5 Things Great Employees Have

5. PROBLEM PREVENTION & RESOLUTION ABILITIES

A lot of employees take pride in being problem-solvers. They should because they are needed. But being identified as an employee who has the attunement, gumption, and capabilities to prevent very real and urgent problems (e.g., cashflow, management, marketing, etc.) that can threaten the livelihood of a company or its operations, will place you in higher regard than the problem solver. Companies recognize that you can't be a problem preventer without true engagement, insight, and initiative, but preventing problems is more than next level; it's another dimension of work for great employees.

4.  VALUE SENSIBILITIES

Business is no longer about just the bottom line; it's about the many nuances that enable and empower the employees who work within it to do their best work, be their best selves, and contribute consistently to the prosperity of a company through the tangible value that they bring to their organization, their clients, or the world. There is a success equation for every company. When you understand it, and align your own goals with it, you firmly insert yourself into that equation, and you become a better employee. Becoming a better employee is the first step to becoming a great employee.

3. GOOD COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Good communication is a skill - not a characteristic - of great employees. It can be developed with commitment and effort. There are reasons why we fail to effectively communicate. It helps to be cognizant of what they are. Great employees focus on purpose and clarity while actively seeking to avoid miscommunication, both verbally, non-verbally, and in correspondence.

2. CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF EXPECTATIONS 

I'm stunned by how rarely conversations about expectations occur in the workplace. Yes, there are abundant conversations about duties and responsibilities, but the conversation that provides the clearest path to disappointment and resentment (about your work performance) is unexpressed expectations. When a great employee makes the effort, or instigates the conversation, to know how and why their contributions and performance impacts their organization, expectations get met, instead of ignored. These expectations are usually behavioral. Knowing what they are can help you handle them responsibly. If not, they can undermine workplace relationships, and become silent career killers.

1. HIGH EMPLOYEE ACCOUNTABIITY 

If you have a job that is critical to operations and results, your greatest ability is your accountability. Can you be counted on, in spite of internal or external circumstances, to do the work for which you are hired. Can your organization count on you like a calculator, with certainty and accuracy? Responsibility is the ability to respond to work needs and demands. Accountability is the ability to be counted to meet or exceed expectations associated with those demands.