Simply put, your attitude is the state of mind you present to the world. To succeed in the workplace, the sum of the factors that comprise your attitude must be positive, so it pulls you forward on your path to success. In my experience, a positive outlook helps leaders attain the improbable on a regular basis, both from themselves and through others. At a minimum, it will help you get through those inevitable times when everything looks dark and seems difficult. When interviewing workplace superstars for upcoming books, something that used to surprise me (but doesn’t anymore) is with rare exception, they think positively. They’ve discovered a little secret—when your reach exceeds your grasp, you can accomplish amazing things with a positive attitude. I’ve interviewed many leaders who … [Read more...]
Trusting Your Skills: The Value of Unquestioning Faith in Your Abilities
"A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals." -- Larry Bird American basketball player. I’ve observed that many of the most successful people in the business world are so absolutely confident in themselves and everything they do that they can come across as brash and cocky. Think of people like Richard Branson, Donald Trump, and Bill Gates. They take to heart the axiom formulated by John Eliot, author of the book Overachievement, who pointed out: "The best in every business do what they have learned to do without questioning their abilities—they flat out trust their skills." Eliot, a highly-regarded psychologist, focuses on cultivating self-confidence as one means of what I … [Read more...]
Undeniable Competence: How to Be Superb at What You Do
"No human being will work hard at anything unless they believe that they are working for competence." -- William Glasser, American psychiatrist. "Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, 'Certainly I can!' Then get busy and find out how to do it." -- Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States. Competence. These three syllables mean everything in business, art, and industry alike, embodying as they do an individual's overall capability as a practitioner of their chosen field. Like the older terms "able seaman" or "journeyman," competence signifies an individual's capacity to handle all aspects of a particular job, and even in our overhyped world remains something to be proud of. Yet competence is a moving target, since it doesn't always translate from one task to … [Read more...]