AFE May/June 2012 : Page 15

BUILDING YOUR SUCCESS With a Positive Attitude BY A.S. MIGS DAMIANI, CPE our attitude makes all the diff erence in how you approach your work, how hard you work, and ultimately, how successful you are. Everyone wants to be successful; however, very few people become truly successful. Look around you and name people and organizations that you consider successful and you will fi nd that they all credit attitude, not aptitude, as the signifi cant diff erence behind their success. By the time a person reaches age 18 he or she has heard the words “no,” “can’t” and “don’t” more than 148,000 times. We live in a negative, “cat-kicking” world. Ninety percent of the input in our minds is negative, and coincidentally 90 percent of us expect to do poorly. Th at makes it easier for individuals with positive attitudes to rise to the level of their expectations and to do well in life. People get in life what they expect. Y Ways to Become Positive 1. SMILE 2. GREET PEOPLE ENTHUSIASTICALLY Appear as if you are happy to see them. Know their names and respond after they ask, “How are you doing?” with “Terriﬁ c, but I’m getting better” or “Great, but I’ll get better.” The Importance of a Positive Attitude Positive attitude is the result of new think-ing — believing in yourself, focusing on successes, learning from failure and surrounding yourself with people who share your values, principles and thinking. Many successful people credit at-titude — not aptitude — for their success. Th is is supported by many studies that show that: ■ 85 percent of why you got your job, why you keep your job, and why you get promoted is positive attitude ■ 98 percent of why people get fi red is bad at-titude ■ 68 percent of why customers change vendors and contractors is bad attitude Th e American Society for Quality Control (ASQC) warns that the emphasis on good service has increased so much of late that, “Unless a cus-tomer is completely satisfi ed — to the point of be-ing positively delighted and being willing to brag about the product or service rendered — there exists great potential for market damage and future trouble for the company.” 3. ASSOCIATE WITH POSITIVE PEOPLE Stay away from toxic people who will drag you down to their level. Many of America’s companies now train their people in attitude. Th ey have found that change in management attitude is a key to improving a com-pany’s performance. Attitude refl ects values, which is what drives and organizes people. It is what a company/department/individual stands for; it is what people believe in. It is crucial to competitive success. Success is not measured against others. It is based on what you could have done with what you’ve got. Success is saying, “Today, I’m going to give it my best shot,” and knowing at the end of the day that you have done your best. Our attitude, positive or negative, is a refl ec-tion of what we believe and value, which comes from the way we think. Norman Vincent Peale said, “Change the way you think, and you can change the world.” Nothing positive can be ac-complished without thinking positively. Change what goes into your mind and you can change your attitude. Associate with positive people, lis-ten to motivational tapes, and read lots of success stories. Th ese ideas will help open your mind to new ways of thinking and a positive attitude. Success = Aptitude + Attitude Once we are aware and have a complete under-standing that a positive attitude is absolutely essential in order to reach our goals, we will develop and reinforce our attitudes. Everything begins as an attitude — including quality, leader-ship and communication — before it becomes a skill. It isn’t easy being optimistic every day of your life, but it is important that your employees perceive you as being inspiring and continually looking aft er their interests. All too oft en people condition themselves into a stifl ing pool of “mediocrity” because they don’t have positive expectations of themselves. Lead-ers are expected to raise their own expectations and the expectations of others. With a positive attitude, you are more likely to make better deci-sions because positive thinking opens up your mind and off ers new options. FEJ 4. CHANGE THE INPUT IN YOUR MIND Put only the positive in your mind. 5. THINK We become what we think about. 6. PRACTICE THE 3 R’s OF MANAGEMENT (Recognize, Reward and Reinforce) Look for the good in all people and constantly practice the 3 R’s. 7. USE SYMBOLS I wear a small, golden attitude pin on my coat lapel, which reminds me to always have a positive attitude. 8. LOOK FOR THE GOLD IN OTHERS When you do, you will always ﬁ nd some in you. May | June 2012 ■ Facilities Engineering Journal ■ www.AFE.org 15

Building Success

A.S. Migs Damiani

Begin at the Beginning With a Positive Attitude Your attitude makes all the difference in how you approach your work, how hard you work, and ultimately, how successful you are. Everyone wants to be successful; however, very few people become truly successful. Look around you and name people and organizations that you consider successful and you will find that they all credit attitude, not aptitude, as the significant difference behind their success. By the time a person reaches age 18 he or she has heard the words “no,” “can’t” and “don’t” more than 148,000 times. We live in a negative, “cat-kicking” world. Ninety percent of the input in our minds is negative, and coincidentally 90 percent of us expect to do poorly. That makes it easier for individuals with positive attitudes to rise to the level of their expectations and to do well in life. People get in life what they expect. The Importance of a Positive Attitude Positive attitude is the result of new thinking — believing in yourself, focusing on successes, learning from failure and surrounding yourself with people who share your values, principles and thinking. Many successful people credit attitude — not aptitude — for their success. This is supported by many studies that show that: ■ 85 percent of why you got your job, why you keep your job, and why you get promoted is positive attitude ■ 98 percent of why people get fired is bad attitude ■ 68 percent of why customers change vendors and contractors is bad attitude The American Society for Quality Control (ASQC) warns that the emphasis on good service has increased so much of late that, “Unless a customer is completely satisfied — to the point of being positively delighted and being willing to brag about the product or service rendered — there exists great potential for market damage and future trouble for the company.” Many of America’s companies now train their people in attitude. They have found that change in management attitude is a key to improving a company’s performance. Attitude reflects values, which is what drives and organizes people. It is what a company/department/individual stands for; it is what people believe in. It is crucial to competitive success. Success is not measured against others. It is based on what you could have done with what you’ve got. Success is saying, “Today, I’m going to give it my best shot,” and knowing at the end of the day that you have done your best. Our attitude, positive or negative, is a reflection of what we believe and value, which comes from the way we think. Norman Vincent Peale said, “Change the way you think, and you can change the world.” Nothing positive can be accomplished without thinking positively. Change what goes into your mind and you can change your attitude. Associate with positive people, listen to motivational tapes, and read lots of success stories. These ideas will help open your mind to new ways of thinking and a positive attitude. Success = Aptitude + Attitude Once we are aware and have a complete understanding that a positive attitude is absolutely essential in order to reach our goals, we will develop and reinforce our attitudes. Everything begins as an attitude — including quality, leadership and communication — before it becomes a skill. It isn’t easy being optimistic every day of your life, but it is important that your employees perceive you as being inspiring and continually looking aft er their interests. All too oft en people condition themselves into a stifling pool of “mediocrity” because they don’t have positive expectations of themselves. Leaders are expected to raise their own expectations and the expectations of others. With a positive attitude, you are more likely to make better decisions because positive thinking opens up your mind and offers new options. 8 Ways to Become Positive 1. SMILE 2. GREET PEOPLE ENTHUSIASTICALLY Appear as if you are happy to see them. Know their names and respond after they ask, “How are you doing?” with “Terrific, but I’m getting better” or “Great, but I’ll get better.” 3. ASSOCIATE WITH POSITIVE PEOPLE Stay away from toxic people who will drag you down to their level. 4. CHANGE THE INPUT IN YOUR MIND Put only the positive in your mind. 5. THINK We become what we think about. 6. PRACTICE THE 3 R’s OF MANAGEMENT (Recognize, Reward and Reinforce) Look for the good in all people and constantly practice the 3 R’s. 7. USE SYMBOLS I wear a small, golden attitude pin on my coat lapel, which reminds me to always have a positive attitude. 8. LOOK FOR THE GOLD IN OTHERS When you do, you will always find some in you.

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