Recently, I have read an article about “nine behaviors separate star employees from everyone else”. After conducting a research by evaluating more than 4000 individual employees over five years, it comes to a conclusion that “there is a somewhat scientific formula to standing out at work”, which mainly consists of nine key characteristics. According to my interpretation, it could be summarized to five essential features.

1. Setting stretch goals

Top employees exhibit organizational citizenship behavior, which is to set and achieve goals that exceed their duties to meet higher expectation and encourage coworkers to do the same. Many people have a concern of being rewarded with more work if they complete all the tasks ahead of time, which reminds us that it is also essential for organizations to recognize employees’ superior contributions instead of allocating more tasks to them.

2. Working collaboratively as a team

The ability to work effectively as a team is the key. High performers understand the essence of cooperation which allows everyone to bring their skills and talents into full play. A star employee always can interact and work with their colleagues effectively. Most importantly, they would also take advantages of opportunities to represent their teams to others.

3. Taking initiatives

Instead of waiting for chances and instructions, top performers would go beyond their job descriptions to help out with other bigger objects to create more opportunities and accumulate more experience for themselves. Instead of assuming no one would listen to their words, they would actively share their ideas and ask a lot of questions. They always keep a positive attitude to learning more stuff through initiative involvement.

4. Embracing changes

In the workplace, nothing stays the same all the time. A star employee has high acceptance with unexpected situations. They can respond to the changes with right judgment and come up with different efficient strategies and solutions to tackle with them.

5. Staying accountable

Delivering all the commitments to teammates and employers is the core. It is essential to hold yourself accountable for all the promises you have made. So before you make any promises, it is important to identify your motivation and be clear of the consequences. Sometimes, a person’s irresponsibility will harm the benefits of a group as a whole. Being responsible is not just about one’s duty but to show respect to others’ hard work.

For the above five features, we can not only proceed them in the workplace but also take them as useful advises in our daily life.

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References:

Business Insider, “These nine behaviors separate star employees from everyone else,” The Economic Times, Oct. 16, 2015, http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/These-nine-behaviors-separate-star-employees-from-everyone-else/articleshow/49410348.cms