Introduction
Today we are called upon to expect the unexpected. We are called upon to understand a world where change is an ongoing activity. One must remember that change is the only constant thing in this world. The work place is changing. Economic changes on global scale are putting pressure on employers and employees. Also, there is a rapid change in technology used and work has become more challenging and interesting .this change requires new skills, and most importantly the right attitude.
Meaning and Features
Ø Attitude is nothing but the way one thinks and feels about a certain objects, people or idea.
Ø It is the general reaction towards an object.
Ø It is the way you look at your environment and the object in this environment.
Ø It reflects the person’s tendency to feel, think or behave in a positive or negative manner towards the objects.
Ø Attitude translates into a visible action i.e. behavior
Ø It constitutes a psychological phenomenon which cant be directly observed, (observed indirectly by consequences
Ø Attitude generally acquired over a period of time
Why Attitude is Important?
Life is like a rat race in today’s competitive environment we need to keep pace with this environment. But how does one’s attitude come into play? A right attitude has a ripple effect.
Have the right attitude gives the person tremendous satisfaction in whatever he or she does.
This in turn leads to mental peace that is vital to survive in today’s competitive world. Attitude is the first impression one gives to another. Attitudes are evaluative, they reflect a person’s tendency to feel, think or behave in a positive or negative manner towards the object. The negative attitude develops towards a person or an object if the experience is inadequate to the expectation. If the expectations are fulfilled, we usually have positive attitude towards the object or the person.
For example, a student, a hard working and buried in his books scores less than his expectation in the examination and develops a negative attitude towards the subject.
Attitude and Work place
How would you like your work life to be? The answer to this question is “Your Attitude”. Attitude and knowledge both are the weapons to success. Life is full of choices and our attitude change every day, every minute. But if we don’t have the right attitude, the power of knowledge doesn’t work. Attitude changes with the experience. It is more important than fact, the past, education, money, and circumstances. It is more than appearance, talent or skill. It can make or break a company or a home. A right attitude has a ripple effect which gives the person tremendous satisfaction in whatever he or she does.
Positive and negative attitude
A person develops positive attitude if the experience is adequate to the expectation. If the expectations are not fulfilled, we usually have negative attitude towards the object or the person. Can one change his attitude? Yes. If one changes his focus from negative to positive, his attitude will change accordingly. In the same way one can change the attitude of their colleagues and subordinates by showing the , or enabling them to see more of positive than negative incidents.
Right work attitude
We spend most of the day at work therefore it is imperative that we have developed the right work attitude. But how can we develop the, right work attitude’?
- The sense of responsibility & accountability
“Its is not only what we do, but also what we do not do for which we are accountable”
Do not do what you are told to do, but do what needs to be done.
Ø Understanding the job well and claiming responsibility for it.
Ø Positive attitude make us automatically feel accountable and responsible for the allotted job.
Ø Need to know the reason of working in an organization makes a sense of responsibility and accountability. Why am I working here? One question is answered your role in the organization will be clear or it will guide you to understand your role in the organization.
- Accepting the change smoothly
Today, change happen faster than the speed of light. Keeping with the ever changing environment is a constant battle. But it is important to equip ourselves for change. One must remember change is the only constant thing in this world. The change can be in form, can be in procedures, rules or place. The key to success in today’s world is to act to change as quickly as possible. The more you are to change the climb is faster and easy if one observed the life span of any famous personality, in business or in sport. One must understand that their approach towards change is always positive.
Ø Change can be in procedures, rules, and place
Ø To be equipped us for the changing environment.
Ø To act to change as quickly as possible
Ø To cope with change one must
1. Anticipate change
2. Prepare for change
3. Make change for you
4. Understanding others.
- Job involvement and organizational commitment
The degree to which an individual identifies psychologically with his job is known as job involvement. An individual identifies with a particular organization and its goals and feeling proud of being employees of a particular organization is Organizational commitment. Job involvement is how people see their jobs as both a relationship with the working environment, the job itself and how their work and life are commingled. Having low job involvement contributes to employees’ feelings of alienation of purpose, alienation in the organization or feeling of separation between what the employees see as their “life” and the job they do. Work alienation and job involvement are correlated with one another. And the people who are committed for their organizations believe in their organization’s values and goals, exerting effort on behalf of the organization, and desiring to remain with the organization.
- Respecting others in the organization
Everybody needs to be respected. It is only when respect is given, respect can be received. It is the most important part of an individual; hence we need to respect people without judging. Respect is a reciprocal feeling. Respect the person for the knowledge he possesses. Respect can be done through verbal communication, voice and tone and body language.
- Developing criticism to accept criticism
World is divided in two types of people- those who hate us and those who love us. Therefore we received two types of criticism. Criticism can be a teacher in disguise. Either way we can gain lot from criticism if the purpose of criticism is understood correctly, understand the motive behind the criticism and act accordingly. We have to be humble with people around us. Our positive attitude makes US humble. Humbleness creates an approachable personality, an approachable people always in good interpersonal relationship and wins relationship.
- Motivating self and others
One needs to be self motivated to motivate others. How do you motivate yourself? By being ‘positive ‘you can motivate yourself. Let us take the example of a glass which is half filled with water. The glass of water can be interpreted by different people in different ways .some people look at it as half empty. The example teaches or throws light on the fact that your perceptions of yourself either motivate you or de motivate you. Always look at the brighter side of your personality and keep the darker side at the back. Motivating people cannot be done by bulling or treating them like children or deciding for them.
To motivate people, it is important that they
Ø Know what is expected from them,
Ø Offer them help whenever required,
Ø Give them a starter to finish the assigned responsibility, and
Ø Give them feedback at various levels
How to develop right attitude to succeed in the organization
- By developing positive attitude
Ø “A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug”.
Ø Always looking at brighter sides.
Ø A boring or a disinteresting job can be made interesting with the power of a positive attitude to such an extent that one will enjoy thoroughly what he does.
- By having self confidence and self esteem
Self esteem is nothing but an individual respect for him. It has positive correlation with self confidence. A confident person enjoys his work more than a less confident person. Confidence gives the individual courage to do his job differently as well as increases his creativity in doing mundane jobs. High self-confidence helps the individual to sail through any difficult situation.
- By learning through mistakes
“A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing”.
It is human to make mistakes. But the same mistake cannot be reported in today’s corporate fast world. One needs to be alert to understand the mistakes made by him or her and active so that the same mistakes are not repeated. A person can be judged by his sensitivity to others mistakes.
- By having a Vision
“Vision without action is a day dream. Action without vision is a Nightmare”.
A realistic dream decked with a plan is an achievable dream. A dream that has parameters and guidelines of duration, feasibility, etc .Vision are like” Ten Commandments.” the drive to achieve them will improve your outlook towards your goal, although it may be completely achievable. Our vision should be:
Ø Long range
Ø Achievable and sensible.
Ø Something that you have control over
The organization is a platform to cooperate; your achievements translate into cooperative things.
Conclusion
Human beings are the most important assets of any organization. The attitude towards work can be break or make the organization. Right attitude can take the organization to the great level and vice versa .Therefore, it is important to encourage the employees to develop the ‘right’ attitude. This can be done through the periodical meetings or by continuous training and mentoring. Cultivating good general work attitude is crucial if we want to increase our chances of success at work. It is true that employers look for the people with the right skill and knowledge to complete a job. Cultivating a good general work attitude can determine your career success. If we are serious about our career success, then it is time to consider what our attitudes in the workplace are.