What are the two more desired qualities in an employee? originally appeared on Quora, the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.

There are numerous traits that are desirable in employees- loyalty, communication, collaboration, initiative, drive, and curiosity are strong contenders- to name a few. If I had to narrow it down to only two, I would have to say that the most important traits for forward growth in an organization are the ability to get along well with others and strong communication skills.

Here’s why:

1. The ability to get along well with others. An organization is a group of people who work together towards the collective goals of the business. When an employee is able to get along well with others, they are able to share resources and help different teams accomplish the company’s objectives without strife or competition. Someone who is able to collaborate and get along well with others is not putting themselves above the company and/or other team members, and in so doing, they are enhancing the flow of work thereby moving the company forward.

2. Strong communication skills. Yes, you must have certain hard skills to be effective, but at the end of the day, soft skills will take you further. The ability to communicate well makes you a strong presenter, a good colleague, and someone others see as likeable, professional, influential, and knowledgeable. Strong communication skills allow you to sell your ideas, projects, and professional goals. This applies to both written and verbal communication as well as other traits such as listening, self-awareness, empathy and the ability to give and receive critical feedback.

~Charlene Walters is a business mentor, corporate trainer, consultant, TV host and author of Launch Your Inner Entrepreneur. Find out more at www.ownyourother.com

This question originally appeared on Quora.

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