The labor market isn’t getting any nicer for companies who need specific skill sets and have a culture they want to protect. You want to keep your good people, but the bigger challenge is keeping the really good ones when they’re in the early phases of their career. So they may not have the title yet and could slip off the radar if you don’t recognize what you’ve got. Here are the four big tells that you have the makings of a future rockstar.
Can Take a Stand
A lot of hardchargers are afraid to challenge their managers for fear of offending them. If you’re a manager, this idea should be what’s offensive. Do you want your workers to feel your psyche is fragile, that protecting it is more important than moving your strategies forward?
Lead Without Title
You can sense in the office when someone’s ideas are respected over their title. It’s not easy to win this favor over your colleagues, and if it comes without a title then you know it was earned. The best thing you can do is make sure this type of leadership has a place in your office and make hierarchy not as important as ideas, but be sure to promote this future rockstar when you can.
Self-Awareness
An employee who has a real human understanding of both herself and those that work around her is extremely valuable. This is the type of person who can make connections and hold a broad understanding of company goals. When you have crises, this is the the type of person who can help rally the troops and get that extra effort from everyone.
All In
Having an employee that’s motivated to one day be CEO is a great thing, especially if you’re the CEO. It means they’re ready to take responsibility and don’t need to be led or dragged through proceedings. Give this employee all the knowledge and mentoring they need; they will be the ones integral in growing your company.
Some of these qualities may seem obvious, but it’s important to remind everyone what a really great employee looks like. This can get lost. It so often does, and the costs are extraordinary.
About NextGen
NextGen is the brainchild of longtime telecom professionals with nearly 50 years of experience and millions of dollars in Telecom Recruiting Services. We focus on establishing long term relationships with our clients and candidates so we can recruit the best and the brightest in the telecom industry. This ‘quality over quantity’ approach is at the heart of everything we do and has resulted in successful job placements at Fortune 1000 firms worldwide.
