The top 3 of what makes a good employee;
1. Strong work ethic: Setting and achieving goals.
2. Dependable: Consistently following through.
3. Positive attitude: Creating a good environment.
This is according to a Harris Poll study conducted with CareerBuilder of the views of 2000 hiring managers and HR professionals.
Turn on LinkedIn and you’ll be flooded with the top tips for great leadership, management etc, but it’s rare that you read about what makes a good employee. The qualities that also made the top 7 include;
- Self-motivated: Working effectively with little direction.
- Team-oriented: Making the most out of collaboration.
- Effective communicator: Understanding the benefits of clarity.
- Flexible: Adapting in a meaningful way.
If you scored yourself out of 10 on these measures, how would you do?
Often, we conform at work to being cogs in the machine, whatever the culture we work within. Too preoccupied and focused on our to do lists, tasks and ourselves that we forget about connecting at a real and human level with those around us. If we are unhappy about our workload or demands, we can often blame those around us – very often our managers and leaders and can create negative bonding and connection through moaning and complaining. It’s often coined as ‘give, give’ – an ‘I deserve it anyway’ attitude and complacency.
I overheard this in action recently, whilst sitting on a train back from London, at 4pm on a Thursday afternoon. I was surrounded by people dressed in business wear, with the only person working being me. Around me, three women gossiped and complained, openly talking about their managers and leaders as being rubbish. Not worrying in the slightest that people around them would hear which company they worked for.
Recognise this in your workplace?
Just imagine if the women on the train had put their energy into thinking
- What can I do now to improve the company I work for?
- How can I help to alleviate the stress of my leader or manager, helping them to cope and be more positive?
We all have the ability to make work human and a good experience. It’s about taking responsibility for our reactions, knowing that we can influence our work experience and being ourselves #beyourselfatwork, looking beyond tasks, the rules and to do lists, to the people around us.
So, what do you think makes a good employee?
Are you one?
#BeYourselfAtWork