Why is attitude everything in a business environment?

People from all disciplines do agree that one’s attitude as you work or undertake a project is a dominant factor in its success. One of the most important steps you need to take towards success as a Leader is to learn to monitor attitude and its impact on work performance and relationships. Positive attitude as a form of a soft skill forms a trait expected in great leaders and must be developed as a habit. One’s altitude is determined by attitude and not just aptitude.

Positive attitude gives someone control and confidence to perform at their best. Positive attitude is a winners’ attitude. You develop a forward-looking mindset which serves as a muscle that needs to be exercised all the time therefore challenging you to learn something new every day. Good attitude provides the enabling platform. On the other hand negative attitude damages confidence, harms performance and paralyses your mental skills as well as impacting on your work.

Studies have proved that aptitude accounts for a paltry 20% of business success. It is therefore important to hire people with the right attitude because 80% of our business success is based on attitude. Having the right skills but lacking the will does not help overcome challenges and achieve success. With the right attitude an employee is both motivated and adaptable which makes them more open to learning new skills. With right attitude and enough effort new skills can be mastered quickly. Improving attitude is often about changing behaviors which is always much more difficult to do, but can certainly be done.  It is easy to get drawn into this negativity and feel very depressed about the future in our current economic situation. Challenge those negative thoughts into positives and focus on what has gone well and what you have achieved. Our minds are dutiful servants; they follow the instructions we give them. Positive attitude is that which makes one feel good even when they feel bad.

Attitude has many facets it can determine whether you work for a salary or for an organisation’s betterment and your growth. Tightly associated to attitude is enthusiasm. Nothing great will ever be accomplished without enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is to attitude what breathing is to life. Enthusiasm enables you to apply your gifts more effectively. It puts you in motion and is the burning desire that communicates commitment, determination and team spirit. It is one of the most empowering and attractive characteristics a leader needs. Real enthusiasm is not something you put on and take off to fit the occasion.  It should be a way of life not something used to impress people. In a work environment never let conditions control your attitude rather use attitude to control enthusiasm.

When people have the wrong attitude getting them to fit into the organization will be akin to fitting a square peg through a round hole. They can just clash with the culture of the organization disrupting team work, which cause unrest and impact overall performance. As leaders working to create teams where the sum of the whole exceeds the sum of parts; it is good attitude that makes this possible. We are always going to face challenges, difficult times and it is in those moments that traits like determination, tenacity and resilience come to the fore.

It is therefore paramount when hiring to focus on attitude just as much as the technical skill set. While most interviews questions are focused on aptitude there is always real need to make sure that we ask the right questions that uncover attitude. Ask candidates the ‘how’ questions, how they overcame challenges, how they have dealt with failure and their abilities to deal with situations which are beyond their current capabilities. Intensively probe those areas and listening to the language used will help understanding a candidate’s true attitude. Before hiring understand the attitude of your organization and look at the top performers and see what attitude they possess.

Attitude plays an important role in improving relationships with employees. People are reluctant to relate to colleagues with the wrong attitude as they are commonly perceived as difficult.  Positive attitude minimizes weaknesses and magnifies strengths. A positive attitude in a business set up is a good foundation to see the good in every situation and everyone. It is generally believed that all the positive aspects of a man and the values he respects will fall within the ambit of soft skills and attitude will inform how one will act and react every time.  To achieve potential greatness, learn these tips in life always tracking one’s attitude and its impact on work performance and relationships with everyone around.

Its leadership role to build a solid attitude foundation in employees, so that when things are good or bad employee perceptions are positive and can therefore take organisations further. Successful businesses know that by building their people they will be building their businesses. Life being an echo - what you send out always comes back -your attitude rubs off on your teams.

Emmanuel Jinda is the Managing Consultant of PROSERVE Consulting Group, a leading supplier of Professional Human Resources and Management services locally, regionally and internationally. He can be contacted at Tel: 263 773004143 or 263 242 772778 or visit our website at www.proservehr.com