Monday, March 24, 2014

Characteristics of a Good Employee

When hiring for a job, employers are looking for more than someone with just an education or a degree, they’re looking for personality. The personality of job candidates are what set them apart from someone else and can be the major driving force in the decision-making process. I believe in two very specific characteristics that employers are looking for when hiring potential employees and they are, first, someone who is action-oriented and second, someone who is competent.

What does it mean to be action-oriented? A person who is action-oriented is not afraid to “grab the bull by the horns” and take chances (Sundheim, 2013). People who are action-oriented are ready to make mistakes; they embrace risk and uncertainty and make the best of it. One of the best features of employees who are action-oriented is that their goals are often aligned with the goals of the company. Action-oriented employees strive to achieve and meet goals and will fight for what they want. Action-oriented employees have the confidence to do what is necessary to make companies more successful, while stagnant employees do not.

The second characteristic of a professional employee is someone who is competent. Competent employees know their job inside and out, while also understanding the “big picture” (Ingram, n.d.). Going hand-in-hand with being action-oriented, competent employees think about not only their own future but also the future of the company as well. Being competent means that they are reliable, honest, and hard working. Building a workforce that is full of competent employees will, undoubtedly, lead to the success and stability of a company’s future.

Having an education is not always good enough in today’s economy. Building and creating strong, marketable traits, like being action-oriented and competent, are crucial to ensuring one’s success in the future. By creating or perfecting professional characteristics, such as these, a person’s ability to stand out will increase substantially.

References

 
Ingram, D. (n.d.). The Qualities of a Good & Professional Employee. Retrieved from Chron: Small Business.
 
Sundheim, K. (2013, April 02). 15 Traits of the Ideal Employee. Retrieved from Forbes.
 

 
 

 

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Building Team Effectiveness

“Very simply put, a team is nothing but a system of getting people in a company to work together effectively” (Sethi, 2011) and in order to do that, any leader should follow three basic steps to create an effective team. The first step is to establish a clear communication channel between the team members and the leader. Second, make consequences known and give each member of the team the chance to learn and grow from mistakes or avoid them altogether. Finally, create a work environment that invites team members to collaborate, trust, and work well with one another (Heathfield, n.d.).

One of the best ways to create an effective communication channel between a leader and team members is to present a clear message of what the leader’s expectations are for team’s performance (Sethi, 2011). Once those expectations are defined and available then together the leader and the team can work towards creating goals, evaluating one another’s performance, and giving constructive feedback.

Once an open communication channel is established, define the consequences for appropriate and inappropriate team behaviors. When creating goals as a team, define what the consequences will be if those goals are not met. Also, make team members feel accountable for and proud of team achievements with rewards and recognition for finishing a job faster than expected, doing a job accurately, being a valuable team player, etc. (Heathfield, n.d.).

The final step in creating an effective team is to build trust and collaboration within the team. Creating an “open door” policy and always being honest allows team members to trust in their leader first and then one other. To strengthen collaboration, leaders should ensure that team members understand their importance in different aspects in the group and that their contributions count.
           
Creating an effective team may not be as hard as it seems. Clear communication, consequences, and collaboration are in sync with one another when it comes to making the ideal team. Implement and follow these three basic steps and your team is sure to improve.

References


Heathfield, S. M. (n.d.). 12 Tips for Team Building. Retrieved from About.com Human Resources.

Sethi, J. (2011, July 25). Tips on Enhancing Team Effectiveness. Retrieved from Human Resources Blog.