Five traits of highly effective workers

In today’s highly networked and connected world, one of the biggest challenges for business leaders is to meet the demands of their most effective workers.

Being able to harness and cultivate their most talented and driven employees without treating other employees differently is the balancing act they need to strike, according to research by Great Place To Work.

But what constitutes a highly effective worker?

1 Ownership "Ownership is the biggest trend we see," says John Ryan, chief executive at Great Place to Work. "Rather than complaining and moaning about the organisation not doing stuff for them, employees are now being encouraged to take ownership of their own careers."

Among other things, this means requesting clarity if they are not clear about their role and responsibilities, asking for more feedback if they do not know how they are doing, and doing their own research and discussing with their manager if they do not feel they are getting training and development that they would like.

Mikko Kuitunen, founder and chief executive of Finnish software development firm Vincit, agrees that employees taking responsibility for their own careers is key.

“It is too easy to blame ‘the others’ or ‘the system’, he says. The people should be as empowered as possible in order to avoid that kind of thinking. When people want to take ownership and they are empowered, organisations don’t need to build complex and unmanageable systems to motivate people.”

2 Personal understanding Great employees also understand themselves, which means the good and the not-so-good behaviours. Based on this understanding, these employees will seek out organisations where they would prove a good cultural fit. For example, if you like to work alone, don't join a company that demands a collaborative culture. "The better you know yourself the easier it is to understand what kind of working cultures work for you," says Kuitunen. "For me, it's clear that cultural match is one of the key requirements for people who want to fully utilise their potential."

3 Thinking beyond core role Employees who think and contribute outside of their core role and are happy to see their role in its broadest terms, are especially valuable, says Ryan, while Ciara Fallon, director of people and change at PwC, rates the ability to work in a multi-competency environment.

This means “understanding the value and inputs from other disciplines and capabilities, as well as being adept in more than one discipline or domain themselves”.

4 Emotional intelligence Workers with high emotional intelligence are better able to work in teams, adjust to change and be flexible. No matter how many degrees or qualifications you have, you are less likely to succeed without certain emotional qualities. Fallon of PwC says developing and enhancing your emotional IQ is "vital in understanding, operating and being successful in ambiguous or complex environments".

5 Contributing to the company culture Good employees "get involved" by contributing to the culture by, for example, being part of the social committee or the corporate social responsibility (CSR) committee, says Ryan.

Fallon calls this a having a “holistic perspective” in that they see themselves as members of the wider organisation and play to that higher agenda. They are “mindful of the wider and more strategic context and environment”, whether that’s to do the corporate or social side of the firm.