What's in an Attitude?

The best leaders also have the best attitudes.  These aren’t ‘glass half full’ people; they are the ‘my cup runneth over’ types.

It’s not that they have a Pollyanna view of the world.  Rather they are firmly rooted in reality.

They don’t wear rose coloured glasses.  They see things for what they are.

What differentiates them from others though, is attitude.  I think that it is best understood in these two phrases.

The first is that for these people they live as if ‘there is no tomorrow’.  By this I mean that each day is lived in such a way that only their best is sufficient.  If they never reach tomorrow they will be content being judged on their last day’s efforts. 

They live without regret.  They aspire to be better than the day before. They make mistakes but are not defined by them.  Rather they learn and move on.

The second phrase is this.  They live in the expectation that ‘their best days lie ahead’.

For these people, improvement is continuous.  They believe that the status quo is simply a stepping stone to something better. They will not allow a lack of effort or a poor disposition to compromise their future achievements. 

Having learned from their successes and their failures, their optimism is routinely rewarded by better and better results.  This does not dismiss the possibility of disappointment but the graph will show an ever upward trend.

Both of these attitudes are contagious and combine to create a positive workplace.  Others see the efforts and the expectations leading to results.  

Their ‘buy in’ comes easily.

As a leader you have a responsibility to find the optimism in a challenge and to build a culture of accomplishment.  Hopefully this attitude is not foreign to you.

If, however, you cannot see the value in this type of ‘a better tomorrow’ approach to each day, it may time to step aside.  It’s preferable to have the train pass you by than to have it run over you.