Checking Your Attitude
There’s a spectrum to our attitudes – two directions that we can go – ranging from 100% positive on one end to 100% negative on the other end, and of course, any percentage of positive and/or negative in between. More importantly, our attitudes have an impact, and we can either have an attitude problem or an attitude advantage in both our personal and professional lives.
Why are attitudes so important?
There are lots of reasons! We highlight three for your consideration:
#1 Research and reports on employability skills identify a set of characteristics required to enter, stay in, and progress in the world of work and one of those top characteristics and critical skills identified over and over again is demonstrating positive attitudes and behaviours. Put another way – Positive attitudes can be an advantage to getting a job, keeping a job, and being promoted to another job.
#2 Research has also proven that attitudes have a direct consequence on our health. Medical professionals tells us that negative attitudes can even shorten life spans. Seriously, think about this one. People with negative attitudes can be both sick more often than others and have higher stress more often than others, versus positive attitudes which can help people survive in life threatening situations.
#3 Research has also proven that negative attitudes also affect or ‘infect’ others. Psychologists show us the phenomenon of emotional contagion, where we can catch emotions from others. Here’s two important findings around emotional contagion: first, negative emotions are more contagious than positive emotions, and second, if you’re in a leadership role, whatever your emotions are, they’re more contagious and have more influence on a subordinate than a colleague or someone of a similar role.
We all might be able to benefit from an attitude check, at least once in a while. In other words, if our positive and negative attitudes are two ends of a rope in a tug-a-war and there’s a line in the middle, it’s important to consider which is more consistently closer to the line and winning? Increasing self-awareness about attitudes, one of the fundamentals to an effective team player and leader, helps individuals identify what attitudes they are choosing.
To increase your self-awareness around attitudes and check your own and/or teams attitudes in the workplace, Hone Consulting’s “Team Player Fundamentals” in person or live virtual course or online course is a great next step. During this training, team members and leaders develop awareness of the attitudes that they are choosing, and explore common negative attitude mindsets, as well as tips for developing an attitude advantage.
Attitudes are a choice! Which direction are you going?
Let’s create the positive.