The 5Cs that make a Dream Employee
Dream Employees are easy to spot but tricky to emulate.
Go ask around in any organization about who are the best people and you will receive clear answers very quickly. Everyone knows what greatness is when they see it.
But when you start learning from them, you get lost fast. Besides technical skills, there’s an overwhelming list of equally important soft skills to master: communication, problem-solving, planning, decision making, organizing, etc. Each of the Dream Employees possesses a different set of skills and gives different advice.
How, then, can someone start making progress in becoming a Dream Employee?
Here is a framework for you: A Dream Employee must have these 5 Cs
Imagine a 3-layer onion.
CONTRIBUTION is at the outermost layer. It’s what you DO that benefit the organization in a meaningful way.
3 Cs make up the middle layer of what you HAVE.
COMPETENCY - your ability to get things done, and solve problems.
CONNECTION - your relationships with other colleagues and the customers.
COMPATIBILITY - the alignment between your personal goals and values with the organization’s goals and values.
Finally, CHARACTER is the core. It’s who you ARE.
It’s something sensitive and not easily quantifiable, therefore it’s not discussed in most HR management frameworks. But it’s absolutely essential! Everyone can “smell” it right away, and there’s no way you can have sustainable success without it.
This 5Cs framework will accelerate your efficiency, effectiveness, and fulfillment at work
It helps you stay away from common, natural mistakes most people are making.
- You build up the fundamental of being a good Character first (Instead of running around learning dozens of soft skills as separate subjects)
- You put effort equally into building Competency and Connections (Instead of focusing only on either technical skills or relationships based on your personality)
- You look out for work that is Compatible with your goals, values, and skills (Instead of picking any job that pays well)
- And you focus on making meaningful Contributions to the organization and to the lives of your colleagues and customers (Instead of just being busy and soullessly ticking off tasks)
So, how are you doing on these 5Cs? Which part do you need to improve on the most?
