THE IMPORTANCE OF ATTITUDE TO ORGANISATIONS #

                 

Have you ever wondered why some individuals, organisations- or countries are more successful than more effectively. They do so by investing in their most valuable asset—people.I have spoken to executives in major organisations internationally and asked them a question: “If you had a magic wand and there was one thing you could change that would make you more productive, what would it be?” Their answers were unanimous. They said they would like to change their people’s attitudes. With better attitudes people would be better team players, cut down on waste, quality & bottom line would go up. In general,their company would be a great place to work in.Experience has shown that human resources are the most valuable asset. People are more valuable than capital or equipment. Unfortunately, human resources are also the most wasted of resources.

 * FACTORS THAT DETERMINE OUR ATTITUDE *

Let me ask you: Are we born with attitudes or do we develop them as we mature? What are the factors that form our attitudes? Can attitudes be changed? Most of our attitudes were shaped during our formative years. While we were born with tendencies toward temperaments, there are three factors that largely determine our attitude formation. These are the triple E’s of attitude :-

1. Environment.

2. Experience.

3. Education.

Let’s evaluate each of these factors individually. 

* Environment *

Environment consists of the following :--

• Home environment: positive or negative influences start rubbing off on all family members.
• School environment: peer pressure
• Work environment: supportive or over-critical environment.
• Social environment: media, television, newspapers,  magazines, radio, movies etc. What is socially acceptable or unacceptable, starts influencing our attitude.
• Economic environment: abject poverty—Can you teach values on an empty stomach?
• Religious environment: Many times, either interpretation or misinterpretation of religion makes people fatalistic.
• Political environment All these environments create a culture. Every place—be  it a home, organisation or a country—has a culture or lack of it, even lack of it is a culture. For example, if you go to a shop you may find the sales person polite, the supervisor polite, manager polite, the owner polite. You go to another shop and you find the salesperson rude, supervisor rude, manager rude and the owner rude. There is a culture running. Similarly, if you go to a home and you find the kids are courteous, so are the parents, even the help is  polite. You go to another home, you may find the kids are  fighting like cats and dogs, so are the parents, even the help is rude. There is another culture running. Culture in any place always goes top down, never bottom up. In countries where there is political uncertainty, people stop thinking long term, they start thinking short term. Their objective becomes to fleece everybody and fill their pockets today, because if their pockets are full today, they will be more prepared to face the uncertainties of tomorrow.

*Experiences * 

Events and experiences in life determine our attitude. If we have a positive experience with a person, our attitude towards him is likely to be positive and conversely negative experiences tend to make us cautious. Experiences and events become reference points in our lives and we draw conclusions which serve as guidelines for the future. I teach my grandson to tell the truth. If he sees me lying, he gets somewhat confused initially, because he hears one thing and experiences something else. He draws his own conclusions based on his experience which become his reference points going forward in life.

 * Education * 

Holistic education ought to teach us not only how to make a living but also how to live. Education refers to both formal and informal education.We are drowning in information but starving for knowledge and wisdom. Strategically applied, knowledge translates into wisdom which in turn translates into success.The role of the educator is vital. A teacher affects eternity. The ripple effect is immeasurable.

# HOW DO YOU RECOGNISE PEOPLE WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE?

Just as the absence of ill health does not equal good  health, similarly the absence of negativity does not make a person positive. Just as the absence of ill health does not equal good health, similarly the absence of negativity does not make a person positive.