Top Qualities of a Great Employee & 5 Keys to Becoming a Superstar at Work

In this episode of The Optimistic American, Dr. Emily Bashah and Paul Johnson discuss ways employees can improve the quality of life at work and get their needs met.

They break down topics like ways to ask for a raise or a promotion, the rise of the victimhood mentality, and the 5 keys to becoming a superstar employee. Emily and Paul start the conversation by describing the difference between a public and a private-sector employer. Paul shares why professional services like doctors struggle with great product delivery. Emily and Paul talk about negative beliefs employees have and the problems they cause at the workplace. Do we actually have control over our own destiny? Paul believes we do, but most people leave it to their environment. For Emily, mentors and coaches are the most important people when launching careers or starting a business. Paul goes through the 3 main avenues for finding meaning in life. Paul and Emily agree that although we cannot control all situations in life, we can control how we think and, therefore, how we feel when tragedy strikes.

According to Paul, we are all leaders - but high-quality leadership is learned and earned. To be an outstanding leader, Paul believes you must be a great follower first. Emily highlights the benefits of being a nice boss and a nice employee - and ways to prevent yourself from being too nice. What is the victim triangle, and how does the victim mindset impact a person's destiny? Paul and Emily discuss the worrying rise of the victimhood culture and why it's time we consider it a worldwide epidemic.
Paul feels the best way to navigate problems is to first take responsibility and admit it's your fault - only then will you be able to fix it. According to Emily, the best way to treat your customers is the exact way you would treat your mother. When it comes to income disparities, Paul feels the question to ask yourself is whether it's better to bring down the people at the top and get rid of inequality or raise everybody up but increase the disparity.

Paul and Emily also go through the 5 keys to becoming a superstar:
- Learn to listen - This is a hard skill to master because to listen, you have to ask questions.
- Know the vision - Know the vision of the company you work for and what they're trying to achieve.
- Know your value - Be very clear on your strengths, limitations, talents, and what you bring to the table.
- Know and deliver on your timelines - If you consistently deliver projects on time, you will be seen as a superstar.
- Expand your education - This is a key part to getting promotions and succeeding at work.

Learn more about keys to reclaiming your agency at: https://www.optamerican.com/agency

We are The Optimistic American, and we are in the business of promoting what is going right in our country. Every day, there is tremendous progress being made in America — across technology, public policy, science and medicine, and much more — that will set current and future generations up for success. Our goal is to highlight these advancements and tilt the scale of news and information from pessimism towards optimism.

This interview reflects the best themes of The Optimistic American, that our best days lie ahead.

Mentioned in This Episode:
optamerican.com
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
POWER OF TED (THE EMPOWERMENT DYNAMIC) by David Emerald

You can listen to this episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Google Podcasts!

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mfMCiR0Jtqs8lr4JeuYwA

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