What did I not read in your resume about you, Employee of the Month?
February 27, 2019 11:42 AM
Please share with me the intangible qualities about yourself, people who work for you, or people who manage you, that make you/them successful in the workplace?
The more advanced the role I hire people for, the more I end up selecting candidates based on intangible qualities over their (mostly similar) paper qualifications. For example, I greatly value the ability to communicate both verbally and in writing succinctly, diplomatically, and efficiently.
What intangibles do you possess/ have seen others possess that contribute to productivity and success in the workplace?
I'd characterize success as promotions within the company at reasonable intervals, consistently good performance reviews, and general acknowledgment in the workplace that an individual is great to work with. General characteristics are great, but also specific examples/ experiences, such as "X individual impressed me with her honesty about needing training for a process she didn't have previous experience with", are welcomed, as I've recently started mentoring college graduates who do well with concrete examples.
The more advanced the role I hire people for, the more I end up selecting candidates based on intangible qualities over their (mostly similar) paper qualifications. For example, I greatly value the ability to communicate both verbally and in writing succinctly, diplomatically, and efficiently.
What intangibles do you possess/ have seen others possess that contribute to productivity and success in the workplace?
I'd characterize success as promotions within the company at reasonable intervals, consistently good performance reviews, and general acknowledgment in the workplace that an individual is great to work with. General characteristics are great, but also specific examples/ experiences, such as "X individual impressed me with her honesty about needing training for a process she didn't have previous experience with", are welcomed, as I've recently started mentoring college graduates who do well with concrete examples.
I care
posted by jclovebrew at 11:47 AM on February 27, 2019
posted by jclovebrew at 11:47 AM on February 27, 2019
I work in public policy, and a quality I value in myself and in candidates when I've been on hiring committees is a form of intellectual curiosity. In particular, I mean a general willingness to find most things interesting. There are always sexy files that are getting a lot of attention and less sexy files that are still very important, and it's helpful if colleagues are able to be reasonably enthusiastic about both types of files, because they both have to be worked on. Someone who isn't willing to take a file seriously because it bores them is a drag on both work quality and general team morale vs. someone who is able to take away the more boring file and still do solid research and effective policy design.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:52 AM on February 27, 2019
posted by jacquilynne at 11:52 AM on February 27, 2019
I'm very good at "working a problem" and determining, within whatever constraints are placed on the problem, whether it's a good idea to continue trying to troubleshoot/solve it or whether it's time to move on to acceptance of whatever the problem is. Many people get bogged down in either trying to accomplish a quick fix that causes longer term issues or just can't leave something alone when it's not fixed. I am very good at determining "good enough" for whatever the context is that I am in. I think ability to troubleshoot generally (regardless of whether the thing is technology, an interpersonal interaction, or their own schedule) is a very useful workplace attribute.
posted by jessamyn at 11:55 AM on February 27, 2019
posted by jessamyn at 11:55 AM on February 27, 2019
My favorite manager of all time was someone who always acted genuinely happy to talk to his reports. I specifically remember that he made a point of saying "good morning" to every single person the first time he saw us that day (and not just his reports - everyone in the building). He really helped to make the workplace a pleasant place to be.
This also reminds me of a much-loved coworker who unfortunately died young. At a memorial sort of meeting after her death, one person pointed out that this woman never complained about it when someone gave her work to do. That was something I realized that I did - usually in a joking tone - but it was nonetheless complaining. I vowed that I would never do it again.
So I think a general cheerfulness is an intangible quality that makes people more successful.
posted by FencingGal at 11:57 AM on February 27, 2019
This also reminds me of a much-loved coworker who unfortunately died young. At a memorial sort of meeting after her death, one person pointed out that this woman never complained about it when someone gave her work to do. That was something I realized that I did - usually in a joking tone - but it was nonetheless complaining. I vowed that I would never do it again.
So I think a general cheerfulness is an intangible quality that makes people more successful.
posted by FencingGal at 11:57 AM on February 27, 2019
Flexibility and adaptability to change. In the three years I've worked for my boss, the CEO of a global company, we have been almost sold to private equity, then almost sold to a competitor, then almost sold to different private equity, then potentially pursuing an IPO, and then finally, at last, sold for real, to a competitor. His ability to turn on a dime as circumstances have changed, to instantly change direction and be positive about the opportunities available in each situation - it has truly been something to behold, and makes me realize how he got where he is today. Even people at the very top are beholden to someone else making the rules, and ability to adapt to those rules, be positive about how you can get things accomplished in a new scenario - it's a valuable trait, and one not many people truly have.
posted by something something at 12:05 PM on February 27, 2019
posted by something something at 12:05 PM on February 27, 2019
Ability to work through/around/in spite of some major workplace dysfunction. Unless the challenges can be described neutral-to-positively, it's hard to write anecdotes that showcase this on a resume without focusing on the negative, so most people just don't.
posted by deludingmyself at 12:10 PM on February 27, 2019
posted by deludingmyself at 12:10 PM on February 27, 2019
I'd amplify on curiosity a little further. Obviously your off-hours are your off-hours, but constant mental engagement with the problems in front of you, and a desire to figure out better ways to solve them, and concern to anticipate what might be coming in the future or from a different direction...I think that's why they put up with me.
