Kazira

Please allow me let you into a carefully guarded secret - Your attitude is probably going to be the single most important factor in determining how your career will shape up. Whether or not you will be successful in your professional endeavors depends a great deal upon your disposition to people, events, and things in your life. Dictionary.com defines attitude as "a state of mind or a feeling appropriate to or expressive of an action, emotion, etc.".

A lot of people are sadly misconceived that getting a break in one's profession is all about how much knowledge and skills they possess. Their resumes reek of pages and pages of certifications, experiences, and technical skills. This typically helps them get the job but then, a few years later, they wonder why they are still stuck in the same position or why their career is not progressing at a fast enough pace. They are usually the ones who have resolutions to the complex issues. They are great at putting together quality documents and deliverables. They are the ones who always get their work done on time. Despite all this, those step-up opportunities somehow seem to elude them! What could they be doing wrong?

Odds are that their lack-of or negative or wrong attitude has been the spoil-sport and the un-desired stumbling block in their path to professional glory. They have invested in all the rights things when it comes to acquiring job-related knowledge and skills, which will help them do their responsibilities in the most optimal manner. But where they have lacked is in building and demonstrating a set of character and behavioral traits that are much desired and sought out in step-up candidates and leaders. It's the combination of character and capabilities that defines an individual, but always remember, it's the former that gets more weightage in the equation of professional success.

Let's now take a few minutes to talk about what constitutes a desired, positive, right, and winning attitude. What is it that set's the winners apart from the losers? What is it that the other person is doing that is getting them all the right breaks even though he/she is not as capable as me? Like I said earlier, your attitude is about your outlook. How does your mind, body, and soul react to the variety of situations and scenarios your professional and personal life presents to you? For example, how do you behave in a situation of crisis? Do you step-up and take the lead in resolving the crisis? Or do you shun away from it? Are you a team player? Are you good at gauging the sense of urgency in any given situation? How passionate are you about your job? How persistent are you when it comes to driving closure on tasks, initiatives, and pursuits? And the list goes on and on.

Individuals with the right attitude possess, amongst other things, the following traits -

1. They are the "can-do" types

2. They are the "big-picture" types

3. They believe in sharing (Eg. knowledge they possess) and collaborating

4. They always put forth potential solutions for the issues they identify

5. If in a sticky situation, they always give it their best (i.e. 100%) before asking for help

6. They thrive on challenges and adversity

7. They are the "team-player" types

8. They never shun from responsibilities

9. They are humble and acknowledge when they are wrong or do not have an answer to a question

10. They are respectful of other people's opinions

Attitude comes across in your behavior, the way you speak, at those times when you choose not to speak, the way you dress, and in your body language. Let me give you another example, one that I believe will really drive this point home. The importance and significance of attitude is front and center when one looks at sports. Playing and winning in a sport, specially at the professional and world level, is all about attitude. Most of the players, no matter what sport you take, are at par when it comes to skills and capabilities. But what really determines who stays and who goes is the player's or team's attitude. I wrote, at length, about the lessons from the recently concluded Super Bowl. Eli Manning and the New York Giants brought an attitude to the finals such that the New England Patriots could not stop them. That is what set them apart from their competition and that is what it takes to be declared a champion.

To conclude this posting, I recall a banner that I read outside of a soccer club's training/coaching facility. It is something that I believe applies to a typical, Fortune 500 organization's hiring philosophy. The banner read -

We teach skills. We recruit attitude.

 

Note: Photo Credit