“You should hire for attitude, because skills can be taught, attitude can’t.”
This quote seems to be getting thrown around more than ever, which is a real tragedy because it contributes to a culture of “you’ve either got it or you haven’t”. It has long been known that the attitude you take into a job interview can be a deciding factor, because this stage of the job selection process usually means that you have definitely got the certified prerequisites, so it now comes down to whether or not the people interviewing you are more impressed with you than the other candidates.
Attitude is often the deciding factor when the decision is made to hire someone. The recommendation usually comes with a comment such as “she has a real can-do attitude”. I don’t think anyone has ever been recommended for promotion with the comment, “he’s a really negative guy, and we need more of that at the top level.”
So why do we think that attitude is such a permanent state?
Your attitude is the “output summary” of all your thoughts, behaviours and emotions towards a particular event, task or issue, and it’s usually thought of as being positive or negative. The interesting thing about attitudes is that by changing any of these components your attitude will either improve or worsen. And often this goes on in our heads by simply a rethink. Or one small behaviour change starts a chain reaction. Think about all the examples you have seen of attitudes that have changed:
These are all examples of attitudes changing – and it shows that attitudes are not permanent, but they often tend to change in the negative direction. Negative changes are more common than positive changes. It seems that it is much easier to encounter attitude-sapping events in the workplace than it is to come across attitude boosting events. These events often bring negative emotions and the associated negative thought patterns that create a negative attitude.
Take the time to sit back and examine your current attitude towards work and the people you work with. Is it positive? Or has it been tainted with episodes of unaddressed disharmony? If it is the latter then your next task is to examine the thoughts, feelings and behaviours that contribute to your attitude, and the easiest place to start is with your thoughts. Become aware of your negative thoughts (eg. “I really hate my boss”) and replace them with something more positive and active (eg. “I’m going to find a way to work effectively with my boss”).
Quite often there is a mood leader within a group – someone with the charisma and personality that really influences the way others think and feel. You are very fortunate if your mood leader usually swings into positive gear on most issues. However, if you have someone who leads with negative moods and behaviours in your team it is important to challenge their negative thoughts and actions.
Maybe you are that negative person, and the negativity you’re emitting has infiltrated the group. One thing is certain – you cannot allow a negative influence to control the attitude of your group, or the output will suffer.
This is the most important part of understanding attitudes. They are not permanent states but they do take a bit of work to change, especially if you’re trying to move them from negative to positive. Don’t set your goals too high – it can takes months of chipping away before you really get the belief in yourself that a positive mindset is as valid as a negative one. It can take just as long for a group to move in the same way.
But one thing is certain: a positive attitude brings better results.
Eve Ash is currently producing a new series called SWITCH ON – a light musical video showing negative beliefs converted to positives. Eve has produced a wide range of DVDs and resources for helping people function more effectively at work.
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