Becoming a Great Leader – Part 3: Attitude

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When you care about what you’re doing, your employees will care about what they’re doing. When you have a passion behind your vision and purpose, it permeates the attitudes of those working for you. Passion, work ethic, and attitude all flow from the top. Set the tone for your workplace!

There are many things in life you have no control over. Attitude is not one of them. You have the power to change the attitude of your office, your business, and your employees— it all starts with you.

“Your Attitude, NOT your Aptitude, will determine your Altitude.” -Zig Ziglar

Jennifer Post, contributor for Business News Daily, writes about why a positive attitude is so important in the workplace, and how to deal with a team that has problems with negativity. “Be encouraging, and ask questions without assuming. Don’t take things personally, and do your best to build a barrier against negative comments or behaviors.”

How high do you want to go?

If you want to rise to the top of your office, your business, and your field—you must get your attitude in order. The importance of attitude cannot be overstressed. Your attitude directly impacts the work ethic, character, and tone in your work environment.

If you want honest employees, be honest. Good customer service? Be personable. You want hard-working employees? Work hard. Want new ideas? Create an environment of trial and error. If you want dedication from your workers, be dedicated.

Set the standards for what you want from those you are leading. Don’t make the mistake that so many leaders fall into – allowing yourself to look down on your employees. Yes, you are the manager, but don’t give in to arrogance. Instead, lead with strength, commitment, service, and integrity.

The power of modeling right behavior is seen at a young age. Robert Fulghum stated such in his instruction to parents, “Don’t worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you.”

Managers often complain that their employees don’t listen to them. While this may be true, it’s more important that they are watching you!

What attitude do they see?

You must first cultivate in yourself the attitude you want in your workplace. Be the best employee you want, and others will follow suit. Now, if the topic of attitude strikes a nerve within you, and your reaction is to say, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” or “I’ve always been this way” or “This is just the way I am.” Well, I have some good news for you! It only takes twenty-one days to change the pathways in your brain—TWENTY ONE! Not only is that incredible, it is some incredibly good news for you!

Twenty-one days to start implementing new techniques and new ideas, to begin your journey as a better leader, or to cultivate a better attitude. Attitude? Yes, you can change your very own attitude.

John Maxwell says,

“Successful people understand that attitude is a choice—and that includes enthusiasm… Positive people are positive because they choose to be. If you want to be positive, upbeat, and passionate, you need to take responsibility for being that way.… So how do people who don’t feel enthusiastic engender enthusiasm? One of the best ways is to think about all the positive aspects of your work.

Believing in what you do and focusing on those positive beliefs will help you to act and to speak positively about what you’re doing. That helps to spark the fire of enthusiasm inside you, and once that starts, all you need to do is to keep feeding the flames.” (p.75- 76 From “The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player” )

Isn’t that awesome?

Not only is it amazing that you can change your attitude with a simple decision, but it ties directly back into having a vision, developing purpose, and stirring up passion in your workplace.

If you find the environment in your workplace to be a complete drag, demeaning, or worrisome—take a step back and ask yourself: Why? What attitude am I encouraging with my own attitude? Great leadership comes full circle. Once you sit down and think about what attitude you are promoting as a manager, it’s easier to ask the first question of leadership: “Am I someone people want to follow?” If you aren’t, you can be.

At MyEmployees, our culture is greatly enhanced due to the priority we give to having the right attitude. We also have many client success stories, examples of how we help leaders improve their team by creating a unique vision, displaying passionate leadership, and a positive attitude. Each unique success story is made possible by our turnkey employee of the month program.

Decide to become a leader worth following. Take the actions necessary. Lead well. Live your vision, embody your passion, and cultivate a winning attitude. You are capable of far more than you imagine!

This is the 3rd of a 3 part mini-series

This blog is the 3rd of a 3 part mini-series on Becoming a Great Leader. Be sure to check out the other two installments:

Becoming a Great Leader – Part 1: Vision

Perfecting the balancing act between the big idea and all its moving parts is one of the clearest ways to become a great leader. Read more HERE.

Becoming a Great Leader – Part 2: Passionate Leadership

To launch your position as a leader past vision and implementation, you must find a passion for your work and your team. Passion pushes you to keep going. Read more HERE.

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