Posts Tagged ‘behavior’
Thursday, May 27th, 2010
Attitudes determine the way we treat people. They affect the way we perceive change. They influence our ability to set and reach goals. Attitudes affect our ability to realize and progress through Maslow’s levels of need satisfaction (http://www.abraham-maslow.com/). The following sequence may help you see the significance of attitudes.
Results: Each of us as goal seekers want to achieve certain results from our lives.
Behavior: The results we get depend upon our behavior, how we react to situations.
Attitude: The results we get depend upon our behavior and attitudes toward the people or events involved, and toward ourselves.
If attitudes are basically negative, goals will be set low, and it will be difficult to progress. Growth and promotion will be all but impossible until a positive mindset is developed.
You can identify people with negative attitudes by their actions and by their reactions. When presented with a challenge their focus will be on problems: what can’t be done, and why things won’t work. Their discussions will often revolve around negative issues and blame. They do not respond well to compliments and will even discount them. However, they remember every one of their failures and mistakes, and this memory stifles much of their activity. They are usually part of the problem not part of the solution.
If attitudes are basically positive, individuals will focus on possibilities and ideas for improvement. This will be evident in the way they treat people. They will be very comfortable giving others credit, and their transactions will be directed at making others feel better about themselves. They accept both constructive criticism and compliments with open consideration and appreciation. They are regularly part of the solution and rarely part of the problem.
It is important to understand that attitudes are developed very early in life. Years and years of early conditioning helped to develop the attitudes that many people carry with them throughout life. Much of early conditioning was negative, what you can’t do, where not to go, etc. For the most part, negative attitudes are far more prevalent than positive attitudes. Too many people think more often of what’s wrong, how they might fail, and why it won’t work rather than what’s good, what’s right, and how it can work.
On the positive side, since attitudes are developed, they can be changed. In fact, as a leader, you will frequently find yourself in a position to help people develop positive attitudes. The first step is understanding that what took years to develop will also require some time and effort to change. Daily encouragement is important. Positive input on a daily basis will help to replace some of the negative attitudes with positive ones. Audio books, articles, brainstorming sessions, affirmations, and seminars are some techniques you can employ to create positive input.
There are many ways and opportunities to create a learning organization with a focus on positive attitudes and possibility thinkers. Recognition programs, leadership opportunities, personal mentoring, and corporate coaching (http://www.resourceassociatescorp.com/whatwedo/lifebuscoach) are but a few ways to help your team develop the appropriate attitudes focused on goal achievement. One of the vital contributions a leader can make is instilling the desire and creating the opportunity for continuous improvement.
Tammy A.S. Kohl is President of Resource Associates Corporation. For over 30 years, RAC has specialized in helping businesses achieve sustainable results through leadership development and executive coaching. For information on creating a leadership succession plan visit www.resourceassociatescorp.com or contact RAC directly at 800.799.6227.
Tags: Attitudes, behavior, Coaching, goal achievement, Leadership, Maslow, RAC, Resource Associates Corporation, results, success
Posted in Attitudes | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
Many studies document the Boomer exodus from business and industry.
Albeit some Boomers may be reevaluating their time line based on the economic changes, but there is no question that a high percentage of the 77.5 million Boomers will be vacating corporate America in the next five years. (Study conducted by AARP-2008)
56% of business and industries’ Boomer population hold leadership positions. Conversely, there are only 46 Million Gen X and Gen Y’s to take the place of those vacating Boomers. These numbers reflect why business and industry need to be so concerned about brain drain and develop a strategy to combat it.
A recent report conducted by OI Partners state that 54% of companies surveyed said they did not have enough qualified candidates working for them to succeed their executives and managers and 14% weren’t sure if they have enough leadership successors in place. The survey included responses from 212 primarily large and mid-sized employers throughout North America.
The luxury of time is gone. Organizations must get prepared and begin implementing a leadership succession plan. Having prepared leaders at all levels of an organization is a management strategy and a competitive business advantage. Organizations achieve sustainability and growth through their leadership and the quality of that leadership. The important skills necessary to lead a company to succeed in the upcoming years will be different. In addition to being able to lead people, new leaders will need to plan strategically, inspire commitment, and manage unyielding change. However, to be an effective leader takes much more than skill. It also requires the appropriate attitudes and behaviors. There are many tactical skills of leadership, but without the appropriate attitudes and behaviors, the skills are almost meaningless. We talked in a previous post about how actions speak louder than words. It is difficult to inspire commitment in a team when the leader’s body language, tone of voice, and behaviors reflect something entirely different. Managing change becomes very difficult if a leader’s attitude is “this too shall pass.” In order to manage unyielding change a leader needs to be aggressive, innovative, and responsive. And yes, it takes certain skills to be aggressive, innovative, and creative, but success in these areas requires the right attitude equally as much as the right skills.
In working with clients to develop their leadership bench strength we have found the following formula works extremely well:
In order for your business to achieve Improved Results (IR) there needs to be Positive Behavior Change (PBC). We have found a successful way to achieve Positive Behavior Change (PBC) by customizing a process unique to the client that addresses the needed Attitudes, Behaviors, and Skills (ASK) combined with a Goal Accomplishment (Goals) model that drives Positive Behavior Change (PBC) which leads to measurable and improved results.
As your organization develops future leaders for your organization, you need to ensure there is a solid base of leadership skills is important. What attitudes and behaviors do you want people in leadership roles to exhibit? What messages do you want them to send when they are not talking? What example do you want them to set when no one is officially watching? To identify a true leader, observe his/her behavior and attitude as it will tell you a great deal more than an evaluation of their skills.
Tammy A.S. Kohl is President of Resource Associates Corporation. For over 30 years, RAC has specialized in helping businesses achieve sustainable results through management consulting, strategic planning, leadership development, and executive coaching, and youth leadership. For information on creating a leadership succession plan visit www.resourceassociatescorp.com or contact RAC directly at 800.799.6227.
Tags: AARP, attitude, behavior, Boomers, Change, commitment, gen x, gen y, improved results, leadership succession, RAC, Resource Associates Corporation, success
Posted in Business Management | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 18th, 2009
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” ~ Maya Angelou
We are in the midst of some very interesting times that carry with them a bit of chaos and a bit of uncertainty. You only have to look to national news to find proof of our ever-changing country and world. Gas prices have hit an all time high, the economy has been rocked with recent turmoil, and the 2008 presidential election campaign journey never failed to surprise, amaze, and for some voters even disappoint.
As you talk with people about the state of the union or listen to any newsanchor, the comments do not reflect a very rosy picture. Our individual frustration is further compounded by the belief system that “ … there is nothing I can do about it.” This is where I believe that Ms. Angelou hit the nail on the head. These universal issues are tough to change by one individual; however, if you can’t change it, then change your attitude. Learn to embrace the changes and do so by changing your attitude toward them.
Highly successful people exhibit an impeccable attitude of positive behavior and they do not let anything stand in their way—circumstances they control or circumstances beyond their control. Attitude is a state of mind and if you are focusing your life on the negative, you will experience negative results. Focusing your attitude on the positive will naturally force you to take positive action, and positive action will lead to far better outcomes. Take some of the bigger issues we see in the news today. As a “power of one” you may not be able to change the price of gas, but you can trade in the gas guzzling SUV you own for a more affordable and fuel efficient hybrid. You may be affected by the economic conditions, but you can combat them and strengthen your financial position by staying within your family’s budget and by not overspending or overextending through credit cards.
Your attitude plays a role in everything that you do from the your interaction with our global community, to your business, and to the people that surround you daily—your peers, clients, family, and community members. Do you want to be known as the highly successful person who exhibits an impeccable attitude of positive behavior or the neighbor, dad, wife, husband, mother, or business owner that exhibits an attitude of chaos and uncertainty? With whom would you want to interact, with whom would you want to do business? It is fairly obvious, most people would say they want to be the highly successful and recognized individual, but saying it and doing it are two entirely different things … actions speak so much louder than words.
Here are ten questions that if answered honestly will denote whether your actions reflect an attitude of a highly successful individual or if your actions represent the doom and gloom of your local newsanchor, the neighborhood pessimist, or an unsuccessful business owner. Take a moment and address each statement with one of the following answers.
No, I do not do this.
Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t, or
Yes, I do this consistently.
And remember, honesty counts!
- I take full responsibility for how my day turns out.
- I am confident that I can succeed at whatever I do as long as I simply take the right actions.
- I spend time visualizing tremendously rewarding success instead of picturing failure.
- I maintain a positive expectation of every action I take.
- I look for the best in every situation and the opportunity in every problem.
- I focus more of my time on seeking solutions rather than staying absorbed in the problem.
- I see myself as someone who is capable, enthusiastic, and committed.
- I speak in a positive, powerful, and uplifting manner.
- I persist with passion until I succeed at whatever I do.
- I embrace change, and love to learn and grow from new ideas and experiences.
If you answered yes to every one of the ten statements, congratulations, you are a highly successful person that exhibits an impeccable attitude of positive behavior and success. However, if you had to answer just one question with sometimes or no then you have room to grow, work, and develop.
This will shock no one. Change is here to stay. The things that are changing around us today will be fixed, repaired, modified, and replaced by other changes in the future. The only thing that is guaranteed is change will continue to accelerate and come at us faster and faster. However, the key to successfully navigating change is determining the focus of your attitude!
The choice is yours so choose your attitude wisely!
Tammy A.S. Kohl is President of Resource Associates Corporation. For over 30 years, RAC has specialized in business and management consulting, leadership development, executive coaching and youth leadership. For more information visit www.resourceassociatescorp.com or contact RAC directly at 800.799.6227.
Tags: attitude, behavior, Change, positive, results, success, Successful
Posted in Attitudes | 1 Comment »
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