Your Manager’s Top 10!

Rose has been working with Scott for nearly seven years. Their organization has undergone a number of changes over the past few years, including changes with hiring/firing other employees, losing and gaining clients, and transitioning from one area of practice to another. Rather than leaving when things shifted out of her comfort zone, Rose opted to roll with these changes, taking advantage of the opportunities Scott gave her to cross train and learn new skills. Rose continued to present a willingness to do whatever it took to ensure the company, and her manager, succeeded.

Not all employees are like Rose, though every manager hopes they eventually hire and retain such employees. Scott’s willingness to provide Rose with the resources she needed to ensure personal and professional growth made her decision to stick around for the long haul easy. Relationships in a professional setting have to be two sided to succeed, and while there are a number of things that employees desire from their managers, managers want mutually beneficial relationships that promote loyalty and engagement.

Expanding on our previous post, here are the 10 ten things that managers look for when recruiting and retaining star employees:

Trustworthiness – Managers cannot do everything themselves and having trustworthy employees to manage smaller, daily tasks or to safeguard client matters and uphold confidentiality is crucial.

Loyalty and Fidelity – Employees who are loyal, dependable, and constant are some of the most sought after. They stick around for the long haul and are willing to work through any trials or hard times relationships or the organization may go through.

Taking Initiative – Stepping up when things go awry, more importantly doing so without having to be asked, is a key trait managers look for.

Ability to Adapt – A variety of changes can affect any business with or without warning. Employees who quickly adapt to these changes and do so in a helpful and optimistic manner eases these transitions.

Desire to Develop – Not only are key employees able to adapt, but they should also possess a desire and willingness to develop and grow in whatever direction their position or their industry requires.

Positive Attitudes – A given, employees with friendly, upbeat attitudes improve morale, help with motivation and engagement, and are simply more pleasant to work with (both with coworkers and clients).

Personable Personality – A positive attitude is one thing, but possessing the ability to engage and interact with others in a genuine and empathetic manner is crucial in building and maintaining relationships.

Positive Image – Furthermore, not only do you want employees who can develop and maintain relationships with coworkers and clients, your employees should be able to promote your company’s image in a productive and effective way.

Ability to Delegate – A skill any professional should have, employees who are able to delegate duties (as needed and appropriate to the position) are efficient with time management and understand the level of importance of certain tasks.

Strong Communication – Poor communication skills can kill a relationship, not to mention important tasks and duties can get overlooked and important items can get pushed to the wayside. The ability to communicate effectively is simply one of the most important skills a professional can possess.