Creativity, honesty and flexibility are some of the key traits of star employees, but they are only the beginning. If you want to excel in the business world, you will need to develop the full five traits of a star employee and then master their application. Environments like online Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs offer business stars on the rise the opportunities they need to fully grow into tomorrow’s business leaders.
The following are five characteristics that will equip you to be a successful business professional.
1. Creativity
Whether you work in IT or accounting, you will face big decisions that depend on creative thinking. As an accountant, for example, you may have to develop new ways of tracking and recording finances to improve your company’s profits. Spontaneous, innovative thinking is critical to competing in a constantly shifting market economy. According to the 2023 Corporate Recruiters Survey from the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), today’s top employers highly value skill with strategy and innovation. Creativity is the foundation of innovative, strategic thinking. When you interview for a new position, prepare examples of successful, creative ideas you have implemented.
2. Honesty
Business often involves uncomfortable situations. People make mistakes. They forget deadlines, or they leave their important reports at home. Being honest about why you were late or why you did not carry out a task efficiently can build trust; businesses rely on the transparency of their managers and employees to foster a positive, communicative workplace culture and a trusting relationship with customers. Sharing with an interviewer what you have learned from mistakes can demonstrate an enthusiasm for growth, which employers know they can rely on.
3. Flexibility
Deadlines change, you pick up a project where someone else left off, and sometimes you have to abandon projects when they cease making financial sense. Flexibility demonstrates agility and dependability; embracing change enthusiastically shows that you prioritize an organization’s needs over your own interests — a characteristic common among managers and executives. A primary trait of star employees is knowing how to manage changing schedules, juggle multiple assignments and maintain enthusiasm even as projects change.
4. Team-Orientation
Being team-oriented involves interpersonal skills and self-motivation, and it is another important trait of star employees. Working well both independently and with a team is essential in today’s globally collaborative workplaces. Employers surveyed by GMAC rate motivation, interpersonal skills and communication skills among the most important skills for new employees. These skills underly the team-oriented, collaborative mindset. Self-motivation gives you the confidence and the drive to take care of your own responsibilities, while being team-oriented allows you to find inspiration in shared goals.
5. Leadership
Whether you work in a cubicle or a corner office, employers watch for the promise of growth and the ability to manage coworkers while inspiring enthusiasm. Good leadership requires a balanced combination of all the above traits. As such, leadership is also among the skills most highly rated by employers in GMAC’s survey, being a summation of motivation, communication, decision-making, strategy, innovation and interpersonal skills. As you develop your resume, include projects for which you assumed leadership roles — include key accomplishments and managerial outcomes.
Creativity, honesty, flexibility, team-orientation and leadership are the traits of star employees. Those seeking to develop these traits to advance their careers can benefit from the collaborative learning environment of an online MBA program, which will present students with the challenges and instruction they need to excel in today’s globally collaborative workplace.
Learn about the Lamar University online MBA programs.
