I know that after I complete my university studies, I, like most working people, will be spending time with my fellow employees almost more than I will with family members. This means that my co-workers will have a tremendous effect on the quality of my life. For me, the most important characteristics in a good co-worker are being proactive, calming, and articulate.

Working with someone who is proactive in solving problems is a real treasure. Instead of letting problems fester unaddressed, a co-worker who develops and applies solutions as needed really helps make work more efficient. I appreciate it when other people anticipate challenges and offer ways to overcome them, and I try to cultivate these same habits in myself. By taking initiative in tackling a problem before it becomes overwhelming, all stakeholders can avoid unnecessary stress.

This leads me to the next important characteristic in a good co-worker: having a calming influence. I’m aware that as a part of my personality I often become very anxious when a deadline is looming near and a substantial part of a project is not finished. This is a common occurrence in my field of video game development. When I worked on graphics at one company, everyone on the team including myself was rather high-strung, and this lead to tensions between members that greatly affected our productivity. It also made me dread going to work. In contrast, when I was hired by another company to work on middleware, one of my co-workers had a very peaceful demeanor and soothing way of speaking that alleviated my anxieties and helped me concentrate on doing my work well. Since then I have become more sensitive to whether a person has an overall tranquil manner, and I value this trait very highly.

A final characteristic that I consider essential in a good co-worker is articulateness. I cannot overstate how beneficial it is to work with someone who can clearly and precisely explain problems and potential solutions. When someone can also help others struggling to communicate their thoughts in a supportive way, more mutual understanding and quicker results can be achieved. I had the good fortune of having a co-worker like this when I was on the middleware development team. She was able to dispel sources of confusion between team members from different countries and with diverse IT backgrounds. Through her efforts, we were able to rapidly pinpoint and address programming issues, which helped keep us from missing deadlines.

Thus I think it is clear that any employee has a lot to gain from collaborating with a well-spoken, proactive staff member that can remain calm under pressure. I know for sure that a co-worker with these three characteristics would be most desired on my dream team.