I know for sure that this hasn’t always been the case.
My parents and grandparents did not see “positive attitude” as a skill. It was something you had, or faked, while at work. You didn’t question it because it was a given. You either showed up with it, or you got sent home to find it!
I’m now seriously hearing from hiring managers who say the only skill they desire from a candidate is someone with a “positive attitude!”
“No, Tim! I don’t need someone who can do the job. We can show them that part. I just need someone who actually shows up to work and seems to like being here — working, making money, helping the company, our customers, and their fellow employees.”
By the way, these aren’t $12 an hour jobs. These are professional, you can make a good living, with benefits and retirement and manage people, level jobs! Career level jobs!
Here is all anyone really has to do today to get hired by, keep, and have a long successful career at most companies:
1 + 2 +3 + 4 + 5 = a great career and multiple employee awards!
Yet, most people in the world can’t even come close to meeting the expectations I’ve listed out above. Not. Even. Close.
Positive attitude is not a skill. It’s a basic human trait that all of your employees should have. If they don’t, please give them the gift of finding this “skill” while working for another employer.
Also, don’t give me some crap about having a bad day. Everyone has bad days, weeks, months and even years. It doesn’t change the fact that you need to show up to work and put on a positive front.
Look, I don’t care if its real or fake, and no one else does either! Just do it.
Here’s a little secret: None of know that you’re faking being positive, and even if we did, we really don’t care! We simply like hanging around positive people more than negative people.
Attitude is not a skill. I refuse to allow it to be!
This was originally published on Tim Sackett’s blog, The Tim Sackett Project.