By Marc Basil | June 26, 2019


This week we have Marc Basil, Division Director of Brilliant Financial Search and a Brilliant Brand Ambassador, guest blogging for us. Take a look at his latest article below!

Often, we hear about the lengths that businesses go to with their recruitment efforts in order to attract and hire quality talent, especially with the unemployment rate for accounting, finance and information technology at historical lows. However, we don’t always hear a ton about employee retention efforts by companies—and what they’re doing to keep the highly-productive individuals they have on their teams from resigning and leaving for new roles outside of the business.

It’s just as important, if not more, to retain accounting, finance and IT professionals rather than solely focus on bringing in new talent. It’ll likely save you time, resources and risk, as well. But before you can build a proper retention strategy, you must be able to identify the Rockstar talent that you have in the first place.

I came across a recent Forbes article that discusses what managers should look for in their team members to help them spot the ones who are exceptional. Take a look at my list of 6 Traits of Highly-Productive Professionals below.

1. They have a tolerance for conflict. 
Strong employees do not actively seek out conflict, but they don’t necessarily run away from it either. It is unrealistic to think that you will never have a disagreement with a colleague, manager, vendor, client, etc. However, what is critical is the manner in which high performers deal with this conflict.

2. They are courageous. 
The strongest employees are willing to ask a question when others are not and have the courage to respectfully challenge a decision by leadership when others stay silent. This type of confidence is courageous and not a characteristic of just anyone. It takes a talented, remarkable and high-performing professional to display this trait.

3. They are never satisfied.
Exceptional employees are never satisfied when it comes to development and personal growth. No matter how well a strong employee is performing, there is a drive for further improvement and an unparalleled conviction that things can always be better. They will not get stagnant because it’s not in their nature to remain complacent.

4. They are accountable. 
High-achieving employees own their work, their decisions and all of their results—be them good or bad. While average employees look to point fingers or pass blame, exceptional employees own their mistakes and learn from them.

5. They are marketable. 
When using the word “marketable,” the article refers to how exceptional employees are well-liked by co-workers, managers and customers. As such, leadership trusts high-achieving professionals to effectively represent the organization/brand outside of the company.

6. They keep their egos in check. 
High-performers have a high opinion of themselves and exude confidence, which is a good thing and certainly responsible for their success. However, they do not need to display arrogance or put others down in order to build themselves up. Exceptional employees are self-aware and are able to admit when they are wrong. They also can fight the urge to control everything and are able to take direction from other individuals when needed.

What are some other traits of high-performers? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.