When
it comes to hiring people, attitude matters, so look for job applicants with a
positive attitude. And be sure to develop it in yourself and your organization
too.
Leadership
training consultant Mark Murphy tracked 20,000 new hires at Fortune 500
companies and found that nearly half of them failed within the first 18 months
on the job. An overwhelming 89 percent of those failures stemmed from
“attitudinal reasons,” he found.
Author
and educator Roger Martin told the Harvard
Business Review that he once hired only “smart” candidates. After
many of those high-potential employees failed, Martin turned his attention to
candidates he deemed less “brittle.” Those workers turned out to be more
successful. They listened to feedback, sought professional development and
improved morale on their teams despite having slightly lower GPAs than the
“smart” candidates.
So
hire for attitude – and seek to improve it in your own organization too. Make
sure you come to work each day with a positive attitude so your employees can
feed off that. And take steps to make sure your working environment is positive
too.
Set
reasonable goals and expectations. Author Geoffrey James recounts the story of
a salesman who was only happy when he closed 7-figure deals. As that happened
only about once a year, the salesman wasn’t happy very often. So give your team
a combination of “quick wins” and “stretch goals” so they have reason to
celebrate regularly while still aiming high. James recommends developing a list
of rules for your business that encourage happiness. With greater transparency
and reasonable expectations, employees will understand that happiness matters
in your company’s culture.
And
encourage your employees to start the day with a good attitude. Perks like
bagels and fruit and a hearty welcome from the boss can help.
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