Attitude is Everything

Attitude is a subject that comes up quite frequently; sometimes it’s the manager’s attitude that is being discussed and sometimes it is an employee’s attitude that is being cussed….er, discussed. In either case, the bottom line is simple: attitude is everything.

Let’s start from the beginning. We can easily acknowledge that both employees and managers make mistakes. Sometimes they even demonstrate poor judgment. If it happens enough times, either can lose their job as a result. I would add that managers, in particular, must learn to be forthcoming about their errors, and offer up apologies when they fail in some way, or their employees won’t trust them.

However, I’m not talking about “making mistakes”, but rather how someone reacts to mistakes. How you react when you are asked about a mistake. How you act the rest of the day (and tomorrow) after you are confronted about a mistake. When discussing attitude, it really doesn’t matter if we’re talking about you, the manager, or one of your employees. If your attitude is sour, or you frequently become negative, surly, pessimistic, or otherwise hard to get along with on the job, you have got to go. Whether manager or employee, it doesn’t matter – you either change, or you’ve got to go, for the sake of the team.

In the fall of 2006, Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeff Lurie spoke about his experiences with the notoriously temperamental Terrell Owens, whom he had dismissed from the team:

“I would not do it again,” Lurie said Wednesday in his annual state-of-the-team address. “You look back on it – one year great, the second year a disaster. Nobody should be able to be as disruptive and really cut the energy of the team down.”

“I think we all learned from that.”

During his first year in Philadelphia, Owens helped the Eagles reach their first Super Bowl since the 1980 season. But he was a major disruption throughout last season. The Eagles endured a dismal, injury-plagued 6-10 season, and Owens’ tenure in Philadelphia ended bitterly.

He signed on with the Dallas Cowboys, one of the Eagles’ main rivals in the NFC East.

“If you don’t have the chemistry, the talent and the help, with high-character people, you’re not going to survive those downturns in the middle of the season,” Lurie said.

A great player. A disaster for the team. Without question, even a great employee can be a significant disruption to the company if he or she has a bad attitude. It is not uncommon to find employees with loads of talent that create incredible turmoil within an organization with their negativity and self-centered behavior.

• They blame others instead of accepting responsibility.

• They sulk and complain.
• They make other employees “walk on eggshells”, who, in turn, try desperately to lighten the mood.
• They criticize everyone – customers, managers, employees, vendors.
• They don’t apologize for failure – there is always a “reason” why they failed, and it wasn’t their fault.

The old adage says, “One rotten apple will spoil the whole barrel.” You better believe it. I don’t care how good the employee is, if they make everyone else miserable, you will eventually pay a huge price for keeping them on board. Unfortunately, many managers are unwilling to confront “problem” employees and, as a result, the whole team (company, department, etc.) suffers.

Wise up. Learn from Jeff Lurie’s experience and make character a critical and necessary requirement for working on your team. If you allow an employee with a bad attitude to stay on your team, it sends a message loud and clear to the rest of your employees.

I’m not sure you will like what it says.