Positive Attitude at Workplace

Positive Attitude at Workplace
“Attitudes are usually viewed as evaluative tendencies (favourable or unfavourable) towards a person, thing, event or process. An attitude towards a particular object is thus a bias, predisposing a person towards evaluative is thus a bias, predisposing a person towards evaluative responses that are positive or negative.”- From “Psychology at Work”, Ed.2002 (By Peter Marr)
Employee attitudes have a tremendous impact on the success or failure of an organization. It affects everything from customer service to employee turnover and profits. We can control our attitude and we can also have a positive impact on others in our organization. Distorted Thinking Styles (DTS's)DTS's are customary ways of thinking that eventually cause a misperception of a situation or event. Constant frustration can prompt Distorted Thinking Styles and challenged attitudes. When frustrated, thinking can become increasingly inflexible and may ultimately become distorted. Distorted Thinking Styles could account for 90% of the times you experience frustration.Five Types of Distorted Thinking Styles:Ë Magnifying: Magnifying turns the consequences of an event into a catastrophe such as, "I'm going to be fired."Ë Destructive Labeling: This is an extreme form of over-generalization, making someone or a particular situation totally negative.Ë Imperative Thinking: Think of this as a list of inflexible rules about how you and others should act ­ usually based on negative past experiences.Ë Mind Reading: This attributes to motives that explain other people's actions toward a person or event.Ë Divide and Conquer: This happens because of over-magnification and wanting others to support a particular position. People who have DTS's have a tendency to garner support, usually creating a division within ranks or groups. Challenged Attitude Examples: The following are actual examples I have heard from people who suffer from challenged attitudes and DTS's:
It's not my job.
But I have a college degree.
The other department should have taken care of it.
I have new responsibilities now so I can't do it.
It won't work.
It can't be done.
They won't like it.
You didn't consult with us first.
My pay scale is less than the national average.
Those other employees make a huge amount of money.
Because I don't make more, I'm going to punish my team by only giving 50%.
I just want to draw a check until something better comes along.
My perception is different than the companies.
They make more money than I do.
I am considered a bottom feeder.
I did the research ­
I should make more money.
There is too much change.
Nothing stays the same.
I have no incentives.
I want higher pay.
I can't advance because of a political environment.
I hope to get fired so I can collect unemployment.
As you can see, huge challenges are faced not only by the people that spoke these words, yet in the same spirit, corporations are challenged to find ways to help their employees or staffs have an environment that is positive and empowering.Positive attitudes lead to: W Resilience – Bouncing back from adversities is quicker and easier if you view failure as a learning experience and look for new approaches, rather than blaming yourself or others and thinking that the task is too hard or the world is unfair.W Optimism – Success, longevity and happiness are all by-products of optimism. With an optimistic attitude, you will see yourself as being able to influence the world and will carry a flame of hope that enables you to take risks and accept failure.W Confidence – Confidence stems from optimism. If you are confident, you believe in your own abilities and think you have the ability to impact your environment. Your confidence remains steady during setbacks, because you see them merely as challenges, and are ready to take new risks.W Creativity – Positive attitudes are at the heart of innovation, because it takes a risk to try something different. Without confidence and hope, you would not attempt a new idea.W Conflict Resolution - If you pause and think, you can probably think of dozens of examples of where differing attitudes have caused problems or conflict in your personal and professional relationships. Conflict arises because we expect everyone to have the same attitude as ourselves. But, with a positive attitude you can build your empathy and can more readily see how other people think and feel.W Emotional Intelligence – Once you have the attitude, you will find your emotional intelligence moving into overdrive. This will enable you to better manage and express your emotions and understand others.W Achievement Drives – The attitude of achievement, i.e. the will to get results, enables you to set challenging goals, take calculated risks and learn how to improve performance.W Motivation – Surveys show that most people’s motivation in their job comes from stimulation and challenge – the chance to learn. Bringing an optimistic attitude to the workplace will create a culture of innovation. The creativity and stimulation of ideas will keep you and your workforce motivated and keen to learn.W Focus – If you are focused, you are committed to tasks, take responsibility for them and are able to align your goals with the company’s goals.Remember In the workplace a positive attitude will prepare you for reaching peak performance, while creating a can-do culture.