Back in the day it was easy to be a great employee. You only had to show up at work on time, work hard all day, be nice to everyone and avoid breaking the rules.
The working world has changed dramatically since then. Now we have to bend and flex at work to do our jobs. We have to keep lots of different people happy. We have to juggle priorities, and change our methods and approaches on a dime.
Watch on Forbes:
We have to know a lot about the organizations we work for -- not to mention our industries and ourselves. We have to keep an eye on the world outside our cubicle walls and keep asking ourselves the question "What do I want from my career?"
Years ago, great employees were dutiful, loyal and easy to please. They worked hard without complaining — that was one of their principal virtues. Unwavering loyalty is not the hallmark of a great employee anymore. That is a characteristic of a fearful drone whose greatest fear is that they might displease their boss.
There are managers who only want fearful drones working for them — but you cannot afford to spend your career that way!
These days, great employees are proactive. They think for themselves. They don't just work hard without making a fuss. They suggest ways to make the work faster and easier. They have ideas and share them.
Here are ten qualities outstanding employees possess. If your manager doesn't value these qualities, maybe they are not the right manager for you any more — if they ever were.
Ten Qualities Of Outstanding Employees
1. Outstanding employees know more than just the procedures their job requires. They know the reason their job exists, and that knowledge lets them suggest tweaks and innovations that let them work more effectively.
2. Outstanding employees notice what is going on around them at work, and they integrate their constant learning into the way they do their jobs.
3. Outstanding employees form great relationships with people inside and outside the company. They know which teams they are a member of and they work to strengthen their team relationships so that things don't get tense or stressful in a clinch.
4. Great employees look ahead and anticipate problems that might emerge on the job. They bring up potential problems early and push to get those problems addressed before they can do harm.
5. Terrific employees tell the truth about sticky topics like workload, work/life balance, difficult customers (or vendors, fellow employees or managers) and ineffective procedures. They find their voice and use it even when no one else dares to.
6. Awesome employees have a personal career plan or direction in mind. They don't assume that their employer will manage their career for them. They manage their own careers!
7. Great employees address conflict rather than avoiding it. When they step into a conflict resolution process, they maintain respect for everyone in the mix. They don't place blame on other people, and they don't apologize just to keep the peace.
8. Top-notch employees ask for help when they need it.
9. Outstanding employees don't rest on their educational credentials, job title or honors bestowed on them. They are open to new ideas no matter who suggests them. They share their own thoughts, not the conventional wisdom they've been taught by other people. They don't brag about themselves — that is a sign of fear!
10. Finally, excellent employees are coaches and mentors to people around them. They often hear "You are so generous to share your expertise!" They don't take the view that knowledge is power. They know that knowledge is only power when it is shared with others.
You might be an excellent employee without being recognized for it — that happens to a lot of people.
What does it mean? It means that you are casting your pearls before swine —and that will not help you or the swine who cannot appreciate the gifts you bring.
If you are an outstanding employee stuck in an undeserving organization, your path is clear — it leads up and out of there, and on to your brilliant future!
Donna has been a teacher, math instructional coach, interventionist, and curriculum coordinator. A frequent speaker at state and national conferences, she shares her love for math with a worldwide audience through her website, Math Coach’s Corner. Donna is also the co-author of Guided Math Workshop.
Tonight I’m asking you to help me write a blog post. We have all read or heard the research that states that teacher quality is the single most important factor in student success. Not class size, not resources, not even socioeconomic factors. Teacher quality. That has me wondering, how do we define what makes a teacher outstanding? What are the characteristics that an outstanding teacher possesses?
Here’s where your part comes in. Please think of a teacher you have worked with who you would consider to be truly outstanding and leave a brief comment describing one or two important characteristics that teacher possessed. You might also think about a teacher that was not outstanding and comment on what they lacked. I will compile all of your wonderful comments into a future blog post, so PLEASE sound off!!
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When you think back to your first year of teaching, what is the one word you would use to describe that first year? Some of the words that teachers have shared with me include: confusing, overwhelming, and intense.
It’s not nice having that overwhelmed feeling and it can not only be stressful, but it can also lead to burnout.
I’m a believer that proactive teachers implement many preventative techniques and strategies to help cope with the different aspects of the classroom. This definitely helps with that overwhelmed feeling, and what I think is the difference between an outstanding teacher and one that is struggling.
Here are some of the qualities of what I think makes an outstanding teacher.
Outstanding teachers are clear and organized
Outstanding teachers have fully prepared lessons, with clear objectives that are also obvious to students. They are in the classroom early and ready to go with teaching by the time students arrive. They have thought about and considered all parts of the lesson; they are structured and cater for the different learning needs of their students.
Outstanding teachers use a repertoire of teaching strategies to engage students
The first 5 minutes of a lesson really counts and it usually sets the tone for how the rest of the lesson will go. Outstanding teachers use a variety of teaching strategies to entice their students in the first few minutes of the lesson. They change this up and consider the best strategy to match the content of the lesson. They are confident and enthusiastic and use their voice clearly to explain concepts and keep students on track during a lesson.
Outstanding teachers develop positive relationships with their students
Seeking mutual respect and trust is a goal of an outstanding teacher. They are warm, pleasant, approachable and tolerant of student differences. They are consistent and fair. They learn their student’s names quickly and get to know each of them. They help their students to feel good about themselves and continually work at developing a positive relationship with individuals and the class as a whole.
Outstanding teachers adapt their lessons for individual differences
Not all kids are the same or learn in the same way or in the same time, each and every one of them is unique. Outstanding teachers acknowledge this, have a clear picture of where each of their students is at and cater for this when planning lessons.
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Outstanding teachers assess and evaluate student learning to identify what they learned and what they have not yet learned
Outstanding teachers ask themselves: what knowledge, skills, and values did my students learn? What am I going to do to help my students learn concepts if they didn’t, or extend those students that need it? Outstanding teachers constantly evaluate how their students are progressing and use this information to direct future learning experiences. They are also very clear why they assess and know the type of information they want to collect. They choose the best assessment techniques to match the intended outcome.
Outstanding teachers constantly develop their management skills
Preventing student management problems from occurring in the first place is the goal of an outstanding teacher. Outstanding teachers make their expectations very clear to students and can anticipate problems and if they do arise react accordingly to prevent further disruption. Outstanding teachers have many low-key techniques for responding to inappropriate behavior and will always try to use these as a first option. Outstanding teachers do not need to yell at their students!
Outstanding teachers are reflective teachers
Outstanding teachers want to improve to become a more effective teacher. They participate in professional development, they connect with other outstanding teachers, they seek feedback and advice and they self-evaluate for self-improvement.
“Remember, the perfect teacher does not exist, but we all can become better teachers. Continual improvement of our teaching skills is the essence of professionalism in our field” (Good & Brophy, 1991).
Summing up
What would you add to the list? What do you think makes an outstanding teacher?
If you’re a new teacher and you’ve also been feeling overwhelmed and stressed, then I’m here to help and support you.
I know what it’s like being a new teacher…..the excitement…..the trepidation…..the nerves…..and I also know the lack of support provided to new teachers.
Many new teachers are told to either sink or swim…..that was certainly the case for me!
But I don’t believe new teachers should be treated like this. New teachers should be nurtured and supported and provided with all of the opportunities to not only succeed but to THRIVE.
And to support you on your teaching journey I’ve put together a pack of my top behavior management strategies. Use the form below to grab it now!