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Every driven person will want to be the ideal employee. This is a feat easier said than done as what constitutes the ‘ideal employee’ will inevitably vary from job to job. However, here are six traits which will make a great employee regardless of circumstance:
Employees who are ambitious will benefit the company in a way that those who are there for the free ride never will. An ambitious employee will want to further their career by working hard for the company to show their ability to succeed. If they succeed, so will the business.
Employees who lack ambition will not have this same drive. They will be content to do their job but will never want anything more. They will perform their role but won’t look for ways to go beyond it and improve the business.
Confidence is another key trait and it should never be mistaken for arrogance. With the former, the person will have a firm knowledge of what they are able to do and the conviction to do it, even if this involves acting in unknown circumstances. Arrogance is different as it will see someone brag about their abilities or, possibly even worse, not know where the limits of their abilities lie.
The desire to take on projects others would shy away from is a mark of confidence and will make an employee more valuable to their business as they will be able to use the skills they know to complete a broader range of jobs.
Honesty is important and should not be undervalued. Saying something deliberately misleading can lead others to not trust you and could land you in trouble later on. Everything you do, you need to do with reliability and legitimacy. If you are not forthright with others, if you promise too much, people will quickly realise this and that will be to your detriment.
Being able to effectively work in an office is only one side of what most roles entail. You have to be able to market yourself. However competent you are at your job, if you do not present yourself as such, clients will always get the impression that you might not be so. Being personable and able to talk with conviction about the work you do is an essential skill which will help you grow a business and retain existing clients. If you present yourself as professional and organised, people will get the impression that you are.
Being able to do your job with a certain level of autonomy is an essential skill. You need to be able to get your job done without constantly relying on people to guide you through every step of the process.
Your boss will have their own tasks to complete and, while they will have an overarching idea of the work you are doing, they will not want to be stopping from what they are doing every 15 minutes or so to guide you through something you should be able to do by yourself. Being autonomous will save you and others around you time which is essential in a busy workplace.
Finally, when working you should be upbeat. This is not to say that you should be blindly and mindlessly positive in all situations as this will only annoy people. Instead, when you are talking to people, be engaging and positive about what they are saying. It only takes one upbeat person to lift the mood of an entire workplace. If everyone is enjoying being there, their work will be better and they will complete tasks faster. Being positive will inspire positivity in others.
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