posted by praemunire at 12:21 PM on February 27, 2019
posted by praemunire at 12:21 PM on February 27, 2019
The ability to bring a project to completion. It's one thing to be able to start something, to check out various ideas. It's another to thing to focus on a result and do the grunt work to create a finished project.
posted by SemiSalt at 12:22 PM on February 27, 2019
posted by SemiSalt at 12:22 PM on February 27, 2019
In a manager, a sense of comraderie balanced with strong boundaries and high standards. They'll tell anyone on the team up front if somethings not up to scratch, but it'll be a good faith discussion with the benefit of the doubt.
posted by hotcoroner at 12:27 PM on February 27, 2019
posted by hotcoroner at 12:27 PM on February 27, 2019
I always say that I have only one true talent: dealing effectively with difficult people. There was one high-ranking person here who would actually make people cry when they worked with him, so they finally gave up assigning him anyone other than me. He and I got along fine. Sometimes I wonder what the hell that says about me, but I've been here 13 years now, not in the same position I started in, so. (Dude who made people cry left in 2012.)
posted by holborne at 12:32 PM on February 27, 2019
posted by holborne at 12:32 PM on February 27, 2019
The ability to see how the work I'm doing now connects with the broader goals of the project, and ensure that my work always moves towards those broader goals, even if it means adjusting the parameters of my current work in ways that neither I nor my managers anticipated ahead of time.
posted by firechicago at 12:32 PM on February 27, 2019
posted by firechicago at 12:32 PM on February 27, 2019
I can't handle boredom. So if all of my work is, "done" or at least caught up, I create new things to do.
My boss once told a room full of people that, "ITravelMontana is an example of how for some employees the best thing to do is just give them a mission and stay out of their way."
posted by ITravelMontana at 12:36 PM on February 27, 2019
My boss once told a room full of people that, "ITravelMontana is an example of how for some employees the best thing to do is just give them a mission and stay out of their way."
posted by ITravelMontana at 12:36 PM on February 27, 2019
I procrastinate like crazy. But I am very good at knowing exactly how long a task will take me and I never fail to crank the work out under deadline pressure.
If you give me something that will take me two days to do with a one month deadline, I am very unlikely to really start working on it until day 29. But I will never show up on day 30 apologizing that it's not complete.
posted by 256 at 12:37 PM on February 27, 2019
If you give me something that will take me two days to do with a one month deadline, I am very unlikely to really start working on it until day 29. But I will never show up on day 30 apologizing that it's not complete.
posted by 256 at 12:37 PM on February 27, 2019
The company I work for has a hiring rubric of curiosity, intelligence, enthusiasm, likability, service orientation, humbleness, and grit. The people I work with now are the best colleagues I've ever had in my professional career, so it must count for something.
posted by merriment at 12:38 PM on February 27, 2019
posted by merriment at 12:38 PM on February 27, 2019
Absolutely being able to specialize in a specific area but realizing and grasping the concept of how my part coincides with the bigger, overall picture.
The ability to have an objective opinion and seeing "both sides to the story" is a huge attribute because it allows me to make decisive decisions, even if in the end it causes more headache or work for myself. It is is what is best for the company/goals/patients/whatever the position, than I need to be able to do that to meet goals in not only a timely manner, but also an effective one.
Having compassion. Not just for myself, but for my coworkers and supervisors. It's not really something you can write in a resume but having experience with hard days, tough issues both professionally and personally, makes for a better employee overall.
posted by Sara_NOT_Sarah at 12:40 PM on February 27, 2019
The ability to have an objective opinion and seeing "both sides to the story" is a huge attribute because it allows me to make decisive decisions, even if in the end it causes more headache or work for myself. It is is what is best for the company/goals/patients/whatever the position, than I need to be able to do that to meet goals in not only a timely manner, but also an effective one.
Having compassion. Not just for myself, but for my coworkers and supervisors. It's not really something you can write in a resume but having experience with hard days, tough issues both professionally and personally, makes for a better employee overall.
posted by Sara_NOT_Sarah at 12:40 PM on February 27, 2019
Staying centered and calm during crises (real and imagined) especially when the bosses are frantic. Works well in consulting for the client to see you calm and not panic, and helps build trust and confidence. Provided you deliver the results of course.
posted by viramamunivar at 12:41 PM on February 27, 2019
posted by viramamunivar at 12:41 PM on February 27, 2019
I do a pretty good job of bringing out the best in other people on the team and in the company. I do a lot of mentoring; I'm always learning and try to encourage others to do so as well.
I'm a fairly privileged white male and try to have an awareness of that and do what I can to support diversity and call others out when they use their privilege to step on others.
I have done almost every part of IT at some point or other and that big picture view is hard to find.
I'm not afraid to admit that I don't know something but know how to research solutions rapidly and effectively.
posted by Candleman at 12:49 PM on February 27, 2019
I'm a fairly privileged white male and try to have an awareness of that and do what I can to support diversity and call others out when they use their privilege to step on others.
I have done almost every part of IT at some point or other and that big picture view is hard to find.
