Wrapping up our section on attitude, we would be remiss to neglect the impact of your reaction on those around you. Your attitude has a major influence on the way in which you react to various situations. If you have a bad attitude, you are more likely to escalate bad situations by having a harsh or aggressive reaction to what is said or done to you. A good attitude can keep you more level-headed and allow you to make an appropriate reaction to whatever scenario arises. 

Think about a time in which you reacted inappropriately. I don’t want you to think of a time when someone attacked you out of nowhere or revealed something that completely changed your understanding of something. When people catch you off guard with a major shift in conversation, it is normal to have a reaction that is different from your normal type of reaction. Think of a time when someone did something to you within reason to their normal behavior and you had a disproportionate reaction. Likely, the main reason for your adverse reaction would be that you were not in the right mood or did not have the right attitude at that moment to deal with that situation. A good generic example is when you are not feeling good and you are falling behind on something. If a friend or colleague neutrally asks you about the progress of the project you are behind on, you might snap at them because you are feeling bad about that topic. 

While you can get away, to an extent, with doing something like the above scenario to a friend or family member, you really should not bring that kind of unmeasured reaction to the workplace. As a leader, if you were to do something like that to someone who worked for you, you could seriously damage that relationship. Repeated unnecessary negative reactions from a leader can create a toxic work environment in which people frequently leave their job after short stints of working for that company. It also fosters distrust from your employees. 

Looking at the other side of this situation, as a leader, your positive reactions can completely transform your workforce. Unexpected, or extra positive reactions from a boss can empower employees to believe in their ideas and take additional action. It can also instill loyalty within your employees allowing you to retain great talent when you find it. You never know when someone who works for you is really overwhelmed or insecure about their job. Surprising them with positive reactions and encouragement can completely change the way in which they view their job. 

I truly believe that attitude is one of the most important factors of leadership. Leaders have a huge responsibility to set the tone of an organization. The speech about attitude that I referenced last week says that attitude has the power to make or break a company, a church, or a home. I believe that to be true, and that attitude comes from the top. If you are not in charge of your own attitude, you need to fix that. It is one of the most impactful parts of leadership that we have discussed so far. Take time and work on your attitude today.

-          Bria