If I were to build the "Perfect Employee" in a lab

Most employers today have a psychological contract with their employees. This is the unwritten expectations/rules and obligations between employees and employers. In some cases employers just have an economic contract. I give you a pay check and you give me your effort and time in exchange. Some employers have extended this to a socio-emotional contract - I will offer you a sense of community or a team setting, where I'm going to motivate and energise you. I'm going to help you feel a sense of belonging and in return, you're going to be more loyal. Organisations also want you to bring your best version to work. This will help them achieve their goals and objectives.

In my role as a People Matters professional (not sure I like the term Human Resources), I have had the opportunity to be part of numerous performance reviews and calibration meetings. Way too many of them, across companies and industries, have detailed discussions about each employee - their performance, key achievements for the review period, their strengths and areas for improvement. In addition to this, there is a lot of discussion about the softer elements related to the employee’s functional and leadership skills or competencies. These often centre around their ability to communicate, how well they collaborate, their ability to deal with ambiguity and their drive/ motivation towards achieving results. For people managers in addition to the above, they are often evaluated on their ability to develop the capabilities of their team members, motivating them to achieve stretch goals and their quality of decision making. This list is in no way exhaustive but covers some of the key areas which extend beyond the ability to achieve their goals. Often, most organisations call out these additional areas of evaluation as competencies and have an evaluation methodology in place to rate them against skilled use and unskilled use of these competencies.

So, in one of these performance review meetings, I brought up what the conversation about the "Perfect Employee" and what it will look like at this organisation. We had a healthy debate and I learnt quite a bit from the discussion. Here are a few my thoughts and takeaways from that meeting:

I wanted to break it up into 3 sections - Definitely do this, don't do too much of this and don't do this at all.

Definitely do this:

1. Start with the absolute basics - excel at what the organisation has hired you for. Dedicate all your effort to getting shit done and solving problems- big and small. Remember, achieving your goals is just meeting expectations. You should aim to become indispensable to your manager (or any key stakeholder). Be someone who makes his/her life super easy or value driven.
2. You should be ‘Action Oriented’ and full of energy when confronted with challenges. Yes, things are not always going to have structure, things are going to go wrong and no SOPs are going to be available. Nonetheless, raise your hand and volunteer for assignments or projects that come up. Be excited about your job - truly passionate about making a difference.
3. One of my ex bosses used to say this - If I give you a project and you come back and deliver what I asked you to, good job. But if you want to impress me you should say “hey, this is the project you gave me. During my research, I found 3 more interesting points of view. We can ignore point 1 but points 2 and 3 we should consider and implement in 3 months” Now I am impressed. You are capable of thinking through a project with the objective of solving a problem and not just as a task.
4. Collaborate as a default setting. Collaboration is not just about having 'happy' conversations with other team members or with team’s outside your department. Think of it as entering all meetings or discussions with a problem solving mindset. You should easily gain trust and the support of peers. You don't need your boss to be involved in smoothing over relationships or pushing others to comply.
5. The ability to have your mind changed. This one’s tricky. You don't want to be a doormat. But you don't want to be a brick wall either. Imagine getting into a meeting and encountering someone who is just not willing to budge from their stance despite all the data or reason you throw at them. It would be exhausting to work with them. Worse case, people stop calling you in for meetings cause you are a hindrance to progress. But changing your mind shows your ability to accept new points of view - shows a growth mindset.
6. You should be a joy to be around. I know everyone who is reading this is saying - ‘oh yes, I am a delight to be around :)’. But ask yourself if you have been terribly negative or moody recently. Do you have a great sense of humour - the self deprecating type, not directed at anyone in the team, cause that is bullying. Can you use humour to ease tension and bring levity?  
7. This one I am adding to cater to the new hybrid work environment - I trust you to work and achieve outcomes even though you are not physically in front of me. Stay tuned in for meetings and leverage technology for collaboration. Keep a culture of accountability and almost no follow ups.

Don't do too much of this:

1. Don’t gossip… too much. Yup, you do gossip. It’s a natural human tendency. You might say ‘I didn't mean it that way’ but your audience (co-workers or manager) just viewed it as gossiping. So how do I avoid this trap? Start by excusing yourself from environments where people are being overly negative about another co-worker. Or suggest that we have a conversation with the employee directly. Or call out the act - ‘Hey everyone, are we gossiping? Cause it kinda feels that way doesn't it?’
2. Don't be undisciplined - coming to work or meetings late. “This one’s always late”. It’s a tough tag to outgrow. What’s worse is never meeting deadlines. You committed to sending in the report by 12 PM. It’s 5 PM and the report is nowhere close to being completed.
3. The ability to make small talk… but not too much. It’s always good to be someone who is worldly wise - can talk about the latest mars mission, have facts about the beer you are drinking or even the geo-political state of North Korea. It shows that you have interests outside of work and can also fill in the awkward silences in meetings. But taking it too far is being ‘Sheldon’ (from the big bang theory sitcom). Constantly correcting people and meandering endlessly about topics no one really cares about.
4. A listener… but not too much. It’s great to be an active listener in conversations. Asking the right questions and probing for more information where needed. But listen too much and people will think that you don't really have anything original to say.  Introverts - please strike the balance. Unfortunately, workspaces are built for extroverts :(.
5. Raise concerns… but constructively. No one wants ‘Yes Women/Men’ on the team. But complaining about everything to create a negative vibe is not cool. Start by raising the concern with your boss and come to the table with a solution or a clear ask. We all know that 'Grinch' at work. He/She is just so tiring to be around. You don't want to be the one who steals the positivity in the room.

Don't do this at all

1. The first one is an easy one - don't be unethical or even close to unethical. Submitting a false bill or taking a (small) gift on the side or even making a mistake and trying to hide it or blaming someone else is absolutely unacceptable. There is a line drawn in the sand. Ensure that you are nowhere near it. 
2. Make excuses. You are not in school or college. This is a workspace and you have to have a clear sense of accountability. You missed a deadline - own up, say your sorry, it won't happen again and make sure it doesn't. Don't be the guy/gal that constantly blames the dog for eating your homework. Cause no one actually cares.
3. The opposite of a can-do attitude. Don't be the employee that does just the bare minimum and not a drop more. The one that clocks-in and clocks-out. The one that is here only for the pay check and will not bring an ounce of passion. I call these employees - ‘work zombies’. Discretionary effort and going above and beyond should be what you aim for. If you're not willing to do more, QUIT. Look for another place that matches your energy and passion. 

Honestly, I know I might have missed a ton of other things. But I hope at least some of these triggered some thoughts and self reflection for each of you. What you can also do is refer to Lominger 67 competencies. Take a sheet of paper and rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 5 on each competency. It will serve as a great self evaluation.

So this was Episode 1 in the ‘building in a lab’ series. Coming soon will be: building the perfect company, building the perfect manager and maybe also building the perfect team. Please share with me your views and feedback in the comments section. I would love to engage with each of you to learn more.