career tips
20 traits of a super-star employee
What traits make for a great employee? Depending on who you ask, there are thousands of possible answers to this question. We narrowed down the list, collecting the qualities that tie together top-performing employees across all of our business units. See what traits will bring out your inner star and how they apply to any job.
1. Ethical
Quality of work means nothing if it comes at the cost of an individual’s integrity or reflects poorly upon their organization.
2. Reliable
When a project/task is assigned that project/task will be completed; or if there are bumps in the road, there is early notification of those bumps and ideas for how the team can reach the main goal through an alternate path.
3. Results-driven
Outcomes must be used to inform future strategy or processes won’t improve.
4. Innovative
They know that to get better results, they have to try new things.
5. Team-oriented
They listen respectfully to other peoples’ ideas without judgment; they ask for and offer support to their teammates.
6. Curious
They have a mindset which tends to build relationships, promote healthy dialog, expand ideas, encourage the upward flow of ideas and stimulate innovation. They always look for the possibilities in an idea.
7. Accountable
They ask the question “what more can I/we do to get the results we desire?”
8. Assume positive intent
They assume the best in others and believe that everyone is doing the best they can, given their current thinking. They do not act on their assumptions.
9. Good listener
They give someone their full attention in conversation and don’t multi-task while listening; they hear the entire message, understand beyond the words being spoken and gain deeper insight and perspective.
10. Appreciative
They appreciate positive behavior that strengthens relationships and improves morale.
11. Energetic
They have a positive attitude and are enthusiastic.
12. Role Model/Leader
They are conscious of the shadow they cast and model the behaviors and attitudes that they want to see in their colleagues.
13. Good communicator
They are able to make themselves understood and do not hesitate to ask others for clarification when necessary.
14. Supportive
They try to understand their teammates’ perspectives when deciding how best to support each other.
15. Flexible
They are able to work with a variety of personalities, in a variety of conditions, and are willing to adapt to address unfamiliar or changing obstacles.
16. Self-motivated
Their work ethic is fueled by a personal desire to succeed, rather than drawn from an external source.
17. Honest
Trust is crucial to working as a team, and honesty is the key to establishing trust in a relationship.
18. Passionate
They allow themselves to become emotionally invested in their work, which yields better outcomes.
19. Detail-oriented
Little mistakes can have big consequences, so they pay attention to the details, which allows them to understand the bigger picture.
20. Persistent
When they face a tricky problem, they dig their teeth in rather than admitting defeat.
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