Build a strong work team ready to succeed by knowing how to look for the 8 best qualities of a good employee.
A good workplace succeeds or fails based on their employees. This is why it is so important to know what to look for when you are considering hiring new people for your workplace team. Alternatively, if you are a job seeker looking for your next career opportunity, you need to know the qualities of a good employee that hiring managers are searching for. Let’s take a closer look at the 8 best qualities of a good employee and how these traits can help everyone succeed in the workplace.
8 Best Qualities of a Good Employee
- Team-First Mentality
- Adaptability
- Self-Sufficient
- Pragmatic
- Passionate & Humble
- Communication
- Resourcefulness
- Conflicts Resolver
1. Team-First Mentality
To develop a team-first mentality, you need to learn the art of working well with others. Understand the productivity levels of your team and the patterns in how they interact with one another. If you actively take part in discussions and become open to finding solutions with your team members, you will achieve high collaboration, making your team stronger and more effective. Additionally, learn how to share responsibilities and credits. Such habits let you be a great teammate and create a dynamic, positive, and supportive team.
2. Adaptability
Things can change with barely a moment’s notice in the workplace. Your employer always looks up to those who welcome unpredictable changes or find the flow and balance of the company. To become adaptable and more resilient to workplace uncertainty, always be willing to be open new ideas or ways of doing things. If there’s a problem, figure out solutions and present them to your superiors. Remember, without this quality of a good employee, you might get stuck in a no-progress zone!
3. Self-Sufficient
If you need daily supervision from your manager or team lead, it’s time to let go of that habit! To develop the qualities of a good employee, becoming self-sufficient is one way to do it. A big part of how your supervisor determines your employee value is based on the amount of time you spend on certain tasks. So, to become an ideal employee, you must apply research, critical thinking, and investigative skills to come up with solutions and answers to challenging issues with little to no dependence on your manager or colleagues. Hence, if you independently complete and be creative with the given tasks you will demonstrate your ability to be self-sufficient.
4. Pragmatic
We all learn from theory-based knowledge. So, it’s not always easy to jump from what should’ve worked to what can practically work in a certain situation. Such practicality and risks are taken by pragmatic individuals, which is one of the good employee characteristics that you can build. To become more pragmatic, take risks, and know how to learn from failures. Additionally, approach any problem with careful evaluation and focus more on how you got the solution than on the result.
5. Passionate & Humble
“Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less.”—C.S. Lewis. Humble people are often self-aware. Hence, humility is a practice that can be developed. If you are passionate about your work, new ideas will come to you naturally. So, try to voice your ideas, no matter how small or ineffective. But here’s a trick—always be self-aware of how you respond to new ideas and criticism. If you let your ego take charge and try to overshadow your teammates, you will never grow as a person. Additionally, know your strengths and feel okay with not having all the answers. Also, remember to celebrate your team’s victories without hogging the spotlight!
6. Communication Catalyst
Don’t be afraid to initiate meaningful conversations and bridge gaps, as it’s one of the great qualities of an excellent employee! To develop such professional communication skills, always be happy to have a discussion and break it down in simple terms. Be careful with your tone and body language as well. Try to be a calm speaker that keeps everyone in the loop and encourages healthy conversations. You can also ask questions and show genuine interest in hearing what your teammates have to say. Remember, good and effective communication will help you understand your team members better and make working together a breeze!
7. Resourceful
The best employees are always resourceful. To become more resourceful, try to be proactive and find creative solutions to possible problems. If you start thinking about improving things, be it certain work processes or strategies, you will always have some ideas to present during discussions. This way, you will build a track record of going above and beyond your assigned roles. And you will help to ignite a work environment that fosters creativity and innovation!
8. Conflicts Resolver
If you already solve problems in tasks and projects, it’s time to gear up and become a true intermediator in times of conflict. While working in a group, not everyone will be on the same page at all times. So, to become a good employee, you must put your active listening skills to use, listen to different sides of the argument, and try to be impartial and respectful of all viewpoints. To resolve conflicts, you can remind your colleagues that you are all working toward the same goal and highlight the good intentions of all parties involved. In this way, you can ensure a constructive conflict rather than a detrimental one and lead the team towards a healthier resolution.
Final Thoughts
Term-first mentality, adaptability, self-sufficiency, resourcefulness, passion, humility, pragmatics, and conflict resolution are all part of the 8 best qualities of a good employee. Not all of these qualities come naturally to everyone. You must be self-aware of areas where you can improve and practice developing such qualities to become the star employee that you always wanted to be! Next time, if you are wondering what makes a good employee—now you know all of them!