Five Traits of Difference Makers

What’s Inside

Every company wants to attract and keep the difference makers, the people who are worth their weight in gold. But how do you identify those you already have and find more of them? This article goes beyond traditional HR approaches to examine five intangible qualities that identify those who can make a difference in your organization.

This overview article offers a brief description of each of the five traits, including some ideas for how to discover them in an interview process or in the workplace. Future articles in this series will dig deeper into each trait.

Key Points

These five traits, in a nutshell, are characteristics of difference makers in an organization:

• Speed
• Snap
• Platform
• Homework
• Persistence

Why it Matters

Difference makers are often missed through standard processes. Sometimes they hide in plain sight. In a time of high turnover, leaders need to be prepared to attract and retain employees with these five difference-making traits.