I'm not afraid to admit that I don't know something but know how to research solutions rapidly and effectively.
posted by Candleman at 12:49 PM on February 27, 2019
Responding well to negative/constructive feedback. Not getting defensive, but also not shutting down and becoming despondent. The best go into troubleshoot mode and figure out concrete steps to fix/avoid the problem.
posted by capricorn at 12:58 PM on February 27, 2019
posted by capricorn at 12:58 PM on February 27, 2019
Ability to give actionable constructive criticism
Willingness and ability to go to bat for other people even when it may harm yourself without expecting a cookie for it
Curiosity but not nosiness
posted by bilabial at 1:41 PM on February 27, 2019
Willingness and ability to go to bat for other people even when it may harm yourself without expecting a cookie for it
Curiosity but not nosiness
posted by bilabial at 1:41 PM on February 27, 2019
Calm in a crisis is a big one that I and a lot of my colleagues show. It really starts with don't panic.
I'm good at turning colleagues into allies. It's difficult to explain how I do this, but it's a combination of listening and understanding what's important to them, doing favours and being available to help, but also standing my ground and explaining why what I want is the right thing to do. It's about long-term rather than short-term.
One of my colleagues is relentlessly ambitious for the work that we do. He's also good at managing CEO and Board level people.
I have a colleague that is fantastic at receiving feedback, and always genuinely wants to understand how to make her work better.
Another colleague is always learning. Like always. And she shares the new ideas, technologies and concepts that she's learnt about and thinks of ways to use them to make our work better. As a result so do lots of the rest of us.
I have several colleagues that will happily explain any technical concept they understand to me until I get it. They use straightforward language and do not get exasperated.
posted by plonkee at 1:49 PM on February 27, 2019
I'm good at turning colleagues into allies. It's difficult to explain how I do this, but it's a combination of listening and understanding what's important to them, doing favours and being available to help, but also standing my ground and explaining why what I want is the right thing to do. It's about long-term rather than short-term.
One of my colleagues is relentlessly ambitious for the work that we do. He's also good at managing CEO and Board level people.
I have a colleague that is fantastic at receiving feedback, and always genuinely wants to understand how to make her work better.
Another colleague is always learning. Like always. And she shares the new ideas, technologies and concepts that she's learnt about and thinks of ways to use them to make our work better. As a result so do lots of the rest of us.
I have several colleagues that will happily explain any technical concept they understand to me until I get it. They use straightforward language and do not get exasperated.
posted by plonkee at 1:49 PM on February 27, 2019
After my wife left and my life was left in tatters, I was (understandably) depressed.
One day, about 18 months later, I made a joke about something and my boss immediately commented on it. She said she was happy to see my being playful again and another co-worker had just told her a day before "It's good to have Tacodave back to his old self."
On the one hand, I knew that my upbeat attitude was good for the workplace. But it was surprising to hear that others had missed it while I was in a long funk. Just having a positive attitude is an asset my manager has praised me for over the years, and I think it is an intangible net benefit to everyone I come into contact with.
Also, whenever someone needs help with something, even if it has nothing to do with my job description, I volunteer. It hasn't hurt me yet, and has resulted in a lot of comments from co-workers who had previously felt "stuck" doing X, but now didn't have to do it anymore because I was willing to (think: serving on committees, helping other departments in a crunch, etc.).
posted by tacodave at 2:36 PM on February 27, 2019
One day, about 18 months later, I made a joke about something and my boss immediately commented on it. She said she was happy to see my being playful again and another co-worker had just told her a day before "It's good to have Tacodave back to his old self."
On the one hand, I knew that my upbeat attitude was good for the workplace. But it was surprising to hear that others had missed it while I was in a long funk. Just having a positive attitude is an asset my manager has praised me for over the years, and I think it is an intangible net benefit to everyone I come into contact with.
Also, whenever someone needs help with something, even if it has nothing to do with my job description, I volunteer. It hasn't hurt me yet, and has resulted in a lot of comments from co-workers who had previously felt "stuck" doing X, but now didn't have to do it anymore because I was willing to (think: serving on committees, helping other departments in a crunch, etc.).
posted by tacodave at 2:36 PM on February 27, 2019
Self Starting. Omg please. You know it needs to be done, you have time, you know how. Just do it. Don’t make me tell you everything.
Honesty. Are you going to be late on the project. Are you stuck? Just tell me please
Don’t be a one trick pony. Yes you may make great teacups but if we don’t need any teacups this week, it would really helpful if you can help the saucer group.
I hate hate micromanaging..please don’t make me. I will eventually get tired of it and you.
posted by ReiFlinx at 3:14 PM on February 27, 2019
Honesty. Are you going to be late on the project. Are you stuck? Just tell me please
Don’t be a one trick pony. Yes you may make great teacups but if we don’t need any teacups this week, it would really helpful if you can help the saucer group.
I hate hate micromanaging..please don’t make me. I will eventually get tired of it and you.
posted by ReiFlinx at 3:14 PM on February 27, 2019
Salesmanship. When you need it, NOTHING takes its place. (And you need it all the time, not just in actual sales roles, but in a million different internal and external contexts.)
Thick skin. People whose feelings are easily hurt are impossible to manage or collaborate with well.
For the Type A people, true, unstinting around the clock ownership.
And the flip side of that coin, for the people for whom weekends and evenings are sacred, a TRUE COMMITMENT to working and adding value in their 9 to 5. (These folks will never get to a Type A level of value, but they can get remarkably close.)
posted by MattD at 3:42 PM on February 27, 2019
Thick skin. People whose feelings are easily hurt are impossible to manage or collaborate with well.
