The one thing employers value more than skills and expertise in 2022

The skills an individual indeed possesses play a critical role in securing a job. It is important to know how to get a job and how to keep it. Your skills can get you a job but are they enough to sustain it? Have you heard the quote “your attitude determines your altitude”?

Most employers care about the skills and expertise a person brings to the table but they value attitude even more. Employers are willing to work with people with a positive attitude towards work and less competent than a competent person with a terrible attitude towards work. Why? Because competence can be built easily when the individual has a good attitude towards work but attitude takes a lot to be changed and may never even change. Here are the top five attitudes almost every employer values more than your skills

1. Integrity

An employee with integrity is one to die for. Integrity simply means displaying ethical character whether people are watching or not. A person with integrity is an asset to every business because of their strong character and incorruptible nature. There are situations where employees may be tempted to enter shady deals that will cost the organization but fill their pockets, and it takes a person of integrity to decline such offers. A person with integrity also contributes to a good work culture in any organization and can be trusted. Work culture is very important in every organization especially because it is infectious. When the people in the organization are people of integrity, it will rub off on others. In the words of Earl Nightingale, Integrity is the seed for achievement and it never fails. It is easier for a person of integrity to rise the ladder in any organization because it translates into other great traits like loyalty, honesty, and trustworthiness.

"In looking for people to hire, look for these three qualities; integrity, intelligence, and energy and if they don’t have the first, the other two will kill you" – Warren Buffet.

2. Self-Discipline

It is easier to manage self-disciplined people and that is why it is a positive attitude in any work environment. Your ability to control your actions properly without anyone guiding or instructing you on what to do is self-discipline. A self-disciplined employee does the right things at the right time without being told. Your ability to discipline yourself may come naturally from how you have been socialized but for some people, it is learned over a period. The best way to learn to be self-disciplined is by practicing it with little things like making sure you get to work on time, not being unnecessarily chatty when there is work to be done, proper behavior during meetings, and more. The ability to master self-discipline affects almost every part of your life and makes you a better and more likable person. It has helped many people attain heights in their careers quicker.

“The first and best victory is to conquer self” – Plato

3. Self-Motivation

Self-motivation is the ability to push yourself to do something even when all circumstances around you do not favor it. Every employee must have the ability to get up and start working at any point in time. In the cycle of work, there will be times when your energy may be on the low side. This could be due to circumstances in your personal life, inability to reach targets, etc. but your ability to motivate yourself is what gets you back on track. It is a very important work attitude because external motivation will not be available always hence your ability to motivate yourself gets you to go back to that thing anytime you waver off.

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started” – Mark Twain

4. Commitment

A great attitude most employers value is commitment. Being committed to something makes you have a great sense of responsibility towards it. It keeps you going until you achieve your goal. A committed employee does not mind making sacrifices to ensure a goal is met. Employers value committed employees because they are the ones who do not abandon courses, they stick whether the times are good or bad and ensure things are done. Another good thing about commitment is that it makes you an achiever. Clients and employers will always be happy with your service because you will surely stick to what you say and keep your promises which builds trust.

“Motivation is what gets you started, commitment is what keeps you going” – Jim Rohn

5. Passion

The driving force of every individual is passion. It is the fuel that causes you to move and keep moving without stopping. A passionate employee is one with a strong emotional drive towards work. It is what keeps you going even if the returns are not visible or do not match up. It is an unrelenting spirit that makes you go the extra mile. Every employee needs to be passionate about what they do because passion changes your view of situations and makes your work easier since it becomes your major source of motivation. When passion dies, work becomes harder and unfulfilling. For many people, passion guides them into their careers but for others, passion is actively developed. Whatever the situation may be, it is important to be passionate about your work.

“Passion is energy, fell the power that comes from focusing on what excites you” – Oprah Winfrey

The value of skills and expertise is very high but the value of a positive attitude towards work is even higher and that is why employers value it more than your skills.

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