By: Barbara Bowes
Date: July 4, 2009

Have you ever been accused by a colleague of having a bad attitude?

I am not just talking about a one-time bad day, I'm talking about someone who is perpetually grumpy, cranky and generally unhappy. Nothing ever seems to go right for this person. Their view of life is always like a glass half empty rather than half full. In other words, their attitude, to put it bluntly, stinks. But of course, in their mind, they are not to blame.

Well, I've got news for you. Your attitude is indeed your responsibility. Your boss or your workplace can influence your attitude but the responsibility is still yours. If you are constantly in conflict with your colleagues or your significant other for that matter, take time to look in the mirror and determine how you are contributing to your own demise. A poor attitude at work creates the need for more supervision, more monitoring, and more conflict management on the part of your human resource managers and/or your boss. So, if you are wondering why you haven't been successful with your career, stop and take a good look at your attitude.

At the same time, do you really understand what attitude is and how can it be changed? Attitude is essentially a personal judgment. In other words, you have either a positive or a negative or even an ambivalent view of people, places, work, things or events. Your attitude or personal judgment then controls your view of the world around you which in turn affects how you think and how you behave. The result is that how you think and how you feel affects every aspect of your life, every hour of every day.

Most of your attitudes are developed early in life and result from life experience. In addition, attitude becomes somewhat of a self-protection strategy protecting you from perceived harm or unwanted change. Your attitudes also say a lot about self-esteem, self-acceptance and self-affirmation. When all three are in alignment, you will have positive self-esteem and a positive attitude.

Some of the negative attitudes in the workplace include feeling undermined, discounted and undervalued. When this occurs, you'll hear comments such as "it's not my job," "I don't seem to count" or "I hate my job." In addition, you'll meet colleagues who continually comment "I don't care" and exhibit total demotivation. Still, there are others who engage in negative self-talk such as "I'm not good enough" or "I'm not smart enough" or, "I'm different, therefore there's something wrong with me." They put themselves down and engage in what is called "psychological kick-me."

When these attitudes prevail, the organization will typically experience increased grievances, personal apathy, despondency, lack of motivation and generally low morale.

When people experience a positive attitude, they are typically able to easily deal with whatever comes their way in their daily life. They are optimistic, they worry less and avoid engaging in negative thinking. Positive people are known to be happier and more successful. They expect the best will happen. Positive organizations, on the other hand, are more productive, employees experience a higher levels of job satisfaction and overall, everyone including the organization is more successful.

While an organization can put some strategies in place to encourage positive attitudes, developing a positive attitude is really up to you. Positive attitudes can be developed and negative attitudes can be changed. But to do this, you have to pay attention to what you are thinking. Listen to what to what you are saying to yourself and how you are feeling.

Since you have control over your attitude, you have the opportunity to change your attitude and change your life. In most cases, this change is nothing more than small changes that you can make every single day, but it does take time and commitment. Begin by asking yourself four questions: 1) Is your attitude serving you well? 2) What is the source of your attitude? 3) Where do you need to make changes, and 4) Do you have the appropriate resources to make the change?

Take time to write down your answers on a piece of paper. Think about the answers. Examine in depth whether or not your attitude is correct -- do you have all the facts? Have things changed from when you first developed your attitude? Is your attitude appropriate today? What can you do to change your attitude? What attitude will bring about the most success?

Changing to a positive attitude means creating the habit of listening to what you are saying to yourself, in other words, monitoring and paying attention to your subconscious, or that little voice in your head. It means taking time out of every day to stop and pay attention to how you are thinking, feeling and acting. Visualize positive outcomes, keep a daily diary or journal, develop several positive affirmations that you can repeat to yourself whenever you are feeling low. Stay away from the negativity of others; find yourself a group of positive thinking friends. Give yourself time to develop your positive thinking.

Finally, keep in mind that a positive attitude has more impact on life and career success than education, money or network connections. And, remember that you and only you are in charge of your attitude.

Source: Employee Attitudes and Job Satisfaction, Lise M. Saari and timothy A Judge, HR Management, Vol 43, No. 4, How to Change Your Attitude, Ke-o-Agile, SelfGrowth.com

Barbara J. Bowes is president of Legacy Bowes Group, a leading HR consulting and executive search firm. She is also author of several books and can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .