Unicorns are hard to catch. Back in the 1500s, it was believed that only fair young maidens could gain the trust of these elusive, horned creatures.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m no fair maiden. Still, in my time, I\u2019ve had the luck of getting close to many magical unicorns \u2026 in the form of \u201cunicorn\u201d employees. Not to be confused with unicorn companies\u2014startups valued at $1 billion or more\u2014\u201cunicorn\u201d employees, for me, are staff who possess a unique set of qualities that make them extremely rare and valuable. Like actual unicorns, they\u2019re hard to find, but once hired, offer up enormous benefits in the workplace. To name a few, they shatter expectations, raise the bar for everyone and are simply a joy to be around. Unicorn employees can literally take your business to the next level.<\/p>\n
Whether you\u2019re looking to build a unicorn army, or hoping to boost your own value in the workplace, here are the five key qualities of unicorn employees:<\/p>\n
You aren\u2019t limited by your job title.<\/strong> Earlier on in the business, this meant having the ability to wear many hats and excel at varied tasks, critical at a fast-growing startup. For example, just because somebody\u2019s job title was \u201cOffice Administrator,\u201d didn\u2019t mean she would shy away from pitching in on a major marketing campaign by helping brainstorm some catchy tweets.<\/p>\n Later, as the company grew, unicorn employees jumped at the chance to dive deeper into specific, growing areas of business, which needed good people. Some even decided to move across several departments. I saw unicorn employees make surprising leaps\u2014one even went from financial specialist to software engineer. I think this is so important to employee growth that we recently launched a new pilot initiative, called the \u201cstretch program,\u201d to help people expand their knowledge and expertise across the business … and grow their unicorn horns.<\/p>\n You think big and small.<\/strong> On the flipside, while big-picture thinking is critical, I\u2019ve also found that the best employees also know the devil is in the details. Running a business requires meticulous attention. A minor copyright issue, improperly executed email campaign, or even what seems like a small technical glitch can end up being catastrophic, affecting a lot of clients in a short period of time. The best employees are those who take the time to read the fine print. These are the types of people I know I can entrust with serious responsibility.<\/p>\n You have true grit.<\/strong> I couldn\u2019t agree more. Being an entrepreneur since I was a teenager, I\u2019ve learned that the business world is like being on a boat in the open sea. Whether it\u2019s a patch of rough waves or an unexpected storm, unexpected obstacles are inevitable. During these turbulent times, having grit\u2014a dogged persistence\u2014can help you keep focused on the destination. In fact, that very outlook helped my billion-dollar company weather the storm and get to the next level. Unicorn employees have true grit, and are able stay calm and focused on the task at hand, even on choppy seas.<\/p>\n You\u2019re respectful by nature.<\/strong> A few years ago, I put out a job posting for a high-level sales role. Many people applied, and after a series of interviews, I had some top candidates in mind. However, when I checked in with my executive assistant at the time, I was shocked to find out how many of those people who had been personable and courteous to me, had been downright rude to her.<\/p>\n Unicorn employees are respectful by nature, and would never treat someone\u2014regardless of title \u2014in this way. It\u2019s something that absolutely sets a stellar employee apart from an average one. In fact, this is so important to the well-being of our staff, it\u2019s been built into two of our four core company values: \u201cRespect the individual,\u201d and \u201clead with humility.\u201d<\/p>\n You get sh#t done.<\/strong> The update blew up, striking a chord with the tens of thousands of people who commented and liked it. (Weiner followed up by writing a full post on the topic.) Like him, I too am a huge proponent of having fun at work and believe it\u2019s crucial to success. However, I can\u2019t stress how important it is for people on the job to be able to get shit done. After all, no matter how great a co-worker is to be around, if he can\u2019t produce actual results, his presence is isn\u2019t ultimately helpful and may even be damaging to others. Great teams can be shattered by a single member who can\u2019t get shit done.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, studies have shown that top performers contribute to a business 10 times more than their average counterparts. In fact, some firms, including Microsoft, claim that figure to be 100 times.<\/p>\n The bottom line: At the end of the day, you can be respectful, multi-talented, tenacious, detail-oriented and a big thinker. But if you don\u2019t produce real results and move the needle, all those traits are wasted. You must be able to execute. It\u2019s an essential unicorn quality.<\/p>\n For companies and business leaders, it\u2019s probably worthwhile to put some extra time and effort into chasing unicorns. Unlike their mythical counterparts, they\u2019re very real and they can change your company. And for unicorn employees in the making, it\u2019s never too late to grow your strengths and make yourself more rare and valuable than ever.<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n Source: Ryan Holmes<\/p>\n Hootsuite\u00a0<\/span>CEO<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Unicorns are hard to catch. Back in the 1500s, it was believed that only fair young maidens could gain the trust of these elusive, horned creatures. I\u2019m no fair maiden. Still, in my time, I\u2019ve had the luck of getting close to many magical unicorns \u2026 in the form of \u201cunicorn\u201d employees. Not to be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":252370,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1565],"tags":[5451,12069],"yoast_head":"\n
\nIn the span of about 5 years, my company, Hootsuite, went from a 100-person tech startup to a 1000-person global company. Through this stage of \u201chyper growth,\u201d employees who truly flourished were flexible and intellectually curious.<\/p>\n
\nExceptional employees are able to think strategically. This means having the ability to take a step back and see the overall company goals, or the industry as a whole, then apply it to your work. To be effective in business, you must be able to see the big picture.<\/p>\n
\nThe concept of \u201cgrit\u201d has made its way into popular culture recently, perhaps sparked by psychologist Angela Duckworth\u2019s popular TED talk and book, on the subject. She defines grit as \u201cperseverance and passion for long-term goals,\u201d and says it\u2019s a crucial factor to achieving success.<\/p>\n
\nThe ability to work well with others is a skill that benefits any workplace. It seems simple enough, but you\u2019d be surprised.<\/p>\n
\nA few years back, LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner sent out a short status update on his platform: \u201cIn simplest terms possible, the people I most enjoy working with dream big, get sh*t done, and know how to have fun.\u201d<\/p>\n