For the Type A people, true, unstinting around the clock ownership.
And the flip side of that coin, for the people for whom weekends and evenings are sacred, a TRUE COMMITMENT to working and adding value in their 9 to 5. (These folks will never get to a Type A level of value, but they can get remarkably close.)
posted by MattD at 3:42 PM on February 27, 2019
As a manager: appreciation of the good qualities of everyone on the team.
As a coworker: appreciation of the good qualities of everyone on the team.
As a person on a task: willingness/eagerness to go deep into the troubleshooting rabbit hole (aw yeah give me a good rabbit hole any time), openness to new information from multiple sources, flexibility to accept re-prioritization.
posted by inexorably_forward at 3:46 PM on February 27, 2019
As a coworker: appreciation of the good qualities of everyone on the team.
As a person on a task: willingness/eagerness to go deep into the troubleshooting rabbit hole (aw yeah give me a good rabbit hole any time), openness to new information from multiple sources, flexibility to accept re-prioritization.
posted by inexorably_forward at 3:46 PM on February 27, 2019
My team right now is overall super great.
I'd say the most prized trait is self-starting. Our work encompasses a trillion only-superficially-related things, and those things are changing all the time. We all need to stay on top of our professional development without being prompted. There's too much to keep track of what each team member needs to learn. Assess your own knowledge and go out and learn you the thing. And look around at the department and if you see a place where our process can be improved? Mock something up, make a prototype, give a proposal, don't wait for someone else to do it.
The other biggies are communication and collaboration. As a multi-department unit we've undergone positive culture change over the past couple years due to new people coming in who truly have a spirit of collaboration. It used to be that each department kind of jealously guarded it's own fiefdom, no one talked to anyone, and some departments got treated like "the help" rather than a co-equal groups with expertise and important contributions to make. But we've got some rock stars in leadership positions now who are constantly looking for opportunities to collaborate more and who respect the important contributions made by each department. It's been a huge improvement.
Communication is something I feel I suck at but my boss is excellent at it (he is one of the aforementioned rock stars). Knowing what you can (and can't) say to each individual person to put them at ease, deliver them the information they need to know without getting into realms of oh-shit-i-shouldn't-have-said-that in order to get the best possible outcome is something that seems like wizardry to me, but damn some people are good at it. I have a hard time sustaining tiptop professional communication before the socially awkward dork that I actually am comes screaming out (usually bringing something I was told explicitly not to talk about with it).
I've done pretty well in my organization for the past couple years I think primarily due to a spirit of innovation. I like to try new stuff and I like to teach others about it and try to get them to give it a whirl. It doesn't always work, but I go in to it with a spirit of curiosity. My unit's leadership understands that failure is part of the learning process, so I feel really lucky that I'm in a place that values this thing I have to offer. (Because seriously I suck at communication, I'm glad they feel my other qualities make up for that.)
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:33 PM on February 27, 2019
I'd say the most prized trait is self-starting. Our work encompasses a trillion only-superficially-related things, and those things are changing all the time. We all need to stay on top of our professional development without being prompted. There's too much to keep track of what each team member needs to learn. Assess your own knowledge and go out and learn you the thing. And look around at the department and if you see a place where our process can be improved? Mock something up, make a prototype, give a proposal, don't wait for someone else to do it.
The other biggies are communication and collaboration. As a multi-department unit we've undergone positive culture change over the past couple years due to new people coming in who truly have a spirit of collaboration. It used to be that each department kind of jealously guarded it's own fiefdom, no one talked to anyone, and some departments got treated like "the help" rather than a co-equal groups with expertise and important contributions to make. But we've got some rock stars in leadership positions now who are constantly looking for opportunities to collaborate more and who respect the important contributions made by each department. It's been a huge improvement.
Communication is something I feel I suck at but my boss is excellent at it (he is one of the aforementioned rock stars). Knowing what you can (and can't) say to each individual person to put them at ease, deliver them the information they need to know without getting into realms of oh-shit-i-shouldn't-have-said-that in order to get the best possible outcome is something that seems like wizardry to me, but damn some people are good at it. I have a hard time sustaining tiptop professional communication before the socially awkward dork that I actually am comes screaming out (usually bringing something I was told explicitly not to talk about with it).
I've done pretty well in my organization for the past couple years I think primarily due to a spirit of innovation. I like to try new stuff and I like to teach others about it and try to get them to give it a whirl. It doesn't always work, but I go in to it with a spirit of curiosity. My unit's leadership understands that failure is part of the learning process, so I feel really lucky that I'm in a place that values this thing I have to offer. (Because seriously I suck at communication, I'm glad they feel my other qualities make up for that.)
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:33 PM on February 27, 2019
For managers who are not experts in the work their people are doing: actively seeking their input and being able to synthesize the ground-level view in the field with the overall management view, so that decisions are made based on an integrated understanding of what's needed at all levels, and everyone feels their voices are heard.
posted by huimangm at 8:36 PM on February 27, 2019
posted by huimangm at 8:36 PM on February 27, 2019
I'm not in a position to hire, but one thing I didn't see when skimming that I really value in a colleague is the ability or desire to write stuff down. I have some coworkers who do amazing work but never document their processes, and others who do perfectly acceptable work but stellar documentation. I would be lost without the people who document. Those people make everyone else's jobs easier because the documentation is available when the human being isn't. So a willingness to share information is maybe hard to search for in an employee but it is extremely valuable to me.
posted by possibilityleft at 8:44 PM on February 27, 2019
posted by possibilityleft at 8:44 PM on February 27, 2019
(Software) patent attorney.
