The Importance of Attitudes in Leadership

Brandon KesslerBrendia Morrison

Phil BoltonVirginia Leonard

Jim Browning

Defining Attitude

• manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc. with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, especially of the mind.

(Webster online dictionary, 2009)

How are attitudes formed?

• Natural disposition

• Formed through relationships / experiences– “parents are our first teachers”

(Bevilacqua, 2009)

Elements of Attitude

• Individuality• Background• Personal Choice• Thought Patterns

(Stanton et al., 2009)

Attitude

Behavior

(Stanton et al., 2009)

Developing your attitude in terms of leadership:

• Task orientation– Directive Attitude

• Employee orientation– Supportive Attitude

(Vecchio, 1988) (Zigarmi et al., 1986)

Developing your attitude is important!

Country Club Management

Supporting

Team Management

Coaching

Impoverished Management

Delegating

Authority / Obedience Management

Directing

•Impoverished Management •(low concern for the task, low concern for people)

•Country Club Management• (low concern for the task, high concern for the people)

•Authority/Obedience Management •(high concern for task, low concern for people)

•Team Management• (high concern for task, high concern for people)

(Vecchio, 1988) (Zigarmi et al., 1986)

How do you lead your group? What is your attitude to both them and the task at hand?

Attitude Components and Dynamics

VALUESHeld as

important

VALUESHeld as

important

ATTITUDEtowardreferent

orobject

ATTITUDEtowardreferent

orobject

INTENTIONSto

behave

INTENTIONSto

behaveOBSERVABLE

BEHAVIOROBSERVABLE

BEHAVIOR

(Carter-Scott et al., 2004)

Development: Are we really who we should be?

Knowledge

Attitude

ChoicesConscience

Attitude is Everything

Attitude

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing, the last of

the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s

own way.”

Victor Frankl

(Carter-Scott et al., 2004)

The Right Attitude…

• determines how you view things.• quality of your life.• how you view life.• how we face adversity.• how face obstacles.

(Carter-Scott et al., 2004)

Attitude Facts

• Estimated that Success is 80% Attitude and 20% Aptitude

• Positive Mental Attitude – Enriches your Personal Life– Your Relationships– Your Career

• Positive Outlook – the difference between enjoying what you do or simply tolerating it.

(Thomas, 1998)

Example of the Learning and Expression of Attitude toward Work and Career

Father Was Never Late or Unnecessarily

Absent From his Job

Father Was Never Late or Unnecessarily

Absent From his Job

Help, Encouragement &

Rewards From Teachers

Help, Encouragement &

Rewards From Teachers

Current Job with High Pay and

Good Promotion Prospects

Current Job with High Pay and

Good Promotion Prospects

Positive Experiences

With Past and Present

Supervisors

Positive Experiences

With Past and Present

SupervisorsMother Won an

Award for Helping Her

Company in an Emergency

Mother Won an Award for

Helping Her Company in an

Emergency

Parents Involve Child with

Interesting Work Projects at

Home

Parents Involve Child with

Interesting Work Projects at

Home

Many Opportunities to

Socialize With Successful People

Many Opportunities to

Socialize With Successful People

(Carter-Scott et al., 2004)

Attributes of Leaders with a Positive Attitude

• A person of value• Creates a positive action plan to meet goals• Beliefs – instill these into the people around you

– demonstrate through action• Provide intellectual nutrition and transform

minds

(Harrell, 2003)

Attributes of Leaders with a Positive Attitude cont.

• Be passionate about what you do• The right attitude creates opportunity• The right attitude motivates others• Inspire others• Lead yourself first

(Harrell, 2003)

Leaders Lead Themselves First

• Identify your own SWOT– Strengths– Weaknesses– Opportunities– Threat

• P A T – Principle of Successful Leadership– Passion– Approachability– Thoughtfulness

(Harrell, 2003)

Leaders Lead Themselves First

• “Loose lead” – lead by example• “Pull leadership” – leading the way

shows the way• Avoid “push leadership” – pushing

others while you remain idle

(Harrell, 2003)

Attitude – Put It Into Practice

• Attitude About Yourself:– Hopeful vs. Helpless– Dream vs. Doubt

• Attitude About Others:– Strengths vs. Flaws– Accepting vs. Judging

• Attitude About the World:– Opportunities vs. Problems– Embracing vs. Resisting

(Ursiny et al., 2008)

10 Steps to a Positive Attitude• Keep Your Life Balanced• Don’t Give Up• Make the Most of the Situation• Engage in Positive Self-Talk• Visualize Success• Attack Problems Head-On• Look for the Bright Side• Maintain a Sense of Humor• Make Work Fun• Accentuate the Positives

(Fritz, 2008)

Attitude

(Ursiny et al., 2008)

The connection between the mind, heart, and body.

Impact of Attitude

Impact

Impact is Influence

Influence - to produce an effect on by imperceptible or intangible

means; sway.

