7 Surefire Ways to be the ONE that Employers Fight to Keep

Imagine…

You walk into work on Monday, and they announce a layoff.

Have you had this happen?

I have on numerous occasions across my career.  I worked in corporate America for 24 years and went through downsizing and layoffs every few years.

It was hard on everyone, especially during the period leaders were debating the reorganization and who they would keep and who they would let go

Are You the ONE?

Ask yourself – are you the one they will fight to keep?

• How employable are you?
• If you were the boss, would you hire yourself?
• What about the person next to you?

What do companies want?

More than 500 executives were surveyed nationally. Here’s the exact question that they asked:

”You have two employees, both technically competent, but you can keep just one of them. What abilities or behaviors do you look for to determine which one will stay and which one will go…which one would you fight to keep?”

The decision makers interviewed where in remarkable agreement about the high-performance behaviors they look for in a valuable employee.

This is a summary of the full presentation shown in the video. In this summary, I’ll cover “what” those behaviors are and in the video I provide more detail and examples. In the training course that we offer, we cover “how to” achieve these high-performance behaviors in your personal and professional life.

Positive Influence – Exhibit 7 High-Performance Behavior

To have successful outcomes on your job and be employable in the long-term will depend on your ability to exhibit seven high-performance behaviors.

The One positively influences situations, people, and outcomes using these seven high-performance behaviors.

#1 Attitude: Positively impact Your Customers, Colleagues, and Company

As the One, you:

• Create attitudes that attract people.
• Show co-workers and customers you’re excited about your job, and you care about them.
• Set a positive tone through learning more about your CliftonStrengths.

#2 Accountability: Demonstrate Value-Add

As the One, you:

• Document your results in making and saving money for the company.
• Cultivate advocates and allies in the company.
• Keep the appropriate people informed of your accomplishments.

#3 Balance: Take Charge of Your Personal Life

As the One, you:

• Are seen as emotionally stable, reliable, strong, and trustworthy.
• Understand and take responsibility for making good choices.
• Seek out those people who create a healthy environment, challenge others to improve, and help others to develop.

#4 Change: Embrace & Initiate Change

As the One, you:

• Easily accept and adapt to change with professionalism, determination, and optimism.
• Initiate change when appropriate.
• Act as a change agent for your team.

#5 Productivity: Work Smarter, Faster, Better

As the One, you:

• Know what needs to be done and do it proactively.
• Focus on work despite anything else going on in life.
• Use your time wisely, maintaining balance between work and home/leisure.
• Are generally healthy and consistently productive.

#6 Communication: Communicate Openly and Directly

As the One, you:

• Use effective communication techniques for successful communication.
• Are open, honest, and assertive with customers, colleagues, and management about their needs, feelings, preferences, and likes.
• Communicate honestly because you feel good about yourself.

#7 Leadership: Look for Effective Ways to Lead

As the One, you:

• Willingly assume a leadership role and responsibilities by modeling positive attitudes and behaviors, and teach and support others.
• Proactively solve problems and get involved to do whatever you can to help when needed, regardless of job title.
• Take charge when necessary and appropriate.
• Have a proactive attitude that adds value to interactions with customers, colleagues, and management.

Seek to have a positive influence and impact on your own life and the lives of others by adopting these high-trust, high-performance behaviors:

#1 ATTITUDE: Have Positive Impact on Everyone

#2 ACCOUNTABILITY: Demonstrate Value-Add

#3 BALANCE: Take Charge of Your Personal Life

#4 CHANGE: Embrace & Initiate Change

#5 PRODUCTIVITY: Work Smarter, Faster, Better

#6 COMMUNICATION: Communicate Openly and Directly

#7 LEADERSHIP: Look for Effective Ways to Lead

If this all seems daunting, don’t forget that operating in your strengths zone will help you naturally exhibit these characteristics because you’ll know your strengths and weaknesses, you’ll better understand how to show up as your best self, and you’ll better understand how to connect with others based on their strengths and weaknesses.

Be sure to watch this 20-minute video to hear further explanations and examples of each high-performance behaviors. 

In the training course that we offer to companies, we cover “how to” achieve these high-performance behaviors among employees in their personal and professional lives.