In spite of all that’s been written and preached, the subject of Attitude is hardly a tired one.  What is trite, may be the message that everyone needs to change, alter, improve, and refine their attitudes.  It is trite perhaps only because we hear the warnings and directives so often. 

Seldom offered are the tools, guidance, insight, and support (the how-to’s) necessary to help make positive attitudes happen . . . 

     Because Attitude is the result of choice, and most people are presumed capable of choosing the type of attitude they desire, practical discussions and solutions of how to best affect a change in attitude tend to be overlooked or purposefully ignored. 

     To establish or re-establish a positive productive approach to what we do each day, we need to start the process with some hard-nosed self-assessment.  First, we must sort through the issues that require immediate and priority attention in our lives, and separate the business from the personal.  Next, separate negative from positive business issues, and negative from positive personal issues.  View the problem areas as opportunities and take action steps that support this perspective.  Remember that change is only threatening when it happens to you, but that it’s an opportunity when you do it for yourself!

     So, start with your SELF.  Determine how you physically evidence upset feelings.  Do you clench your fists?  Does your face get flushed?  Do your jaw and neck muscles tighten?  Do you raise your voice?  What is the result when you react instead of respond to a situation?

     In his decades-old book, What They Don’t Teach You At Harvard Business School, author Mark McCormack notes that if you can act, you don;t have to re-act.  If you don’t react, you will never overreact.  You will be the controller rather than the controlee.

     Once you’ve figured out your “reaction trigger,” concentrate on it.  Be doubly aware of how you’re appearing to others and work at reversing it.  If you normally scowl at bad news, try smiling instead.  One “Fortune 500” CEO used to yell when he got upset, and all he accomplished was to upset others.  Now he whispers instead and his people pay closer attention to him.  They tend to respond instead of react, and feel less threatened.  As a result, they perform more effectively, and the company is more successful.  More of this Attitude stuff is on the way.  Stay tuned.                   halalpiar