We dedicate a massive volume of literature and conversation to being a great leader but much less to being a great employee. Yet only 20% of the workforce has any supervisory or managerial responsibility.

This means we spend much less time writing and discussing excellence in the other 80% of the workforce.

I had a great conversation with my friend Karl-Heinz Mertins, who raised this topic, which I now cannot help but explore. After spending considerable time thinking about the issue, here are my five attributes of a great team member.

One: Mission Orientation

Great employees care deeply about the mission and the customer. They are more connected to delivering on the company’s promise to its customers than to pleasing its investors or leaders.

Perhaps strange to say, but profoundly true. Leaders and investors can too quickly lose sight of the most important stakeholder — the customer. Without the customer, there is no mission; without the mission, there is no margin. Great employees make all their decisions and advocate strongly, always with the customer’s experience at the center of their thinking.

Two: Triumphant In Paradox

Great employees are triumphant in the paradoxical truths of following.

Nice word salad, Dave. What does that mean?

This means that they understand that following leaders’ direction requires initiative and independent thinking. Great employees can take general direction and demonstrate creativity and problem-solving skills to advance the organization’s mission without requiring specific direction.

Operating independently and effectively while following.

Great employees also understand that being great at following a leader’s direction means questioning leadership and that direction. There cannot be lingering questions, doubts, or skepticism for a team to fully unite under a cause and be bought into accomplishing the mission.

Great followers question leadership and, in so doing, drive away the lingering questions and doubts that undermine unity. Their dialog with leaders refines the organization’s direction. They ask ‘Why?’ anytime the answer to that question is unclear. In making the why clear, when trouble inevitably disrupts the team’s progression, they have the context they need to creatively problem-solve to achieve what the organization requires by another route.

They understand that dialog doesn’t sow seeds of doubt but cultivates strength and clarity.

Three: Attitude

The best employees have a great attitude. They are optimistic. They think of the world more in the context of “even if” instead of “what if.” Even if this happens, we’ll prevail instead of “what if” something happens with an air of despondency.

The best employees have an attitude that encourages and uplifts the rest of the team. They cheer on, encourage, and support the group in accomplishing the objectives.

Four: Effort

Greatness is always connected to high effort. Great employees have a strong work ethic. That doesn’t mean they work ceaselessly; everyone needs a break, and no one can indefinitely sustain a sprinter’s pace.

It means their efforts are self-motivated. They are driven to succeed from the inside rather than compelled to achieve from the outside. They are versatile. Their effort remains high, and their attitude is good, even when the task, environment, or role suddenly needs to change. When confronted with obstacles, their effort does not stop, waiting for the obstacle to be cleared, but their initiative stays high, and they creatively work to overcome the obstacle.

Five: Competence & Learning

This is at the bottom of the list, which might feel strange to some. For someone to be great at their job, they need to excel at the actual work product that results from their efforts. The items above are the intangibles that separate the great from the good.

Unfortunately, competence is not timeless. Our competencies are in a constant state of atrophy, decaying every day we don’t practice them and threatening to be obsoleted by the rapid pace at which our tools evolve.

To that end, great employees are lifelong learners. They always work to stay connected to the changing trends of our work, understand, and become capable of learning new tools. They are willing to let the old, comfortable, familiar way of working die and move uncomfortably into the new paradigm.

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