The 10 Qualities of the Perfect Employee
3 February 2014
Read by 2390 persons
1. Manage Yourself
The best employees are the ones managers hardly have to manage. Make sure things are done the way they should be, for example by providing progress reports or meeting minutes. Always be ready to discuss ongoing projects when your supervisor asks you, often at short notice. Even if you work at a lower level, make sure you adopt a managerial attitude by looking at your work from a broader perspective. This will allow you to anticipate the expectations of your boss and your colleagues.
2. Manage Your Boss
Managing your boss doesn't mean bringing him coffee and the newspaper every morning. It's more about knowing his working methods. Does he prefer email reports or regular meetings? In either case, this means he is visual or auditory, which radically changes your working methods, as it is up to you to adapt to him. Managing your boss also involves the tact you will use to soften the blow of bad news, for example, the loss of a regular customer, by counterbalancing it with good news, such as gaining new market share or increased traffic on the company's website, etc.
3. Manage Your Time
Prioritize your work and the timeframe in which you execute it. When working on projects in collaboration with other people, departments, or even companies, avoid postponing deadlines, as your delay will affect the work of others.
4. Work to Achieve Results
One of the best ways to excel at work is to keep your motivation intact. To do this, you need to keep your goals in mind. Question yourself about the overall objective of the project, rather than focusing on a task that has been assigned or delegated to you and that seems too insignificant. Failing to be perfect, an employee can achieve excellence by evaluating his own performance and results, rather than just working enough to get rid of a task.
5. Go the Extra Mile
The best employees are those who can do remarkable work. They deliver and are the ones who come to mind first when a promotion or raise comes up. The verb "to go the extra mile" seems overused these days and has even taken on a meaning close to "being overzealous," which is nevertheless an unfortunate conflation. For example, you can go the extra mile at work by improving the overall ethics of a team, such as by writing a manual for everyone's use, or by adhering as much as possible to the values and vision of your company.
6. Anything is Possible
Always have a positive approach. Because there is nothing more unpleasant at work than negative colleagues. Those who say "it won't work" or "it's not possible," who greet ideas and suggestions for change with distrust and skepticism, also have no solid alternative to offer and therefore do not advance projects. And if a suggestion is really not feasible, your attempts demonstrate your initiative in the eyes of your employer.
7. Aim for Excellence
In everything you undertake, strive to do your best. Make sure things are running smoothly and pay attention to detail. Do with good taste what others dispatch.
8. Love Your Work
California management guru Peter Drucker said, "Those who succeed are those who love what they do." This is also true for a series of routine tasks, because once added together, these allow a company to achieve its objectives. Moreover, a boss has the ability to perceive the lack of enthusiasm of his most discreet employees.
9. Contribute Positively
An excellent employee takes responsibility for everything to be accomplished. Taking initiative and offering suggestions are ways to contribute positively. You can also embody the silent hero who overcomes challenges calmly.
10. Nurture Your Working Relationships
Maintaining solid kindness through thick and thin (especially by putting your personal frustrations aside during your working hours) is a virtue to develop and preserve. Maintaining good relationships with your colleagues and superiors will allow you to obtain better cooperation and a strong network. For example, you could save your superior some headaches by avoiding stapler fights.
Do you think you have one, some, or all of the qualities identified above? What is sometimes missing is a strategy to demonstrate your qualities. If you don't find yourself in any of these descriptions, start by choosing the ones you can adopt and apply immediately. The approach will be highly beneficial to your career.
Celine Saday.
Poss.ca
Published December 15, 2013.
Posted online February 3, 2014.
The best employees are the ones managers hardly have to manage. Make sure things are done the way they should be, for example by providing progress reports or meeting minutes. Always be ready to discuss ongoing projects when your supervisor asks you, often at short notice. Even if you work at a lower level, make sure you adopt a managerial attitude by looking at your work from a broader perspective. This will allow you to anticipate the expectations of your boss and your colleagues.
2. Manage Your Boss
Managing your boss doesn't mean bringing him coffee and the newspaper every morning. It's more about knowing his working methods. Does he prefer email reports or regular meetings? In either case, this means he is visual or auditory, which radically changes your working methods, as it is up to you to adapt to him. Managing your boss also involves the tact you will use to soften the blow of bad news, for example, the loss of a regular customer, by counterbalancing it with good news, such as gaining new market share or increased traffic on the company's website, etc.
3. Manage Your Time
Prioritize your work and the timeframe in which you execute it. When working on projects in collaboration with other people, departments, or even companies, avoid postponing deadlines, as your delay will affect the work of others.
4. Work to Achieve Results
One of the best ways to excel at work is to keep your motivation intact. To do this, you need to keep your goals in mind. Question yourself about the overall objective of the project, rather than focusing on a task that has been assigned or delegated to you and that seems too insignificant. Failing to be perfect, an employee can achieve excellence by evaluating his own performance and results, rather than just working enough to get rid of a task.
5. Go the Extra Mile
The best employees are those who can do remarkable work. They deliver and are the ones who come to mind first when a promotion or raise comes up. The verb "to go the extra mile" seems overused these days and has even taken on a meaning close to "being overzealous," which is nevertheless an unfortunate conflation. For example, you can go the extra mile at work by improving the overall ethics of a team, such as by writing a manual for everyone's use, or by adhering as much as possible to the values and vision of your company.
6. Anything is Possible
Always have a positive approach. Because there is nothing more unpleasant at work than negative colleagues. Those who say "it won't work" or "it's not possible," who greet ideas and suggestions for change with distrust and skepticism, also have no solid alternative to offer and therefore do not advance projects. And if a suggestion is really not feasible, your attempts demonstrate your initiative in the eyes of your employer.
7. Aim for Excellence
In everything you undertake, strive to do your best. Make sure things are running smoothly and pay attention to detail. Do with good taste what others dispatch.
8. Love Your Work
California management guru Peter Drucker said, "Those who succeed are those who love what they do." This is also true for a series of routine tasks, because once added together, these allow a company to achieve its objectives. Moreover, a boss has the ability to perceive the lack of enthusiasm of his most discreet employees.
9. Contribute Positively
An excellent employee takes responsibility for everything to be accomplished. Taking initiative and offering suggestions are ways to contribute positively. You can also embody the silent hero who overcomes challenges calmly.
10. Nurture Your Working Relationships
Maintaining solid kindness through thick and thin (especially by putting your personal frustrations aside during your working hours) is a virtue to develop and preserve. Maintaining good relationships with your colleagues and superiors will allow you to obtain better cooperation and a strong network. For example, you could save your superior some headaches by avoiding stapler fights.
Do you think you have one, some, or all of the qualities identified above? What is sometimes missing is a strategy to demonstrate your qualities. If you don't find yourself in any of these descriptions, start by choosing the ones you can adopt and apply immediately. The approach will be highly beneficial to your career.
Celine Saday.
Poss.ca
Published December 15, 2013.
Posted online February 3, 2014.