I consider systems thinking to be the #1 difference between someone who is good at the job and someone who isn't. Huge topic, so I'll just leave that link instead of elaborating.
Time management skills, in a hundred different ways. This is not so much "are you a talented patent attorney" - it's orthogonal, more or less - but if you don't have this nailed down, or are at least willing to work ruthlessly on it, you won't stay a patent attorney for very long, I imagine.
("I procrastinate, but at the end of the day, I get the work done before the deadline" probably won't cut it. You realistically don't have an hour to spare for procrastination. There are plenty of patent lawyers with ADHD, but every single one of them has developed extensive strategies, with or without medication, to mitigate it.)
Willingness to research, but also knowing when to spend time on researching a subject vs. when to research for a minute and then move on (this fits into time management - you have an infinite amount of things to get familiar with, because the job requires a huge amount of knowledge. Any given topic can lead down endless black holes of research - all fascinating stuff, surely. Do you know what to prioritize?)
Asking questions all the time, every day - stupid questions, questions "you should know the answers to already" but don't. There's no way you'll be an expert in everything you're expected to be an expert in. Lose the ego and ask away, or else your coworkers / partners / bosses / clients are going to have to muddle through your completely confused work product and they won't be thrilled.
Genuine nerdish interest helps, and I don't mean "finds law interesting" or "finds tech interesting", but fascination with the minutiae of where patent law has been and where it's going (and having ideas/opinions on where it needs to go), how subtle language and word usage can have huge impact on outcomes, the ramifications of recent rulings, how patent examiner incentives play to and against your favor, strategic stuff at all levels, etc. Read the latest patent law blogs/news daily because you want to.
A social conscience; an ethical compass; lack of competitive striving. There are enough ruthless assholes and toxic characters in the profession, and I don't care to work with them. Ideally, you might even have some ideas about how to change patent law for the better as you grow your career and end up making an impact. At the same time, realism that this isn't an altruistic profession in most private practice situations - you don't have to agree with the client's philosophy or anything, but if your heart isn't in zealously advocating for the client's interests, you should probably do something else.
posted by naju at 8:49 PM on February 27, 2019
I consider systems thinking to be the #1 difference between someone who is good at the job and someone who isn't. Huge topic, so I'll just leave that link instead of elaborating.
Time management skills, in a hundred different ways. This is not so much "are you a talented patent attorney" - it's orthogonal, more or less - but if you don't have this nailed down, or are at least willing to work ruthlessly on it, you won't stay a patent attorney for very long, I imagine.
("I procrastinate, but at the end of the day, I get the work done before the deadline" probably won't cut it. You realistically don't have an hour to spare for procrastination. There are plenty of patent lawyers with ADHD, but every single one of them has developed extensive strategies, with or without medication, to mitigate it.)
Willingness to research, but also knowing when to spend time on researching a subject vs. when to research for a minute and then move on (this fits into time management - you have an infinite amount of things to get familiar with, because the job requires a huge amount of knowledge. Any given topic can lead down endless black holes of research - all fascinating stuff, surely. Do you know what to prioritize?)
Asking questions all the time, every day - stupid questions, questions "you should know the answers to already" but don't. There's no way you'll be an expert in everything you're expected to be an expert in. Lose the ego and ask away, or else your coworkers / partners / bosses / clients are going to have to muddle through your completely confused work product and they won't be thrilled.
Genuine nerdish interest helps, and I don't mean "finds law interesting" or "finds tech interesting", but fascination with the minutiae of where patent law has been and where it's going (and having ideas/opinions on where it needs to go), how subtle language and word usage can have huge impact on outcomes, the ramifications of recent rulings, how patent examiner incentives play to and against your favor, strategic stuff at all levels, etc. Read the latest patent law blogs/news daily because you want to.
A social conscience; an ethical compass; lack of competitive striving. There are enough ruthless assholes and toxic characters in the profession, and I don't care to work with them. Ideally, you might even have some ideas about how to change patent law for the better as you grow your career and end up making an impact. At the same time, realism that this isn't an altruistic profession in most private practice situations - you don't have to agree with the client's philosophy or anything, but if your heart isn't in zealously advocating for the client's interests, you should probably do something else.
posted by naju at 8:49 PM on February 27, 2019
On another note, since this is about intangibles, I'll tell you one thing I don't care for as a criteria - 'personality fit', as most companies use the term. It's often a proxy for hiring people that look, talk, and act like the person doing the hiring. It's often sexist, racist, and/or classist as applied, and it's worth working hard to avoid unconscious biases that play into that.
posted by naju at 8:59 PM on February 27, 2019
posted by naju at 8:59 PM on February 27, 2019
When I stopped working full-time at one of my last jobs, one of the nurses’ aides I worked with told me she’d miss me because I would always advocate to the supervisors for having enough aides on the floor to do their jobs safely. It’s still one of my favorite things a coworker has told me.
