presence – good posture, steady gazes, and level chins. The Jets don't feel like their star quarterback, Mark Sanchez, puts off the appropriate kind of image. He pouts and sulks.

An example from Jets offensive coach Brian Schottenheimer told the Star Ledger: "Today, there was a play in practice when he screwed something up. He kind of looked like it was someone else's fault. That's a fine."

Word.  That's why I just fined my son $1 for doing that stupid finger snap thing all the kids are doing these days.  I told him it was a $1 fine every time I saw him do it, and he could get all the money back after he was "negative body language" free for a week.  Next up, palms in the air, the equivalent of "what?", "me?"

Start fining people for negative body language today in your workplace.  I'm sure it's legal...