TAKING THE LEAD
Your Attitude Matters
A
Scott Humphrey CEO, WFCA
s the 1965 hit song says, “What the world needs now is love sweet love…”. We live in a world filled with hate. Just look around you at the divisions in our country, the anger, the riots, etc. Attitude matters, and if there was ever a need for strong leadership to turn the tide of negativity, it is now. Still, as leaders, sometimes we forget in the hustle and bustle of getting things done, we can be guilty of sending the message that “something” is more important than “somebody.” It can be easy to see interruptions as merely distractions instead of opportunities. I must admit, this is really a struggle for me. I am a “check off the box” type of person. I want to accomplish the task and move onto the next opportunity. I am often guilty of missing the beauty of the journey because I am locked in on the destination. Sadly, this has become more apparent to me as the last of my children draw closer to leaving the nest. It is a constant reminder that you can’t go back. The good news is, even though you can’t change the past, you can live differently from this point forward. I know I sound like a broken record, but let me say it once again, “The past is a great place to learn, but a terrible place to live.” I am so thankful for the opportunity we have each day to improve on the past by improving our attitude. Here are a few reasons to focus on your attitude:
Your attitude impacts others
… let me say it once again, “The past is a great place to learn, but a terrible place to live.” I am so thankful for the opportunity we have each day to improve on the past by improving our attitude.
Years ago, my family went to Disney World. I know that Disney is a glorious place of dreams and fantasy, but when you are a Type A personality, it can be a nightmare. The endless flow of lines can be torture to those of us who are wired to check off the box and accomplish as much as we can in one day. We don’t mean to be this way. It is just the way Type A’s are wired. Knowing this about myself, I determined that for one whole day, I would not be in charge. I would allow my wife, our sitter, and the kids to determine what we would do and when we would do it. In a sense, I sought to eliminate myself from the picture, so my natural tendencies would not put a damper on their special day. I remember that day like it was yesterday. I kept thinking to myself, “Relax and enjoy. You don’t have to be in charge today.” Amazingly, I was able to keep my cool and enjoy the day….. for one full hour.” Yep, that’s right. We rode the first ride, and I calmly sat back and allowed the family to determine what we would do next. When they asked me, I would gently say, “It doesn’t matter to me — whatever you want to do is fine.” In fact, this banter went on for about 30 minutes. But after 30 minutes and still standing in the same place, I was having a hard time holding my Type A back. The next time they asked me what I thought we should do, I responded, “I don’t
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