Wednesday, October 16th, 2013

3 Ways to Know You Need an Attitude Adjustment

The buzzing insect rested lightly on my mother’s forehead. From the corner of his keen eye, Daddy noticed the blood thirsty culprit and decided to make his move. Reaching to grab the hat from his head, Daddy laid to rest the insect that had irritated my mother the better part of the afternoon. My mother’s six legged annoyance was gone, but in its place she now had a screaming headache and a knot on her forehead,… both resulting from the whack of the camera that my daddy had forgotten was hanging around his wrist as he did war with the little pest. Daddy swiftly apologized, put his arm around my mother’s shoulders, and then grinned ever so mischievously as he whispered words intended to cut the tension of the moment…”Sorry, honey, I just thought you needed an attitude adjustment!”

While that fateful day yielded an unintentional and unwarranted attitude adjustment in my sweet mother, there are times in one’s life when a true attitude adjustment is indeed in order. Three ways to know you might need an attitude adjustment:

1.  If you find yourself more concerned about your personal glory than the success of others around you, you may need an attitude adjustment.  Humility is a mark of a true leader, and the best leaders realize that their primary responsibility and privilege is to serve the organization and people around them.

2.  If you awake to face the day with dread and gloom clouding your view, you may need an attitude adjustment.  If you expect the worst, you will likely get the worst.  Visualize yourself winning the race, closing the deal, getting a good review from your boss….determine to make the day a good one and go forth with positive expectations.

3.  If you look for the worst from people, you may need an attitude adjustment.  Sure, sometimes people disappoint us, fall short of expectations, or do stupid things, but don’t we all missed the mark occasionally?  Encourage others to excel and set them up for success.   Expect the best and you will likely receive the best.

Bad attitudes are like annoying insects…they buzz around our heads, distract us from the task at hand, and can take a nasty bite out of an otherwise good day. May we see bad attitudes for what they are…and swat them dead in their tracks!

Filed under: Blog Entry, Self Leadership