What Do Employers Really Want?

What do employers really want? I’ll call it “performability.” It’s a bit difficult to pin down, yet easy to spot in the people around you. I’m defining it this way.

Performability is the ability to get the job done no matter what, without causing any stress, confusion, communication problems, or conflict. The person who has it doesn’t rock the boat, and works with others in a way that creates a healthy work environment. Performability always trumps likability. It means this is someone who can be trusted, who won’t complain, and who knows how to streamline.

It’s important because it’s all about the team performing better. It’s also something employers can teach and employees can learn. How do I make sure my attitudes, skills, interests, preferences, and personality mesh with the team?

In the end, that’s performability.

Let me be clear about this. I’m not talking about productivity. Performability is all about being the person who has fun at work, who fits perfectly onto a team, and who is part of the solution. When you add someone with high performability to a project, things get done. The person the boss hires because of a glowing personality? It’s not always someone who fits on a team, despite the importance of that aspect. In fact, the comedian employee who is fun to be around might be a poor communicator or someone who causes conflicts because he or she has so many strong (and possibly funny) opinions. How a person performs on the team is critical, and it requires a variety of skills. Yet the most important skill is making the team better.

Taken from Inc.com’s July 6, 2016 article by John Brandon
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