Parents, don't let your babies grow up without a work ethic

I get asked a lot what are the common traits I see in good employees, and more than that, good engineers. There are a few commonalities:

  • Fast problem solvers
  • Great communicators
  • Strong work ethic

I think it's worth just calling out the last two points because I think this is where I see the most people fail the fastest at, and are least likely to correct.

Communication

There is simply no excuse for not being a good communicator. If you find yourself having problems with your coworkers often (once a month or more), you probably have problems with communication. You can get help with this, but it takes hard work. You might think you should take a communication class, but I think seeing a therapist and learning how to be introspective is much more effective. You need to understand your vulnerabilities, your anxieties, and come to grips with them. These are usually the points at which your communication break down.

Strong Work Ethic

The other place I see great failure is with people's work ethic. Especially at startups. When I talk about work ethic, it doesn't necessarily mean that you are working tremendous hours. Usually the problem with work ethic lies in being unwilling to recognize when you are not doing what is needed of you for the company to be successful.

You need to realize what the company you are working for needs from you and you need to do it, whatever it takes.

There is often a correlation between people who have problems communicating and people that lack a strong work ethic. Which makes sense really, if you are unable to communicate or understand others, it would be pretty hard to understand what is expected of you.

The moral of the story: get good at communicating and do your job!