“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” Sir Winston Churchill

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to speak to a group of business owners from the Longboat, Lido, St. Armand's Key Chamber of Commerce. I ended our time together with the above quote. I'm a big believer in attitude. One of my good friends, Andrew Vac, has coined the tag line "Great Attitude, Great Results!" Not only does this describe Andrew to a "T" it serves as a reminder to the rest of us that you seldom find one without the other.

In my mind there are three reasons attitude makes such a big difference. I'm sure there are more but these just seem stupidly obvious to me and I can't understand why more people don't latch on to them.

First, a bad attitude clouds judgment. People with a bad attitude think "No, that won't work" before they ever get a chance to hear the whole idea. When we work with business owners on strategy and management decisions we're throwing a lot of ideas up on the wall. If an owner has a bad attitude those ideas get shot down like clay pigeons before they ever have a chance to make it to the white board. If there's one sure way to fail in business it's to try nothing new and keep doing the things that don't work. This is the rut most people with a pervasively bad attitude find themselves in. By contrast a positive attitude invites new ideas, encourages people to talk and think and not be afraid of failure. A positive attitude invites participation and puts you in the frame of mind to say "what if..." and "why not..." rather than "no, that won't work."

Second, people with the right attitude have more energy. People in a bad mood don't feel like doing anything, anything that is except shooting down other people's ideas and making the rest of the world as miserable as they are. I'll be the first to admit that energy and enthusiasm aren't the panacea that will save any business. But I will say with conviction that no business owner who mopes around in a bad mood, putting off decisions and lacking a bent toward action will realize success. A good attitude puts you in the frame of mind to tackle tough tasks, deal with difficult individuals and stop procrastinating.

Third, people with a great attitude attract others. People with a bad attitude repel others. That goes for everyone. If you have a great attitude you attract customers, good employees, better vendors, valuable business partners and uplifting personal relationships. If you have a bad attitude you push all of these people away and are left with customers who don't like to deal with you but have to, employees who only show up for a paycheck, vendors who could care less, few friends and a family that walks on egg shells when you come through the door each night.

Having a great attitude isn't the magic pill that will bring you success but I believe that without it you'll be stuck with a mediocre business and worse, a mediocre life. The best way I know to get back in the right frame of mind is to start expressing gratitude for all that I've been blessed with. I start with my wonderful family, the beautiful home that we live in, the employees and customers I get to call true friends, the business associates who share my faith and lift me up in prayer each day....as the list goes on and on I find it impossible to remain in the dumps for very long. You'll find that after this exercise your mind starts to craft ideas and action plans that address your areas of anxiety. You stop worrying and start acting. An open mind and a positive mental attitude are the best tools for problem solving. I think they're also the best tools for living a life of fulfillment and enduring success.