Characteristics of a Professional Employee

People in the professional business world need many attributes to be competitive and move up in their company. The first attribute they need to have is to be self-motivated and persistent. The second attribute is they need to be reliable to their employer and the rest of the company. These attributes are found in almost every professional in the business world.

            Employers in business want employees who are self-motivated and take initiative (Mehling, 2012). Supervisors and managers who oversee many employees have their own responsibilities and don’t want to hold your hand through every task (Sundheim, 2013). Employees who come up with new ideas and go above and beyond what is required move up much quicker in the business world than those who wait for specific instructions and do the bare minimum (Mehling, 2012).

            The next attribute, which is closely related to being self-motivated, is being reliable. Being reliable relates to many aspects of the job. First, being reliable means being punctual. No employers want employees who are always late. Second, being reliable means always meeting deadlines and getting work done in a timely manner. A reliable employee is one who the employer can trust with important matters (Beshore, 2013).

            The business environment is an extremely competitive atmosphere. If one wants to move up within their company, they simply will not stand out if they are not self-motivated and go above and beyond what is required. One needs to show that they are reliable or their employers will not be able to trust them with more important matters. If you focus on attaining these skills now, you will most likely have success in your field of expertise.

References

Beshore, B. (2013, April 2). The 9 Attributes Every Employer Desperately Wants. Retrieved from Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/brentbeshore/2013/04/02/the-9-attributes-every-employer-desperately-wants/

Mehling, E. (2012, June 4). Soft Skills: What Employers Want (and Don't Want) In an Employee. Retrieved from Metropolitan New York Library Council: http://www.metro.org/articles

Sundheim, K. (2013, April 2). 15 Traits of the Ideal Employee. Retrieved from Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kensundheim/2013/04/02/15-traits-of-the-ideal-employee/

How to Effectively Work in a Team

To have success working in a team, I suggest you follow these steps. First, before you start, you must establish roles to decide who is going to do what part of the project. Second, you must clarify modes of communication that work for everyone. To have a successful project, there are many more tools you must use, but these tips will give you a great start.

Before you do anything on the project, the group must decide on the different roles necessary to finish the project. The first role you need to decide on is who is going to be the leader, who ultimately is in charge of the general execution of the project. Based on the requirements of the group, you must then decide who is going to take care of the rest of the responsibilities (Dumaine, 1983). The leader will be responsible to for keeping the rest of the group accountable for the tasks each participant has committed to do along with their own part on the project (Muraski, 2012).

            The majority of unsuccessful group projects fail because they don’t communicate effectively (Muraski, 2012). Some effective modes of communication includes:

• ·      Email— communicates to the entire group simultaneously
• ·      Text— gets to the team members faster because it goes directly to their phone
• ·      Conference calls— establishes effective discussion but requires more coordination

            One of the best benefits of working on a team is everyone’s specific skills are used to generate a great project. As you create roles tailored to the specific talents of the team, your project will reach its full potential. Good, consistent communication will ensure your project will be done before the deadline. As you learn these skills, group projects will be an advantage rather than an annoyance.

References

Dumaine, D. (1983). Write to the Top. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks.

Muraski, W. (2012). 10 Tips for using Co-Planning Time More Effeciently. Teaching Exceptional Children, 8-15.