Your attitude determines your altitude

Your attitude, in business and in life, determines your altitude. You cannot change people’s attitude. But this strong adage is a good reminder that you can put in front of anyone who wants an attitude adjustment. I’d like to speak about a few of the many aspects every day we can use to develop a winning attitude. That’s what leaders do!

The excellent philosopher who governed the Roman Empire, Marcus Aurelius, said it merely: “Our life is what our thoughts make it.”

Dale Carnegie, talking to the quote, said: “yes, if we think happy thoughts, we will be happy. If we think miserable thoughts, we will be miserable. If we think fear thoughts, we will be fearful. If we think sickly thoughts, we will be ill. If we think of failure, we will certainly fail. If we wallow in self-pity, everyone will want to shun and avoid us.”

Am I advocating an approach of Pollyanna towards all our issues? No. life isn’t that simple. But, in the strongest terms, I advocate that we assume a positive attitude rather than a negative attitude.

The attitude of mind–the power that we carry in our heads. A single thought can dramatically change reality. The adage in nutrition is what you eat. As far as leadership is concerned, you are more likely to be what you believe. Contrary to what individuals want to think, your happiness or achievement is generally not determined by outside influences, but rather by how we respond to those influences– good or bad. So how are you going to alter your responses to those forces outside?

Make it a deliberate priority as you respond, which implies daily exercise.

Humor is of essential importance. Keep everything in perspective and relax when things don’t go your way. I laugh. I giggle. Others throw up their hands. Whole industries become very cynical.

Not only do positive emotions of self-confidence assist you in accomplishing more; they also make others want to join you. People are attracted to others with an upbeat outlook, with a can-do approach. Constant complainants will not gather simple followers.

Setting a positive and self-confident tone is one of the most significant duties of a leader, exuding the attitude that failure is not an alternative. The cornerstone of leadership is a positive attitude. It is the same trust that every time they come out of the locker room, a quarterback, a golfer, or a tennis star projects.

To gain strength from the positive and not be sapped by the adverse, here are a few ideas: Focus on the 90% of your team running with your vision and plan–don’t let the “negative nellies” drain you or poison your team.

Tap your spiritual essence at work as well–use your heart and spirit to move you and your work forward.

Break the negative power cycle–mix it up, break the routine, and do something quickly that gives you an incredible altitude and lifts you up if you see yourself spiraling down or in a rut. Do not let it fester when you see one of your team members tackle it in a rut of unproductive or unprofessional manner.

It requires time for active listening. Work on it, hear what you want from your team. Often issues can go away just by being heard, and individuals are really making a large turnaround.

You have to be your office’s emotional manager–not your assistant, not your recruited fresh hotshot. Parents in a family have to be the emotional managers or the domestic rule of chaos. You have to carry that mantel in your company, though sometimes reluctantly. It is a component of the role and authority of your management. Hone it, as well as your responses to external events, and you will see the culture shifting to the positive around you.

In Good to Great, Jim Collins points out: when in doubt, don’t hire – keep looking. You can’t grow revenues consistently faster than your ability to get enough of the right people to implement that growth and still become a great company. So, unless candidates for the open position have tat can-do-attitude and are a strong fit for your company in who they are – don’t hire them. The skills can be taught; the and-then-some positive attitude cannot.

Attitude is the prerequisite. Attitude is the one thing in employees we can’t modify. You have or you don’t have a healthy attitude. Everything else can be taught to staff with excellent attitudes, given the appropriate capacity and willingness to learn. I’ve attempted to teach healthy attitudes many times and it’s about as simple as creating a mud fence.

Your professional outcomes will be pulled down by an adverse attitude. A favorable approach will take you through the tough places and energize you to raise your outcomes to fresh heights–in line with your vision. Whether a few times a day, once a week or only occasionally you need an attitude adjustment, never forget that your attitude determines your altitude. Don’t let events or people bring your down.
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