In a non-healthcare context, what this translates to is; do eveverythig in your power to make life easier for the workers around you doing the low paid scut work. Get to know them as people and not faceless cogs. Fight like hell for them if their conditions are unsafe or their needs aren’t being met. Bring a sense of solidarity, and this goes ten million times more for people in management roles.
posted by ActionPopulated at 9:01 PM on February 27, 2019
In a non-healthcare context, what this translates to is; do eveverythig in your power to make life easier for the workers around you doing the low paid scut work. Get to know them as people and not faceless cogs. Fight like hell for them if their conditions are unsafe or their needs aren’t being met. Bring a sense of solidarity, and this goes ten million times more for people in management roles.
posted by ActionPopulated at 9:01 PM on February 27, 2019
My #1 is the ability to troubleshoot and overcome obstacles when things don't go to plan. A lot of this is attitude rather than experience based. I work in global health, and major things go wrong all the time- it is important to be able to handle this both emotionally and practically. I would say that perseverance, flexibility, and a positive attitude are key ingredients to troubleshooting ability.
Other intangibles I would rate highly are kindness and consideration for others, particularly those who sit lower on the workplace hierarchy. You don't need to be particularly chatty or outgoing to manifest this- it's more about a general warmth and interest in the well-being of others.
And lastly- self-confidence. Confidence in yourself, your skills, and your inherent ability to do the job. Confident people get things done and aren't afraid to ask for help when needed. A lot of people struggle with confidence and I don't think it's a requirement to be a good employee, but it's something worth fostering.
Someone from my workplace who was one of my favorite-ever colleagues had a wonderful combination of competence, warmth, and self-confidence. She reminded me of the CJ Cregg character from West Wing.
posted by emd3737 at 10:06 PM on February 27, 2019
Other intangibles I would rate highly are kindness and consideration for others, particularly those who sit lower on the workplace hierarchy. You don't need to be particularly chatty or outgoing to manifest this- it's more about a general warmth and interest in the well-being of others.
And lastly- self-confidence. Confidence in yourself, your skills, and your inherent ability to do the job. Confident people get things done and aren't afraid to ask for help when needed. A lot of people struggle with confidence and I don't think it's a requirement to be a good employee, but it's something worth fostering.
Someone from my workplace who was one of my favorite-ever colleagues had a wonderful combination of competence, warmth, and self-confidence. She reminded me of the CJ Cregg character from West Wing.
posted by emd3737 at 10:06 PM on February 27, 2019
It's been made clear to me from my higher ups that my professional reputation and network are valued assets that have helped me get hired and fast tracked. "Can do the work exceptionally" (where "the work" is everything from technical expert to team lead) is almost taken for granted. You're right that the intangibles matter.
posted by tamarack at 6:16 AM on February 28, 2019
posted by tamarack at 6:16 AM on February 28, 2019
Honesty, as much as is possible, including the willingness to say, "I don't know; I'll need to get back to you," or "I don't understand; can you explain more?" Something I very much appreciated from a former manager and something I've incorporated myself as a new manager is the honesty to say, "I don't know why we need to do this process this way, but this is what we're being asked to do, so let's do it that way," when that's the case, rather than trying to be super-BS-y about pretending it makes sense (but also not being super negative about it or at all complainy about it).
(I had an Italian language teacher who one day got super fed-up with our whining about how some Italian grammar or pronunciation rule didn't make logical sense, and she marched over the chalkboard and wrote "ENOUGH" in huge letters. I thought she was just trying to get us to be quiet, but she said, "All around the world, people are learning English, and they see this word and learn how to pronounce it, and they give up thinking English makes any sense. Don't try to convince me that the language you speak is always logical." It was just kind of a lightbulb moment for me in realizing that it's reasonable sometimes to just say, "Eh, this is just how we do it, it doesn't make sense, but it also doesn't make sense to get all het up about every single instance of it." It's kind of a pick-your-battles thing.)
I have a brand-new employee, who was hired/promoted before I was but started after, and what is making me happy is her enthusiasm, her curiosity, her desire to improve processes and her willingness to dive in and do the work on that rather than just telling people what to do, her self-directed motivation, and her willingness to be in over her head right now. Also she just has a really good attitude, laughs a lot, and is making personal connections with people quickly (which is important in our role, which mainly requires getting other people over whom we have no authority on board with doing things the way we want them to do them).
Also just authenticity. People who are just being their imperfect unique (work-appropriate) selves, rather than wearing some weird insecure mask of authority. I work with therapists and I have some co-workers who get annoyingly "therapisty" and remote when they're giving presentations or facilitating meetings and they make me want to gnaw my arm off. (I also find therapists who are too therapisty annoying when they're providing therapy, so that one may just be a me-thing.)
posted by lazuli at 6:32 AM on February 28, 2019
(I had an Italian language teacher who one day got super fed-up with our whining about how some Italian grammar or pronunciation rule didn't make logical sense, and she marched over the chalkboard and wrote "ENOUGH" in huge letters. I thought she was just trying to get us to be quiet, but she said, "All around the world, people are learning English, and they see this word and learn how to pronounce it, and they give up thinking English makes any sense. Don't try to convince me that the language you speak is always logical." It was just kind of a lightbulb moment for me in realizing that it's reasonable sometimes to just say, "Eh, this is just how we do it, it doesn't make sense, but it also doesn't make sense to get all het up about every single instance of it." It's kind of a pick-your-battles thing.)
