The Perfect Employee Has These 3 Traits, According To Snapchat CEO
These traits are simple yet incredibly powerful.
Ground Picture | Shutterstock In today's exceptionally challenging job market, many employees are looking for ways to stand out and guarantee their continued employment, snag a promotion, or land a good job. As the CEO of Snapchat, a multibillion-dollar company, Evan Spiegel is uniquely qualified to discuss what makes an ideal employee. On a recent episode of "The Diary of a CEO" podcast, Spiegel highlighted three seemingly simple traits that the best workers embody.
Here are the three traits of a perfect employee, according to Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel:
1. Kindness
MART PRODUCTION | Pexels
Steven Bartlett, host of "The Diary of a CEO" podcast, asked Spiegel to describe the "perfect Snapchat employee." Perhaps surprisingly, the very first trait Spiegel highlighted was kindness.
"Ten years ago, people weren’t talking about kindness at work," Spiegel noted. But he believes kindness is crucial — even in business. Despite the pervasive belief that you must be cutthroat to make it in the working world, he found that kindness is actually "the essential ingredient," particularly if you want to have a creative work culture. Kindness creates an atmosphere where people feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and bold ideas without fear of being ridiculed.
Writing for Harvard Business Review, Andrew Swinand noted that kindness at work benefits everyone, from employees to the business as a whole. "If you’re an emerging leader, being kind to your employees can help you retain top talent, establish a thriving culture, increase employee engagement, and enhance productivity," he wrote.
"When people receive a compliment or words of recognition, it helps them feel more fulfilled, boosts their self-esteem, improves their self-evaluations, and triggers positive emotions," Swinand continued. "The result: happier, more engaged employees."
2. Intelligence
StefanDahl | Canva Pro
The next trait Spiegel emphasized was intelligence, though he finds this trait to be self-explanatory — of course, a boss is looking to hire smart employees. But what does "smart" really mean? Is it someone with a degree from a prestigious university? Or a worker with impressive street smarts?
According to Moster.com, a global employment website, there are four types of intelligence, and a successful workplace likely has employees who embody each type.
The first type is "people smart," otherwise known as "interpersonal intelligence." Employees with this type of intelligence can read others well and excel at communication skills, empathy, and social awareness. The second type of intelligence is "details smart," and likely what comes to mind when you consider intelligence. These employees are detail-oriented, logical, and excel at critical thinking.
The third type of intelligence is "ideas smart," and these workers are especially innovative, creative, and big-picture oriented. The final kind of intelligence is "senses smart," or what Moster.com called "the closer." They have a single-minded focus and are the most likely to succeed in business.
3. Creativity
Sorapong's Images | Canva Pro
In the tech world, creativity fuels innovation. It drives the development of new ideas, products, services, and solutions. It’s truly no surprise that Spiegel values this trait in his future employees, and he's far from the only CEO who does.
Several studies have found that more than 70% of employers say creative thinking is one of their most sought-after skills. Forbes contributor Rachel Wells discussed the importance of creative thinking skills, noting that organizations thrive when employees and leaders alike are creative.
"When everyone thinks creatively for the good of the business, that organization is best positioned to withstand external threats and develop unique products or services that attract customers and strengthen their standing against competitors," Wells wrote. "Creative thinking skills are imperative if you want to remain in business, progress your career, drive innovation, and experience long-term fulfilment and success."
Mina Rose Morales is a writer and photojournalist with a degree in journalism. She covers a wide range of topics, including psychology, self-help, relationships, and the human experience.
