Attitude - Small Word, Huge Impact

Leadership attitudes shape workplace culture. Is yours in check?

“You’re just not yourself when you’re hungry.”(YouTube, 2018)  It’s true, hunger is one of many feelings which can impact your attitude so here is some food for thought. Betty White Snickers Commercial 

The employee experience is greatly influenced by the relationship with the manager. In fact, employee engagement surveys frequently identify a poor leadership relationship as one of the top three reasons why employees leave the organization. The high cost of turnover can be avoided with the right attitude.
 

At-ti-tude (noun): A settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something that is reflected in a person’s behavior; a position of the body proper to or implying an action or mental state; truculent or uncooperative behavior; a resentful or antagonistic manner. (Google 2018)

With the constant evolution of the domestic and global economy, the marketplace is becoming fiercely competitive. As a leader, you are charged with applying innovative dynamics to complex situations to guide and persuade individuals to achieve results. You have to inspire trust, gain credibility and implement strategy while remaining flexible and agile. If attitude is defined as “…… what is reflected in a person’s behavior” and your thoughts and beliefs drive your behaviors, then the leadership attitude is a powerful tool.

Although we are living in a technologically advanced era, an instant message, email or text cannot effectively replace the value of direct human communication. Whether face to face or via telephone, or teleconference, direct communication is still a crucial component of relationship building which is essential to successful business operations. Tommy Spaulding states, “key traits to relationship building are: authenticity, humility empathy, confidentiality, vulnerability, curiosity, generosity, humor and gratitude…these relate to who you are rather than to what you do and are deeply personal. Who you are is far more important in relationship building than what you do.” These virtues are nearly impossible to convey through a mere text, email, meme or emoji.

Colleagues, direct reports, members of the community, and consumers of your goods or services are all paying attention to your attitude. It shapes your interactions, your transactions and your outcomes.  The success or failure of an initiative can all hinge on your communication style which is impacted by your attitude.

Think about your most recent interaction today, did you smile, did you greet the person with “hello, good afternoon, good morning, how are you?”  Did you ask about their weekend or how their children or pets are? Or, did you just launch into problem solving and business matters? And why did you choose that approach? Did you have extra energy because of your early work out; ample fuel from breakfast? Perhaps you received good news just prior or maybe it was bad news? How did you process the events? What was your attitude?

We may experience internal or external influences on our attitude and we may tend to react with more enthusiasm when we perceive there is an advantageous payoff at the end of the transaction.  Our experiences impact our thoughts.  Our thoughts impact our attitude and our attitude impacts our behavior.

It’s basic psychology, focusing on three streams of motivation. First, need-motive-value, which includes person based determinants such as need fulfillment, intrinsic motivation, equity and justice.  Secondly, cognitive choice such as expectancy value formulation or dynamics of action theory. Third self-regulation, which targets cognitive behavior, goal setting or social learning.  (Kanfer, 1990)

For example, I asked my son to cut the grass and that was all he did, no edging, no clean up. He didn’t even put the lawnmower back in the garage, because the act of cutting the grass was not gratifying and he could care less. He put no effort into the task and needless to say his attitude was negative.  Have you ever unenthusiastically proceeded with a project, a meeting or a conversation? Did you achieve the desired outcome?

What is your pattern of behavior in response to stimuli? Do you know your EQ (Emotional Quotient) also known as emotional intelligence? (Take the quiz for more insight). Are you quick to anger, judgmental, kind, compassionate, apathetic, sarcastic passive, charismatic, fair, consistent, even tempered? Are you quick to shame, publicly humiliate or reprimand? Insanity is described as doing the same thing and expecting different results. Is your current approach providing the desired results? If not, it may be time to change your approach.

Remember the phrase “sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me?”  That’s false, words do hurt and although they can be retracted once released the harm cannot be reversed. Keep in mind your responses can negatively or positively impact your relationships and to be an effective leader you need someone to follow you. Do a self-assessment, would you follow you? If you answered no, then why should others? If you answered yes, what characteristics led you to this response?

The fact is, we control our thoughts and beliefs. We can “affectively forecast”- project out indefinitely how we will view (feel about) the future. (Sandburg, 2017) This is especially critical skill in times of transformational change, ambiguity or adversity, when people rely on you as a barometer.

Frank Outlaw stated, “Watch your thoughts, they become words; watch your words, they become actions; watch your actions, they become habits; watch your habits, they become character; watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

I would add: Watch your attitude, it shapes everything.
 
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Gretchen Long works at Shriners Hospital for Children and is a seasoned strategic and innovative HR professional who translates business vision into HR initiatives that improve performance, profitability, growth, and employee engagement. She is an empowering leader who supports employees and top executives with a unique perspective and appreciation that human capital is every organization’s greatest asset. Gretchen is a genuine influencer who thrives on tough challenges and translates visions and strategies into actionable, value-added goals. Connect Gretchen Long