Attitude - the key ingredient for success

Everything begins and ends with your attitude. It is the foundation for our success. In fact, in many companies a good attitude is not only nice, but also essential. It keeps people from getting hired and in other cases it is a reason for dismissal. For example, if you apply for a job at one major hotel chain and you do not smile at least five times in a five -minute interview then your chances for getting hired are almost non-existent. In another instance, one major hardware store has managers who observe employees and if they see anyone with a bad attitude they relieve them of their duties immediately. All this "attitude" stuff may seem fluffy to some, but to attract and keep clients we must project an upbeat, caring and concerned attitude. A recent survey stated it best when they asked clients why they don't go back to a business. The overwhelming response was "an attitude of indifference by the owner, manager or employee."

To help you and your employees' keep your attitude adjusted at all times follow these three guidelines:

Flip side exercise - This exercise is based on the principal that no matter what goes wrong there is always something good that comes from it. For example, if you hate your job, the flip side would be that at least you have a job or if you put a dent in your new car the flip side is at least you were not hurt. The man who recently got divorced stated it best, "I'm not divorced, I've just been traded." These guidelines are easier said then done. To make the flip side exercise work for you take a small notebook with you everywhere you go and when something goes wrong, write down what went wrong and what is good about it. Try this for a month and you'll find that you're not only thinking this way, but you're enjoying life even more than before.
Count your blessings - Count your blessings, not your worries. Too many times we let every little problem affect us. This causes us to be less productive, less happy and our attitude suffers. For example, if we lose a sale many of us become disappointed and we let the negative energy affect us. To combat this we need to appreciate all our blessings such as family, shelter, friends, our job and others. We then need to put it all in perspective and focus on what is really important in life.
Simplify your life - Make your life simpler and watch your attitude improve. For example, one client of mine was going to fire one of his employees because of his poor attitude. The reason he had a poor attitude was that he had to drive a long distance everyday in terrible traffic. Realizing this may be the problem, the employee moved to a new apartment, which was only 5 minutes from work. Almost immediately, his attitude changed and he was like a new person. Simplify now and you'll see a change for the better.