A great leader is the one that will make the way for his company towards success. However, a leader needs to lead someone, and that someone are his company’s employees. Employees are the work force and the most important factor of a business. If they are not motivated or poorly trained, the business will not run very well. If an employee does not know how to interact with clients or customers, he will turn them away. Once a customer has encountered a bad employee, it will affect him or her in various ways.

What are the personality traits that good employees posses?

A good employee is a reliable employee. A company can miss deadlines, produce faulty products, and make mistakes that will result in unsatisfied customers. Those who listen without interrupting and understand instruction given to them so that they take their job and duties seriously.

Taking chances may lead to failure, but there is not success without taking risks, right? Employees should be action-oriented, since that leads to generating new ideas and molds confidence. Also, workers that are amibitious make a company innovative. They want to help themselves have a better career, thus they will help the company they work for.

“Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.” – Salvador Dali

Intelligence is a strong basis for success. Having intelligent employees means spending less time on micromanaging, proofing work, and dealing with all kinds of stressful situations that are simply not necessary. This also means that a good employee is autonomous, and can get the job without constant support and hand-holding. Leaders do not want to answer dozens of questions every day, but work execution.

People who love their jobs do not have to work a day in their life. If an employee is passionate about his job, it means that he is motivated in the best possible way, and that he enjoys performing given tasks. Also, the best companies have confident people working for them. With high confidence, employees are not shy, but take on challenges that others avoid.

With these kind of employees, who are also upbeat, honest and detail-oriented, a company is capable of providing superior services and products. With them making a working environment, a culture of improvement is spawned naturally.

But, how to create this kind of working team? This leads us to the conclusion that a well-devised hiring program is fateful for your company’s future success. You can do the hiring yourself, or entrust the process to a professional. Recruit a hiring agency that will find you the right people for whatever positions needed – call center, sales jobs, administration, or marketing.

Hire wisely and retain valuable workers

You cannot judge someone 100% correctly during an interview. But, you can gain a fairly right picture by asking the right questions. First of all, you should be very clear about the job description – what kind of job needs to be done and what the skills that one needs to have for the position are. Always get some personal references in addition to professional ones. In potential candidates, you should look for those with a commitment to their career, because it is less likely that you would have to spend time and energy on motivating them. Also, assess their analytical and learning skills. Confidence is good, but does not mean much without the right skills and education.

And when you find the right employees, put an additional effort to keep them beside you. They will stay if they perceive your company as a place where they can continue growing and developing. Communicate and socialize with your employees, and do it face-to-face instead of just virtually because non-verbal cues make a major part of the meaning we derive from communication. Give them enough authority and space to do their jobs, and start coaching instead of managing. Always give them credit for what they have done, but demand and expect quality work, for quality work is what is to be acknowledged. Create growth opportunities and turn the positive feedback into something tangible (dinner at the company’s expense, closing the office early before the holidays, or giving a day off after finalizing a tough assignment).

When hiring, your aim is to recognize the potential. If it is underdeveloped, provide your employees with proper training and learning courses. Cherish reliable workers and give them respect they deserve, but demand good work and commitment. With excellent communication and clearly stated goals, the contentment will be mutual.