(American Heritage Dictionary)

Leaders as Influencers

Skilled Influencers• Help their followers transform their

attitudes toward a behavior• Help followers see the implications of their

actions and choices• Help followers become personally motivated

to enact new behaviors

(Grenny et al., 2008)

Leaders as Influencers

Ineffective Influencers• Assume there is no way to change followers

attitudes toward a behavior• Compensate for lack of personal motivation

by:– Pressuring & Forcing

• Peer Pressure

– Bribing and Threatening• Carrots & Sticks

(Grenny et al., 2008)

Impact

A critical part of attitude is empowerment

Equipping followers with authority and abilities

Attitude Predicates and Dictates Performance

Good Attitude = Good Performance

Poor Attitude = Poor Performance

Positive Mental Attitude is ContagiousUnfortunately, so is a bad attitude

(Lutz, 2005)

Impact

Attitude is often the deciding factor in new hires

An applicant who:- Gets along well with others- Handles pressure and stress- Demonstrates a pleasant personality and attitude

…is more likely to do a good job than one lacking those qualities.

(Weiss, 2001)

As Albert Einstein put it: “Setting an example is not the main means of influencing another, it is the only means.”

(Garrett, 2001)

Attitude Limitations

5 Crippling Habits:Are they attacking your organization?

• Absence of Clear Directives• Lack of Accountability• Rationalizing Inferior Performance• Planning in Lieu of Action• Aversion to Risk and Change

(Prosen, 2006)

Communication in the Workplace

• Nonverbal Communication Sends Messages– Body language– Facial expression– Vocal intonation

• Everyday Attitudes, Behaviors, and Decisions– What employees see

(Lee, 2008)

Do Actions Speak Louder Than Words?

• Powerful communication tool– Attitudes– Behaviors

• Managers/Leaders usually do not plan for this– Missed Opportunity

• Attitudes/Behaviors are displayed daily– Day-to-day choices– Habits– Expectations and biases– Hunches

(Lee, 2008)

How to Reinforce the Vision or Influence Attitude

“All good performance starts with clear goals.”Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson

•Leadership Behaviors•Visibility•Personnel Choices•Use of Time•Presence and Accessibility

(Lee, 2008)

What May Limit Your Skills?

• Poor work ethic/poor quality work• Unprofessional behavior• Negative attitude• Unwilling/unable to learn new things• Lack of commitment• Poor communication skills• Acting arrogantly• Unreceptive to feedback/unwilling to take

responsibility for mistakes• Lack of leadership/client service abilities

(Ivancevich, 2009)

“The key to developing people is to catch them doing something right.”Ken Blanchard Spencer Johnson

The One Minute Leader

(Blanchard, 2007)

Changes in Attitude………

From Above, Below, Sideways………….

…..The floggings will continue until morale improves…Solution: Mutiny

……….Changes in Latitudes, changes in attitudes……Solution: Margaritaville

………………..You can take this job and shove it…….Solution: Lottery

(Buffett, 1977) (Coe, 1976)

Attitude vs. Leadership Styles

• Transactional

• Transformational

Some Perceptions….

…….we have explored

Measure of Leadership

Transactional

Transformational

Your EffectivenessIn Leadership

How you perceive yourself And

How others perceive You

Your Behavior and the Behavior of

Others

Influence

Attitudes

(Maxwell, 2005)

The Research

• Significant amount of material on work attitudes and behaviors

• Many different conclusions • Many different definitions of

“attitude”– Values Attitudes Moods (VAM) Model

– Attitude Structure – Meaning at Work

– numerous others………….

(George et al., 1997) (Olson et al., 1993) (Epps, 2003)

What to Change……

• Influences on Attitude – How you view your environment– How you view the people around you– How the people around you view you

• Indicators:

– Job Satisfaction– Job Involvement– Organizational Commitment

(George et al., 1997)

Attitude Change Potential

• Potential for change is dependent on personality traits and baseline attitudes – Ability to deal positively with

change

– Curmudgeon Factor

(George et al., 1997) (Epps, 2003)

Changing AttitudesCurrent State Future State

EnvironmentNegativeInfluence

Perception: CredibilityIssues

Bad Attitudes, Not meeting Requirements -Social Loafing

EnvironmentFactors Negated

PerceptionsCorrected:Credibility Established!

Practically Perfect ………………..in every way!

Happy and Productive

(George et al., 1997) (Stevenson et al., 1964)

No Simple Answers

• Attitudes are based on multidimensional, individual personalities and situations– Current environments– Current organizational culture– Current career point and expectations

36 Basic Values, Hundreds of Attitudes……

(Rokeach, 1973)

Ideas for ChangeIndicators Action

Body Language/Facial ExpressionsVerbal CommentsSocial LoafingAbsenteeism

Negative Attitude

Positive Attitude Body Language/Facial ExpressionsVerbal CommentsCommunicator & ListenerCommitment/AchievementMentors and Trains

CommunicateListenLook for Obvious CauseEncourage/ AssistChange the environmentRe-assign/ Remove

Recognize & Acknowledge Challenge & Stretch Expand ResponsibilitiesReward & PromoteMentor Others

(George et al., 1997) (Epps, 2003)(Stevenson et al., 1973) (Maxwell, 2005)

Up

Down

Across

5 Steps to Changing Your Attitude

• Step 1: Learn More – the more you know confidence positive attitude success

• Step 2: Identify the Pitfalls – identify unknown factors examine fears

• Step 3: Learn Positive Self-Talk – creates self-image, level of self-esteem, self-confidence, and your attitude

• Step 4: Make Daily Affirmations – repeat your goals daily

• Step 5: Surround Yourself with Positive People – close your mind to negativity

(Carter-Scott et al., 2004)

Attitude Change - Summary

• Attitude is Critically Important in Effective Leadership

• You must understand What drives attitudes on your team in order determine How you can make changes– Multitude of factors influence attitude– Some people are easily influenced– Some people will never change

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