10 ways to spot a truly exceptional employee

10 ways to spot a truly exceptional employee10 ways to spot a truly exceptional employeeA recent international study surveyed mora than 500 business leaders and asked them what sets great employees apart. The researchers wanted to know why some people are more successful than others at work, and the answers were surprising leaders chose personality as the leading reason.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreNotably, 78% of leaders said personality sets great employees apart, more than cultural fit (53%) and even an employees skills (39%).We should take care not to make the intellect our God it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality. Albert EinsteinThe problem is, when leaders say personality they dont understand what theyre referring to. Personality consists of a stable set of preferences and tendencies through which we approach the world. Being introverted or extroverte d is an example of an important personality trait.Personality traits form at an early age and are fixed by early adulthood. Many important things about you change over the course of your lifetime, but your personality isnt one of them.Personality is distinct from intellect (or IQ). The two dont occur together in any meaningful way. Personality is also distinct from emotional intelligence (or EQ), and this is where the study, and most leaders for that matter, have misinterpreted the term.The qualities that leaders in the study called personality were actually emotional intelligence skills. And unlike your personality, which is set in stone, you can change and improve your EQ.Exceptional employees dont possess God-given personality traits they rely on simple, everyday EQ skills that anyone can incorporate into their repertoire.Leaders dont need to go searching for these skills either (though it doesnt hurt when you find them) their duty is to help everyone on their gruppe beschirrung these skills to become exceptional.Just consider some of the EQ skills that leaders and managers commonly mislabel as personality characteristics. These are the skills that set exceptional employees apart.Theyre willing to delay gratificationOne thing an exceptional employee never says is, Thats not in my job description. Exceptional employees work outside the boundaries of job descriptions. Theyre neither intimidated nor entitled instead of expecting recognition or compensation to come first, they forge ahead in their work, confident that theyll be rewarded later but unconcerned if theyre not.They can tolerate conflictWhile exceptional employees dont seek conflict, they dont run away from it either. Theyre able to maintain their composure while presenting their positions calmly and logically. Theyre able to withstand personal attacks in pursuit of the greater goal and never use that tactic themselves.They focusStudent pilots are often told, When things start going wrong, dont forge t to fly the plane. Plane crashes have resulted from pilots concentrating so hard on identifying the problem that they flew the plane into the ground. Eastern Airlines Flight 401 is just one example The flight crew welches so concerned about the landing gear being down that they didnt realize they were losing altitude until it was too late, despite alarms going off in the cockpit. Exceptional employees understand the principle of Just fly the plane. They dont get distracted by cranky customers, interoffice squabbles, or switch to a different brand of coffee. They can differentiate between real problems and background noise therefore, they stay focused on what matters.Theyre judiciously courageousExceptional employees are willing to speak up when others are not, whether its to ask a difficult (or embarrassingly simple) question or to challenge an executive decision. However, thats balanced with common sense and timing. They think before they speak and wisely choose the best time and place to do so.Theyre in control of their egosExceptional employees have egos. While thats part of what drives them, they never give their egos more weight than what is deserved. Theyre willing to admit when theyre wrong and willing to do things someone elses way, whether its because the other way is better or its important to maintain team harmony.Theyre never satisfiedExceptional employees have unparalleled convictions that things can always be better- and theyre right. No one is ever done growing, and there is no such thing as good enough when it comes to personal improvement. No matter how well things are going, exceptional employees are driven to improve, without forgetting to give themselves a healthy pat on the back.They recognize when things are broken and fix themWhether its a sticky desk drawer or an inefficient, wasteful process affecting the cash flow of the entire department, exceptional employees dont walk past problems. Oh, its been that way forever, simply isnt in th eir vocabulary. They see problems as issues to be fixed immediately itsthatsimple.Theyre accountableIf youre a manager trying to decipher a bungled report, Its not my fault is the most irritating phrase in the English language. Exceptional employees are accountable. They own their work, their decisions, and all of their results- good or bad. They bring their mistakes to managements attention rather than hoping no one will find out. They understand that managers arent out to assign blame theyre out to get things done.Theyre marketableMarketable can mean many things. Inside the organization, it means likeable. Exceptional employees are well liked by co-workers. They have integrity and leadership skills (even if theyre not in an official leadership position) that people respond to. Externally, it means they can be trusted to represent the brand well. Managers know they can send these employees out to meet with clients and prospects without worrying about what theyll say or do.They neut ralize toxic peopleDealing with difficult people is frustrating and exhausting for most. Exceptional employees control their interactions with toxic people by keeping their feelings in check. When they need to confront a toxic person, they approach the situation rationally. They identify their own emotions and dont allow anger or frustration to fuel the chaos. They also consider the difficult persons standpoint and are able to find solutions and common ground. Even when things completely derail, emotionally intelligent people are able to take the toxic person with a grain of salt to avoid letting him or her bring them down.Bringing It All TogetherTake notice of whats not mentioned coding skills, years of experience, business degrees, etc. These things matter, but they wont make you exceptional.What other qualities make people exceptional? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below, as I learn just as much from you as you do from me.This article first appeared on Linked in.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will ersatzdarsteller your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people