Positive Attitude Amid The Coronavirus Crisis
WE live in a time of an unprecedented crisis. It is a time of extreme challenges with uncertainty ahead. The coronavirus has affected adversely many individuals, companies, industries and nations. Even though most companies are now open for business, they are still suffering the after-effects of the lockdown due to loss of business opportunities during the past few months. Many companies are facing a slowdown in their business because of the lingering fear of Covid-19 and the constraints of the operating prodecures. Many customers are still staying away from shopping complexes and eatery outlets. Consumers are withholding their spending in view of the uncertain future of their livelihood. In view of the shrinking demand, companies are cutting down their production output.
To survive this crisis, employees need to adopt a positive attitude and be resourceful in making the best out of the workplace and marketplace of the new normal. They can begin this journey by adopting the following attitudes.
IT IS POSSIBLE ATTITUDE
In the midst of facing this global pandemic, where many become negative, it is always encouraging to hear an employee say that it is possible to solve a problem.
Such an employee believes that anything is possible if one has the mindset, the will and persistence to pursue the goal till it is achieved. This kind of employee subscribes to the philosophy of “whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve”. They simply start by doing what’s needed, then proceed to do what’s possible and next they attempt what is seemingly impossible. With their effort, perseverance and grit, they soon overcome against the odds –stretching themselves from impossible to “It’s possible”
I AM RESPONSIBLE ATTITUDE
Many employees are trapped by circumstances, excuses and blame. They become victims due to their attitude of not taking responsibility. However, the moment one takes full responsibility towards what happen, one escapes the clutch of being a victim. As the saying goes, “life is 10 per cent what happens to you and 90 per cent how you respond to what happens”. When an employee accepts the personal responsibility of his circumstances, he increases the power to change them and transform oneself from being a victim to a winner.
TAKING INITIATIVE ATTITUDE
There is one thing that most leaders value highly about their subordinates — doing the right thing at the right time without being told. There are many employees who are too dependent on instructions to do things. Worst, some need to be monitored and pressured into doing things. Companies want employees who are independent in their thinking and who take initiative to do things and create productive change.
Employees should heed the former US President Barack Obama’s words: “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek”.
DO WHATEVER IT TAKES ATTITUDE
One chief executive officer confided in me that he got very upset each time his staff told him that he would try his best to get something done. He pointed out that trying at something come across as lacking in self-belief and commitment. When he selects a leader to do something of significance, he does not want them to try to do. He wants them to do it whatever it takes to achieve success. That’s the kind of determination he wants his top leaders to go about their work. An employee who would do whatever it takes to succeed is certainly a rare breed in organisations, and is greatly sought after.
THE SOLUTION-DRIVEN ATTITUDE
In truth in the workplace and marketplace, all of us are paid to solve problems. Bosses are always on a lookout for employees who possess the right attitude towards a problem. Good employees diagnose the problem, ascertain the root causes and seek out possible solutions. They then weigh the pros and cons and select a practical and costeffective solution and implement it. The solutiondriven employee is one who has the courage and perseverance to continue to seek solutions to challenging problems. A case in point is that during this Covid-19 crisis, many companies are now looking forward to their staff to come up with new and creative ideas to improve their revenue in view of the decreasing demand of their existing products or services.
In essence, work attitudes arise from the thinking, beliefs and feelings of the employees about various aspects of work and the workplace. According to a Gallup study, negativity in the workplace costs the U.S. economy between US$$250 billion to US$$300 billion a year. The best education, skills and talent cannot substitute for a good work attitude.
During this global pandemic crisis, it is timely that leaders spend time to mould the work attitude of their staff to improve their organisation’s performance. “Attitude,” said Winston Churchill, “is a little thing that makes a big difference.” Companies can make a big difference in their performance if they start inculcating the above five most desired attitudes of employees.