Get premium membership and access questions with answers, video lessons as well as revision papers.

Tips to becoming an exceptional employee

  

Date Posted: 12/2/2017 11:11:17 AM

Posted By: Chiry  Membership Level: Silver  Total Points: 297


Competence and satisfactory job qualifications are rarely used as a basis of determining exceptionality in an employee's work habits. Personality traits and character to a larger percentage often the type of employee one becomes: how they relate to their coworkers,approaches of conflict resolution and a number of other personality dependent habits.

As one may argue, if working habits are largely dependent on personality then little can be done in relation to becoming a better employee. However most of the positive qualities can be learnt and its never too late to improve your skills as an employee and become a positive impact. Below are some of the qualities possessed by exceptional employees:

Self-driven and focused- they are quick to embark on their duties and don't wait to be reminded of their responsibilities every other time. They always have personal goals and strive to achieve them regardless of whether or not they get rewarded. We are all human and incentives majorly motivate us to go an extra mile. However, an exceptional employee would complete their tasks in time and cover an extra mile regardless of anyone's approval or recognition.

Passionate and enthusiastic- it is said that positive qualities are contagious especially in a working environment. People are always drawn to enthusiastic personalities. This is because they transmit their positive energy and attitudes, therefore motivating their colleagues to do better. They always come up with new and innovative ideas which bring productive outcomes. These are the people who easily climb up the promotion ladder as their counterparts are left in the same level over time.

Are accountable and take responsibility- they are not the type of individuals to quickly utter the 'it wasn't my fault' type of excuses. Instead of trying to get themselves off the hook when something goes wrong, they take responsibility and are

not afraid to admit their mistakes. Also, taking responsibility does not just mean apologizing without a good reason. Exceptional employees always give rational excuses in the occurence of failures.

They can easily adapt to changes- they easily adapt to new environments, co-workes and even employers. Change is unavoidable in various dimensions in life. Inability to cope with change largely contributes to low productivity levels in employees. One should be able to adapt easily and thrive even in a complete set of conditions. It is impossible to work in the same old conditions for a lifetime. Various work parameters are largely dynamic.

Trustworthy and reliable- this is a character trait that is useful in all facets of life. Breaching trust with your co-worker or employee gravely damages your relationship, and in most cases costs you your job. It is important to build trust in a work environment, which is largely dependent on your level of honesty. One simple little lie could destroy your image and restoration of a positive image is usually easier said than done. You seldom have the chance to change negative impressions about you. Becoming a reliable and trustworthy person is key to becoming an exceptional employee.

They never allow emotions to get in their way- emotions can be overwhelming, and often make us make unintentional mistakes. One's ability to deal with these emotions makes a big difference. Does a simple misunderstanding with your co-worker make you want to punch them in the face? Anger and other strong emotions need to be controlled or may otherwise largely jeopardize one's image as an employee. Good employees know how to keep them controlled, regardless of how strong they become.

They handle conflict rationally- conflicts are unavoidable especially in a work environment. Differences are naturally present in people and they always have different views on how to handle matters or solve problems. One should strive to understand the other person's standpoint and rationally try to find a middle ground. Striving to force things to get done your way will further aggaravate the conflict; be rational and accept things to be done someone else's way since we can't be right at all times. We all fall short. Exceptional employees don't run away from conflict, they face it and handle it in a way that brings minimum harm and discord.

Systematic and organised- order is important in all the aspects of life. Without it things easily go amiss. An employee should strive to uphold order at all times and do everything according to a systematic plan. This largely contributes to success in achieving one's goals.

They are selfless- some employees usually carry on their duties in a showy and obnoxious way in a bid to get credit and be noticed by their employers. Selfless employees usually work with a hearty attitude, and can gladly uphold others without wishing to take all the credit. They are genuinely happy about their co-workers' success. A selfless employee always wants to bring out the best in others, on top of striving to achieve their own success. They also carry out their responsibilities in a way that brings out the best in everyone without wishing for their personal achievements alone.

They never attain a level of satisfaction and always strive to achieve more- these employees are always in a constant pursuit of higher successes, and one achievement does not give them satisfaction. They always work hard to scale new heights, despite how high they have reached thus far. Success should be a continuous habit and not an one time event. Successful employees recognize this.

They keep their ego under control- letting our ego get in our way of making decisions is something we often do. This is however destructive. One ought to be able to swallow their pride sometimes and accept correction or admit their failures. Other people are sometimes right and exceptional employees agree to do things other peoples' way sometimes. They are also able to apologize when they offend their co-workers or employees.



Next: The importance of mentors in life
Previous: Sociological Research in Sociology and Development

More Resources
Quick Links
Kenyaplex On Facebook


Kenyaplex Learning