The Importance of Attitude Part 2
In my last blog (and I apologize this should have been posted last week; I was at a conference - which you will hear about next week - and I didn't have an opportunity to post) I discussed the importance of having a positive attitude in life, but the purposes of our discussion specifically, in the work place.
Most of us know how difficult it is to work with someone who is negative about everything, it’s exhausting and often times they bring your morale down with them.
And while it is true that you can’t teach attitude, you can encourage a positive shift by engagement.
We all want to feel as though our input is valuable. Do you ask for employee feedback? Are their suggestions considered when changing policies and procedures?
Everyone on your team has a different prospective. Your front line staff may have suggestions on how to deal with peak-time congestion that management simply wouldn’t see because their time isn’t spent exclusively in that area.
Maybe the members of your team that are on the phones booking appointments will notice that particular wording is more effective then others when speaking with the customers about maintenance.
It would be a huge asset to listen to these suggestions, they could potentially improve your business. Not only could it make operations more profitable or efficient, but by giving your employees stock in how things are run, you are giving them trust and respect.
In all my years in the work force, in a wide variety of businesses, I have never seen trust and respect have a negative effect on morale. And if you can give me an example, I’d be very interested to hear it!
Along these same lines, a great attitude booster is to foster an environment where your people are recognised for a job well done, given a “great work!” when deserved, and thanked for going that extra mile. When there is a lack of appreciation, the quality of work and the level of job satisfaction (positive attitude) will quickly slide.
Having personal development plans are a good way to encourage a positive attitude. Without knowing there is a future for them within the company, that there is room for further training and opportunity for advancement (or even just being shifted to a more suitable role) many people will become lack luster, having the opinion that if this is as good is it’s going to get, than why put in the effort. It is, I fully agree, difficult to stay motivated and positive when all you’re looking at is a dead end (but I also agree that people need to take a good hard look at WHO is putting those dead ends in their sights.)
These are not revolutionary ideas by a long shot. They are also not ideas that cost companies piles of money. But they are ideas that, for any number of reasons, do get toss to the side or never considered in the first place. All it takes is a little attentiveness, willingness to explore new ideas, and some consideration to improve on the negative attitudes in our work place.
I’m no fool, I know there are always those who will hold onto their bad attitude like a security blanket. But for most that feeling of value, appreciation, and respect makes a huge impact on attitude improvement.
Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. ~Winston Churchill
