What makes an outstanding employee? In my 20 years of management, I have had several good employees, but there are only a few that I would say were “outstanding.”
Over the years I have complied a list, from workshops I have led, of the top 10 common attributes that managers agree on that “outstanding” employees possess. Year-after-year the list has stayed the same with little variance.
Outstanding Employee Attributes:
1. They are generalists at work; they can do multiple job tasks so they are very valuable to their employer.
2. They give high quality service to customers, clients and their co-workers.
3. They are creative in their thinking. They will offer new and better ways to complete job tasks or run systems.
4. They have good communication skills and use them. They speak up but do not dominate conversations.
5. They keep their job tasks up.
6. They will take on other projects or additional responsibilities, but will not over-extend themselves and jeopardize their job.
7. They keep themselves updated in their field of work on their own time. They have a hunger for knowledge and want to invest in themselves.
8. They praise their co-workers for a job well done and recognize their value to the overall team.
9. They step-in, step-up and go the extra mile when it is needed. The business is their top priority while they are at work and they do everything they can to keep it running well.
10. Their attitude is always great, even when things are not going well in their personal life. They choose to bring a good attitude to the workplace every day.
When you look at this list not one of the attributes is unrealistic or difficult to do. It is when you are able to continually do all of them because you want to that makes the difference between good and outstanding.
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