I don’t know about you, but I love a good attitude and I’m tired of platitudes. Attitudes that show authenticity, interest, emotional intelligence, trustworthiness, compassion, aspiration and perspiration! I like attitudes that inspire me to do business with someone, or to collaborate with them, or to help and support them. Platitude alert! It’s about ‘know, like and trust’ someone before you do business with them. That takes time and often you need to do business with them to get to know them, like them and trust them.We have an uncanny ability to like or dislike someone in a matter of seconds, and then subconsciously spend the rest of our time looking for evidence to prove us right.
Justification or stupidity I wonder? When we have a hunch that we dislike 
someone we ignore all the signals that suggest we might be wrong, yet our attitude towards them (I don’t like you) seeps out through our behaviour. Being self-aware and understanding other perspectives, enables us to adopt the best kind of attitudes for success.
Have a read of the ILMs ‘Creating Future Leaders’ Report: to find out the kinds of leadership behaviours needed in business, these go for business owners too. The focus is on relational behaviours according to HR professionals participating in this report, who: “…emphasised a distinct set of personal characteristics that future leaders need to possess. These were principally in the relationship and inter-personal domain…”
Are your attitudes (and resulting behaviours), shaped by what is going on around you or by your values and beliefs? What about those you employ or subcontract? Do you set behavioural standards for how they should behave in the workplace, with each other and with customers?
Gary Kelly, CEO Southwest Airlines (USA) says: “Our people are our single greatest strength and most enduring long-term competitive advantage.”
The point is, an attitude can make or break a deal, a relationship, a partnership or a business, and if you do not pay attention to this, you could be losing instead of winning.
When I meet people at network events, I approach people who smile and give me eye contact, which encourages me to join in a conversation, or start one with them. I want you (and me) to be engaged, interested, listening and sharing ideas and experiences. What I don’t want is a sales pitch; a one-way conversation about you; grumpiness, moaning or yet another platitude. If you promise to send something to me, or connect me with someone, I want you to do it because it shows an attitude of integrity and consideration.
So, as a small business, how do you develop the right attitudes (and behaviours) that enable you to stand out from the crowd? How aware are you of the impact you have on those around you? Are you known for being a person who is ‘known, liked and trusted’? If you want a conversation about this then I’d love to have that with you. We focus on developing people to reflect on their attitudes and behaviours, the impact they have and how to adopt new ways of behaving that makes doing business with you ‘simply the best’!
As for those platitudes, ‘don’t get me started!’ Have a bit of fun with this: At your next network meeting see if you can make up a whole sentence using only platitudes. Here’s your starter:
It is as it is, there’s no gain without pain when you push the envelope and take it right to the edge!
Great bit of blue sky thinking there, Trish! But seriously an Interesting and thoughtful article.