What qualities do you think your manager values in an employee? Of course, the answer can differ from company to company and manager to manager, but recently OI Partners conducted a nationwide survey asking this specific question. The results were discussed in a blog by John Hollon in the HR Blog on TNLT.

Surprised by Any on the List?

I would be very interested in seeing a similar list from 2007 to early 2008 to understand the impact of the economy on these traits. As is mentioned in the article, Being a Team Player was the most common trait selected by the employers which may be due to companies needing to meet goals with less individuals. It may also be very relevant as more and more companies are allowing employees to tele-commute. Tele-commuting can change the culture of work environment, so to make the new environment successful, they need employees to operate as team players in order to meet those goals.

Being a team player is always important as team synergies can help companies drive toward and meet their goals, but I was curious as to the role the economy plays on making it at the top of the list.

Work Harder or Work Smarter?

I also thought it was interesting that work smart and work hard were chosen by about the same number of employees. For years we have heard the mantra, “work smarter, not harder”. This statement gets at the fact that effort does not equal results. Just because you are working 60 hours a week, does not mean your results are any better than the individual who works 40 and accomplishes the same tasks. Revisit how you are getting your work done and investigate if there are better ways to do it.

John Hollon’s list indicates that employers are looking for the extra effort as well. It suggests that if you can accomplish your 40 hour a week task load in 25 hours, they want to see you raising your hand to take on a new project. This list also highlights areas we have covered in other blogs like tracking your results to ensure your manager is aware of how you are impacting the company and the value you bring.

This article serves as a great reminder: it is a list of qualities that managers are seeking in their employees, but it is up to the employee to make sure the manager sees how they fit the list!