I have a brand-new employee, who was hired/promoted before I was but started after, and what is making me happy is her enthusiasm, her curiosity, her desire to improve processes and her willingness to dive in and do the work on that rather than just telling people what to do, her self-directed motivation, and her willingness to be in over her head right now. Also she just has a really good attitude, laughs a lot, and is making personal connections with people quickly (which is important in our role, which mainly requires getting other people over whom we have no authority on board with doing things the way we want them to do them).
Also just authenticity. People who are just being their imperfect unique (work-appropriate) selves, rather than wearing some weird insecure mask of authority. I work with therapists and I have some co-workers who get annoyingly "therapisty" and remote when they're giving presentations or facilitating meetings and they make me want to gnaw my arm off. (I also find therapists who are too therapisty annoying when they're providing therapy, so that one may just be a me-thing.)
posted by lazuli at 6:32 AM on February 28, 2019
Admitting when you are wrong and not assuming your idea is always the best idea
Asking questions when you don't understand something
This one is harder to pull off, but nice when done correctly: Always provide an area of improvement even when giving an outstanding review. No one is perfect and it can be helpful to know where you are the weakest so you can work on that. Nitpicking is demoralizing, so this should not be anything trivial.
posted by soelo at 9:16 AM on February 28, 2019
Asking questions when you don't understand something
This one is harder to pull off, but nice when done correctly: Always provide an area of improvement even when giving an outstanding review. No one is perfect and it can be helpful to know where you are the weakest so you can work on that. Nitpicking is demoralizing, so this should not be anything trivial.
posted by soelo at 9:16 AM on February 28, 2019
-initiative
-systems thinking
-persistence
-flexibility
-curiosity
-honesty and self-awareness.
Feedback that I have gotten in the course of getting high reviews: "when something derails a project, you are able to quickly move on from the natural annoyance of that happening to planning how to pivot to meet the new objectives or face the new circumstances. You always have a plan, but you don't get so wedded to it you can't find another way to meet the objective when things change." and "If you say you have something, I know I don't have to worry about it again until you bring it back to me."
posted by oblique red at 10:13 AM on February 28, 2019
-systems thinking
-persistence
-flexibility
-curiosity
-honesty and self-awareness.
Feedback that I have gotten in the course of getting high reviews: "when something derails a project, you are able to quickly move on from the natural annoyance of that happening to planning how to pivot to meet the new objectives or face the new circumstances. You always have a plan, but you don't get so wedded to it you can't find another way to meet the objective when things change." and "If you say you have something, I know I don't have to worry about it again until you bring it back to me."
posted by oblique red at 10:13 AM on February 28, 2019
Some great examples here. A few things that stick out for me:
One place I worked hired a former sportsman who was nationally known, had represented the country in our biggest sport - not a superstar, but a star. We chatted when he was being introduced round the office, and he finished by shaking my hand and saying 'well [PF,] I'm glad to see we've got some good people here' - all about making me feel at easy, and building me up rather than himself.
Integrity: I worked somewhere where something went badly wrong. Everyone in the line of command took responsibility, even though it wasn't anything they'd done. They all offered to resign. One of them started crying when he was briefing us about it. I have such massive respect for all of them as a result - it made me feel like I'd do anything for them as individuals or an organisation.
posted by Pink Frost at 11:22 AM on February 28, 2019
One place I worked hired a former sportsman who was nationally known, had represented the country in our biggest sport - not a superstar, but a star. We chatted when he was being introduced round the office, and he finished by shaking my hand and saying 'well [PF,] I'm glad to see we've got some good people here' - all about making me feel at easy, and building me up rather than himself.
Integrity: I worked somewhere where something went badly wrong. Everyone in the line of command took responsibility, even though it wasn't anything they'd done. They all offered to resign. One of them started crying when he was briefing us about it. I have such massive respect for all of them as a result - it made me feel like I'd do anything for them as individuals or an organisation.
posted by Pink Frost at 11:22 AM on February 28, 2019
Something that helps me perform well is understanding bureaucracy / context. Like, I once had to diplomatically explain to my boss that her reporting structure was weird because her boss was being fired. Knowing why weird / inefficient things around the workplace are the way they are and who's going to be upset if you try to change them.
I, thinking about my skills, class this under project management - understanding potential barriers and things that may take more resources than expected. You can probably detect it with behavioral interviewing-type questions. "Understanding institutional history" is also a tactful way of putting it.
posted by momus_window at 12:53 PM on February 28, 2019
I, thinking about my skills, class this under project management - understanding potential barriers and things that may take more resources than expected. You can probably detect it with behavioral interviewing-type questions. "Understanding institutional history" is also a tactful way of putting it.
posted by momus_window at 12:53 PM on February 28, 2019
I thought of more!
