This fall, I've been serving as a mentor at the University of Redlands School of Business through their program that is designed to match seasoned marketing communications professionals with their younger counterparts. I'm an adjunct professor there, teaching marketing courses. My mentee is a young MBA candidate who is super smart, articulate, competent, and has a fairly honed sense of direction for one who is really just getting started on her career. I look at her and think "was I that 'together' when I was her age?" I think not! Anyway, as we've embarked on our time together, exploring opportunities for her to network and learn about careers in our field, delve into new areas of our disciplines that didn't come with her degrees, and talk about all things forward-thinking, I recently listed what I thought an "A" Player looks like in our profession:
What an “A player” looks like:
- Tunes in to culture, teammates
- Is on time, respectful of others’ times
- Works to be consistent
- Asks for help instead of waiting until the problem grows
- Seeks to find solutions and not just asking the questions
- Asks great questions, thinks holistically
- Engenders trust in teammates
- Works to make boss successful, anticipates needs and relieves worries
- Similarly, keeps boss informed, “no surprises”
- “Leads by example,” succeeds not through promotion and title but through results
- Does what it takes to get the job done
- Maintains a healthy life balance
There are certainly other traits that would apply. Please comment if you think of others.
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