12 Employee Qualities That Managers Love - The Muse

12 Employee Qualities That Managers Love - The Muse12 Employee Qualities That Managers LoveGetting the best opportunities at work isnt just about completing your to-do list every week. Managers value your personality and attitude nearly as much, and sometimes, thats what really counts when it comes time to assign someone to lead a choice project or get a coveted promotion. But which personal qualities or skills define the very best employees in a manager or leaders eyes? Twelve startup founders from YEC explain.1. You Have a Sense of UrgencyWhen I ask an employee to do something, the default assumption should be that I need it right away. High-performing employees have a sense of urgency to get things done as they arise to avoid getting backed up with tasks. These same employees also know how to prioritize or ask for assistance in determining what should be done first. - Mark Cenicola, BannerView.com2. Youre Eager to LearnI value employees who continually show me they have a thirst for knowledge by taking the time to learn new skills that could benefit the company. Having a large capacity to learn shows me that as the company grows, there is a good chance that this employee will grow with the increasing demands of their position and continue to move up the ladder, instead of falling behind.- Diana Goodwin, AquaMobile Swim School 3. You Have Street Smarts With a Dose of SassMy best kollektiv members are smart, passionate, and well-researched in their fields. They also have the confidence to stand up to me and ask questions (politely, of course). It helps us all improve when we collaborate on why were taking a specific course of action for a clients marketing strategy, especially when someone says, What if we do it this way? and he or shes right - Nicole Munoz, Start Ranking Now4. You Show IntegrityEvery workplace is inundated with devices, making it easy for employees to get distracted. More than anything, we value integrity- people who are honest about th eir time at the office, work hard, and are committed to the company. Bright employees who figure out shortcuts can be a liability. Integrity is the most valuable quality. - Marcela DeVivo, National Debt Relief 5. You Pay Attention to DetailSloppiness can be a massive crutch, even if youre the most motivated and intelligent person for the job. I love seeing someone complete a task on time that is spell-checked, organized, thorough, and on point. - Josh Sprague, Orange Mud6. You Show LoyaltyLoyalty is one of the most important traits I look for. No business relationship will ever work out well without trust. If you have people around you who truly believe in your einbildung and make it their own, theyre worth their weight in gold. Make sure they eat before you do. Because if they dont, youll starve anyway.- Kenneth Cucchia, Deals4Meals.com7. You Have ConfidenceIf an employee is able to stand by his or her opinions and suggestions and defend them thoughtfully and respectfully, i t shows me that he or shes capable of being a true leader. Essentially, I value confidence. People who are truly confident arent making arbitrary decisions. Theyre not pushovers, and most importantly, theyre able to defend their perspective while remaining receptive to critiques. - Mac Morgan, Tonic Design Co.8. Youre EmpatheticYou can always find people with skills, but you cant always find empathy paired with talent. There have been studies that indicate that the most effective teams arent the most intelligent, they dont have the best degrees, they arent the most charismatic- theyre the ones with the most empathy. Thats why we put a premium on empathy and have made it a core value. - Joseph Walla, HelloSign 9. Youre ResourcefulIts a rare quality to find. Folks who can work through obstacles creatively are my favorite. To know that a project may come with unique challenges can be stressful for a manager. I look to assign someone who is capable of digging his or her heels in and independently creating solutions.- Tarek Pertew, Uncubed10. You Have Lots of EnergyMy high-energy employees are always the most successful. I look for my employees to be energized and positive about what were doing in the marketplace. This tells me theyre passionate about their job, which will get them far. - Jayna Cooke, EVENTup 11. Youre ReliableWhen an important task needs to be delegated, you need to know that the selected employee is going to deliver on both an end result as well as reliable progress feedback. A truly responsible employee will also follow through on any mistakes made in the task completion, take ownership, and ensure that he or she can still be relied on in the future. - Mark Edmondson, Guestfolio 12. You Have a Growth MindsetValue alignment is an absolute prerequisite, but beyond that, we look for a growth mindset. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Raw talent, education, professional pedigree, and personality are worthless without a drive, curiosity, and passion to better oneself. - Christopher Kelly, Convene Photo of light bulb courtesy of Shutterstock.