Attitude Isn’t Everything, But It’s Way Up There!

I once worked for a “boss” in the restaurant business that was the worst! His attitude brought down the entire team. He was rude, obnoxious, and judgmental. He believed that everyone underneath him was, “less than qualified, and we were lucky to have him as our leader.” Frankly, we would have been better motivated by an angry bear than by this guy. He was no “leader.” He was only a “boss” giving unclear and harsh commands.

Related: The Powerful Effects of Demoralizing Leadership

And here is the worst part, this man actually had the skills and knowledge needed to do the job. The issue wasn’t his skill, it was his attitude!

Attitude Isn’t Everything, But It’s Way Up There!

The attitude of a leader sets the stage for the success of the team. If you walk in tired and uninspired, then you have made a statement to everyone in your office. A negative, possibly infectious statement.

If you come in pumped and ready to work hard and have a lot of fun, then your team will be ready to do the same!

It is important for the owner to set the example for the company every day. It is not an easy task, but it will make a world of difference in the attitude of everyone in your business.

A great attitude will also help spread the word about how awesome it is to work at your company. (Which drives recruiting and leads me to remind you that at this year’s Service World Expo, Todd Liles is going to be speaking on the topic of Recruiting World Class Talent. The event is October 16th through the 18th. His presentation will be October 17th from 3:15pm to 4pm. I hope that you will join him as he unpacks these six key points to recruiting and retaining world-class talent.)

The best part about attitude is that it is a choice. Every day you are able to choose to be positive or negative. The first step that many motivational speakers will address, is change your attitude and you can change your situation. This is why it is critically important for the owner of the business to have a positive attitude, treat everyone with respect, and model behavior that they expect of their employees. Modeling a positive attitude for employees is an unspoken way of setting expectations. It shows your employees how to conduct themselves on a daily basis.

While attitude starts with the owner, it is just as important that the rest of the company follows suit. Our attitude affects not only those within in the company, but also our customers. If our employees are not positive and have a great attitude, it is almost impossible for our customers to have a positive experience.

Check out the upcoming Managers Series

How many of you have been to a restaurant, retail store, or any business and dealt with an employee that had a happy, energetic attitude? They were genuinely happy to be at work. It makes you feel good, doesn’t it?

Now, think about a time when you had to deal with the opposite. An employee that was grumpy, rude, short and had no interest in giving you a positive experience? That makes you start to wonder what type of company that person works for, how are they treated as an employee, or why are they still employed? Regardless it’s not a positive experience for the consumer.

That is why Attitude isn’t everything, but it’s dang close!

Today’s post is from a blog that Brandon Cockrell wrote for Comanche Marketing.

If you want training that will help your managers, check out the Manager’s Series