Great employees add immense value to a company, attracting praise and promotion from the management teams. But what does it take to improve your performance and become a highly reliable member of staff? A key trait of every good employee is the ability to be a great team player and know how to be assertive and follow instructions. These traits and more will help you excel in your chosen career. So with that said, here are five essential steps to becoming a valuable employee.
What you can expect in this article:
1. Be focused
Lack of focus can lead to needless mistakes and shoddy work that tarnishes your reputation as an employee. Checking phone notifications and multitasking projects are only a few things that can threaten your focus at the workplace. You would want to be someone other than the employee who frequently loses focus. Therefore, make it a point to discover and avoid your biggest distractions. For example, consider keeping a notebook handy to check marks each time you lose concentration. Do this for a few weeks, and you may see patterns emerging. Once you understand the pain points, you can tweak your habits to improve your focus, so keep this in mind.
2. Show respect
Courtesy matters a lot in the workplace. You must respect coworkers, clients, and bosses to receive the same gesture in return. The best strategy is to be tolerant of other people. On the other hand, looking down on coworkers or managers doesn’t help nurture a happy workplace. Conflicts can arise from poor judgment and create needless tension among teams. Realise that people may have diverse views on certain issues, but it doesn’t mean starting an argument; you can spark a discussion to resolve the differences instead.
3. Choose a career path that fits your interest
One thing that can make you a bad employee is when you choose the wrong career path. This can impact your productivity, finances, personal fulfilment, identity, retirement, and family. Therefore, choose a career that suits your interest and will boost your morale to commit to the workplace. You can evaluate yourself with resources like the Strong test to help account for your interest in your career plan. Sometimes, you don’t have to let other people’s opinions greatly influence your career planning; feel free to sign up for a career based on your passion.
4. Request regular feedback
How often do you receive feedback directly from managers regarding duties assigned to you? You can request regular supervisor feedback even if the organization does not run regular performance reviews. This will increase your job satisfaction and career progress. Since none is perfect, you may struggle to improve without knowing your weaknesses.
5. Have empathy and emotional intelligence
A great employee shows empathy when interacting with coworkers and customers. Care about the impact of your work on others around you, and learn to put yourself in customers’ shoes, which can improve motivation and purpose. Emotional intelligence is also a critical skill for employees and business leaders. Understanding customers’ expectations will allow you to serve their needs better, so feel free to consider this.
