Attitude is the difference maker. It is a plus; it gives an edge. It is an additive, but it is not a substitute. Here are some things that your attitude cannot make up for:
Your attitude cannot substitute for competence.
Some people seem to confuse confidence, which is a function of attitude, with competence, which is a function of ability. If you think you can do something, that’s confidence. If you can do it, that’s competence. Both are needed for success. A great attitude can help you personally. It can make you more content, more pleasant to be around, more likely to tackle difficult problems. But it cannot help you positionally. If you don’t have competence in your favor, then you’re going to be in trouble. “If you find someone whose qualifications look good, but he or she is unhappy or unemployed, be very cautious,” Drucker said. “The kind of people you’re looking for are probably making huge contributions and setting record somewhere. They are probably happy and much loved by the people they work with. Go after that type. Go after proven competence.” I have discovered that incompetence is a great distraction to people in an organization. When someone on the team is incapable of performing at the appropriate level—even someone with a great attitude—then the leader and the other team members become distracted from their main purpose. They end up spending a lot of time trying to get the incompetent person “on track.” “The strength of the team is impacted by the weakest link.”
Your attitude cannot substitute for experience.
The problem with experience is that you rarely have it until after you need it. Experience is often a hard teacher because the test is given first and the lessons come afterward. That’s probably why the old quote says, “When a person with experience meets a person with money, the person with experience will get the money, and the person with the money will get the experience!” back when I thought that attitude was everything, I tried to hire people with the best attitudes and figured I could get them up to speed in their skills. Now that I am older and more experienced, I realize that I had things backward. Now I hire primarily for skill and experience. Here’s why: When it comes to talent and skill, a person can grow only a limited amount. The old saying of coaches is true: You can’t get out what God didn’t put in. attitude, however, is a different matter. There is no growth ceiling. On the day that I decided as a leader to hire only people with successful track records to key positions in my organization, my professional life changed. The entire team became more productive, and my organization began going to another level. That’s not to say that I began hiring people with bad attitudes; I didn’t.
Your attitude cannot change the facts.
One of the interesting discoveries researchers have made about attitude is that it has an impact on people’s health. Problems can be addressed and solved. Facts you just need to learn to live with. I love what poet Maya Angelou says about this, “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.”
Your attitude cannot substitute for personal growth.
Musician Bruce Springsteen says, “A time comes when you need to stop waiting for the man you want to become and start being the man you want to be.” Growth. Nothing can substitute for continual learning. You need to feed your mind and soul to become the person you desire to be.
Your attitude will not stay good automatically.
It’s pretty easy to say to yourself, From now on, I’m going to have a great attitude. It’s much harder to actually follow through with it. That’s why I believe one of the best things you can do for yourself is make the daily management of your attitude one of your objectives. You cannot expect attitude to fix everything. Attitude is what it is: the difference maker.
