What Is A Great Employee?

It’s all about fit. Most firms make the mistake of focusing on what they want and not placing an equal focus on what the employee needs and wants. Have one without the other and you won’t have a good employee, no matter how talented or driven they are.

The simple truth is: most people can be good employees if they are in the right job and the right company at the right stage in their career. Highly talented people in the wrong job are not great. Whether someone is great is always determined by:

• The particular job
• Whether it fits the particular stage of their career and their life (yes, even if they are highly talented)

So, the next time you’re looking for the good employee, consider what your firm wants, and ask yourself if this fits with what the applicant wants: does the position match with their talents, their lifestyle, their personality and the stage of their career? A good fit means matching both sides - not trying to squeeze that talented square applicant into a round hole - and increases greatly the likelihood of a productive, satisfying, long-term working relationship for both employer and employee.