Me versus my immediate boss/colleague: I'm good at multitasking, or maybe multi-sequential-tasking, keeping track of a lot of disparate orders and getting everything handled by the deadline; this means that I know what I need to do to keep track of information and have a system that works for me to get it done. My boss is good at resolving conflicts with other departments; I tend to lose my temper and look for brute-force solutions, he takes it slow and easy and manages to work out a solution that will make everyone happy. Patience and a long view combined with persistence, I guess.
posted by huimangm at 3:39 PM on February 28, 2019
Me versus my immediate boss/colleague: I'm good at multitasking, or maybe multi-sequential-tasking, keeping track of a lot of disparate orders and getting everything handled by the deadline; this means that I know what I need to do to keep track of information and have a system that works for me to get it done. My boss is good at resolving conflicts with other departments; I tend to lose my temper and look for brute-force solutions, he takes it slow and easy and manages to work out a solution that will make everyone happy. Patience and a long view combined with persistence, I guess.
posted by huimangm at 3:39 PM on February 28, 2019
My superpower is being able to find and connect people to the right resources & people for their project. "You and you should talk!" Or "I found this grant opportunity and thought of you". (And then they get rich and/or famous but I still struggle, bah.) It's a form of networking, though it's more useful for other people.
I can also communicate between cultures - not just in the literal sense (having lived in different countries) but also communicating between stakeholders with often very different priorities and perspectives. People often aren't actually disagreeing that much with each other, they just need to be a bit more on the same page.
One thing I really value is the ability to keep the larger vision and aim in mind when figuring out what to do. Sometimes it's easy to get derailed by OOH SHINY and sometimes people don't like it when you try to rein them in! But overall keeping that focus is good for a project, especially when you need to re-examine what that purpose is (there's usually a bigger purpose that may or may not be served - keep asking why).
posted by divabat at 4:39 PM on February 28, 2019
I can also communicate between cultures - not just in the literal sense (having lived in different countries) but also communicating between stakeholders with often very different priorities and perspectives. People often aren't actually disagreeing that much with each other, they just need to be a bit more on the same page.
One thing I really value is the ability to keep the larger vision and aim in mind when figuring out what to do. Sometimes it's easy to get derailed by OOH SHINY and sometimes people don't like it when you try to rein them in! But overall keeping that focus is good for a project, especially when you need to re-examine what that purpose is (there's usually a bigger purpose that may or may not be served - keep asking why).
posted by divabat at 4:39 PM on February 28, 2019
- I make friends, but I keenly understand the difference between "work friends"and "friend friends." So this means I ask my coworkers about their lives, I joke around/chat with them if they're open to it, I go to happy hours or ask people to lunch, etc. But I don't get too personal - if they talk about their partner/pet/family, I'll ask, but I don't pry, and while I'll talk about my own personal life, I'm pretty vigilant about not oversharing. (Sometimes work friends do turn into "friend friends" but that takes a long time and a lot of caution) I have noticed a lot of Mefites are pretty against socializing with coworkers, but studies have found that people who make friends at work do better, and I personally find it makes my work life a lot more pleasant, and can make it easier to work with people.
- I get back to people when I say I'm going to, and if I miss a deadline, or think I'm going to, I let them know that, and what the new timeline is. I can't believe how many people don't do this, from new grads to senior execs.
- As a manager, I try very hard to communicate expectations and be very available to the people I manage, but also try to let them get on and do the work. In exchange, I like managing people who ask questions when they don't understand something or need another perspective, and who let me know when they're struggling with something, but can take the ball and run with it.
- I value working with people who assume good intent and are inquisitive and open-minded when there's disagreement. People are going to disagree, there will be pissing matches between departments, etc. But if people can approach these conflicts with trust and a willingness to learn/understand, those differences can lead to better work, instead of stalemates.
posted by lunasol at 4:43 PM on March 1, 2019
- I get back to people when I say I'm going to, and if I miss a deadline, or think I'm going to, I let them know that, and what the new timeline is. I can't believe how many people don't do this, from new grads to senior execs.
- As a manager, I try very hard to communicate expectations and be very available to the people I manage, but also try to let them get on and do the work. In exchange, I like managing people who ask questions when they don't understand something or need another perspective, and who let me know when they're struggling with something, but can take the ball and run with it.
- I value working with people who assume good intent and are inquisitive and open-minded when there's disagreement. People are going to disagree, there will be pissing matches between departments, etc. But if people can approach these conflicts with trust and a willingness to learn/understand, those differences can lead to better work, instead of stalemates.
posted by lunasol at 4:43 PM on March 1, 2019
I make sure to tell my boss when projects look risky ahead of starting on them, which lets me take on riskier projects without landing a figurative piano on my performance reviews.
I always take on some risky projects. I don't win as much, but when I do, it's on things others weren't gonna touch, and the wins are usually bigger than needed.
People around me get promoted at disproportional rates; I do my damndest to pull up, as that's the job.
The thing I most like to ask when I'm interviewing a candidate is "what skill have you seen in others that you'd like to build in the next year". If you ask this a few dozen times, you learn that the answers you get are enormously broad, and can often tell you a lot about the person you're talking to.
posted by talldean at 3:37 PM on March 2, 2019
I always take on some risky projects. I don't win as much, but when I do, it's on things others weren't gonna touch, and the wins are usually bigger than needed.
People around me get promoted at disproportional rates; I do my damndest to pull up, as that's the job.
The thing I most like to ask when I'm interviewing a candidate is "what skill have you seen in others that you'd like to build in the next year". If you ask this a few dozen times, you learn that the answers you get are enormously broad, and can often tell you a lot about the person you're talking to.
posted by talldean at 3:37 PM on March 2, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
Says, "I'm not sure of the answer to that but I will look into it and get back to you" and then actually does it.
posted by wellred at 11:46 AM on February 27, 2019