OFW guide: Eight traits of great employees

Striving to become a good employee is admirable but why aim to be good when you can be great? 

 

An article of the business magazine Inc said "great employees are reliable, dependable, proactive, diligent, great leaders and great followers..." Great employees have easily recognizable good qualities that are not easy to find in most people.

The article cited eight qualities of great employees:

 

(1) "ignoring" job descriptions

 

One of the most important traits of a remarkable employee is that they don’t limit what they do for a company simply because it is outside their job description.

 

They take on other responsibilities even if these aren't stated in their job description. They do not hesitate to do someone else’s job especially if the task is high priority and close to the deadline.

 

(2) "eccentric"

 

Remarkable employees always stand out in a group.

 

Whether they are the silent, hardworking type or the loud type that gets the action rolling, they always have something that is unique to them.

 

This trait also makes the work place more fun and exciting.

 

(3) easily adapts to situations

 

They are generally fun to be with but when push comes to shove, remarkable employees know how to flip the switch to go into their "serious" mode.

 

As they adapt to sticky situations, they also make judgment calls that could mean risking their job if they make a mistake.

 

This quality separates a great employee from the others.

 

(4) they praise publicly

 

Remarkable employees know how to share the limelight with their co-workers.  

They know that acknowledging the work of another employee will boost morale in the whole department especially if it is done in the presence of other people.

 

(5) they deal with problems efficiently

 

If there is an issue, they go to the root of the problem and try to fix things privately, if possible.

 

They value privacy and solve the problem with the minimal number of people, usually the most involved ones in a sensitive issue.

 

(6) they speak up

 

When others fall silent, remarkable employees stand up and speak for the group.

 

They bring highly sensitive and in-demand issues to the table for discussion in a civil manner.

 

(7) they continuously prove themselves

 

Sometimes, remarkable employees are easier identified when you see their drive.

 

Usually, they are the ones who need to prove their point and will stop at nothing to prove that they are right.

 

They also apply this drive to work to make it easier for them to love what they are doing.

 

(8) they’re restless

 

They always find ways not to be idle.

 

They always move around, thinking about other related things to work or even tinker with what has already been completed to improve it further.

 

Mediocrity is not something that they would tolerate. - Andrei Medina, VVP, GMA News