What makes an employee a star?  If you’re like me, you’ve learned that giving 100% is by far the best option, whether it be for work, school, or fitness and health.  Giving anything less cheats us out of the best possible life.  But what are the traits of these 100% star employees that we should strive to adopt, if we haven’t already?

Hard Workers.  They don’t just invest more time, but they maximize productivity.  They go for the best results in the quickest time and are super-fast to self-correct.

Loyal.  Loyal employees will never criticize their employers or company, whether in public or in private.  They’ll even go as far as to make the company their biggest life priority.

Results driven.  Results driven people tend to gravitate to tasks that are measurable.  They may also devise systems that reproduce great results time and again.

Engaged.  Engaged employees go the extra mile.  They’ll partake in as many assignments as they can manage.  They care about the company and the people they work alongside.

Positive attitudes.  Positive employers don’t get attached to negatives or missteps from employees or employers.  Instead, they focus on the positives.  Smiles, laughter, and upbeat communications matter in the world of stars.  And in rough times, they keep their emotions in check, never angering.

Deadline and budget achievers.  Employees who meet deadlines and budgets often use calendars and spreadsheets.  They break tasks into meaningful steps, each step with its own deadline, and add buffer time before each due date.

Risk takers.  Risk takers are full of adventure.  They love to rush into new ideas and explore new strategies.  They’ll quickly learn what they need to know to plough onward, and may do so without requiring counsel from others.

Profit-generating.  These employees impact the company in beneficial ways, whether it be in generating profit, improving corporate culture, enhancing processes, or some other dynamic.  But the bottom line remains that the employee must be bringing in more revenue than their salary amount.

Punctual and dependable.  These people will prepare the night before for the next day, selecting their outfit, packing lunches, packing work materials, even shining their shoes.  They also have tracked the time it takes them to do individual tasks in the morning and add at least a half hour buffer time to their morning routine.  This way, they’re never late.  They go to bed and wake up at the same time every day to prevent sleeping in.

Team players.  Team players thrive on group dynamics, preferring to collaborate and brainstorm on projects as opposed to working alone.  They enjoy group meetings and have a lot to offer discussions.

Passionate.  Passionate employees brim with enthusiasm.  They are always up for a challenge and seek solutions when faced with obstacles.  They are cheerleaders and visionaries.  They are meant to seek out and spend time with other passionate employees.

Flexibility.  Star employees are willing to work outside their job description and learn new skills for the tasks at hand.  They’ll work hours and even days outside their shifts.  When others employees ask for an extra day off, the flexible employee always volunteers to fill the shift.

Skilled.  Star employees possess a great breadth of skills and expertise they can bring to the table.  And they keep on learning with passion.

We are all meant to be star employees.  We’ve all got a star within us, and there’s no better time for us to shine than this very moment.