10 Tips for Developing a Positive Attitude in the Workplace
1. Gratitude - Be appreciative of everyone who does a good job and gets things done on time. Be especially appreciative of those who go above and beyond what they're required to do. Appreciation feels good for both the giver and the receiver.
2. Celebrate the Victories - For some reason, many people tend to focus on everything they don't like and that's going wrong. Try instead to focus your attention on things that are going well by taking time often to celebrate the victories at work. Reward yourself or praise another individual for a job well done. If you're part of a team that does something successfully, arrange a get-together to celebrate it. If you're a manager, send frequent notes out to your staff outlining things that are going well for the company.
3. Turn Problems Into Opportunities - If problems are encountered, don't just focus on them. Instead, change your focus by asking yourself or your team, "How can we solve this issue, and what can we learn from it?" Every problem, or challenge, is an opportunity to learn and grow. Don't wallow in the issue; focus on the potential to become better instead.
4. Keep Healthy and Well Rested - It's tough to have a positive attitude when you're feeling run down and tired. Make sure you're getting enough sleep, eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, drinking enough water, and getting regular exercise. This may all sound time-consuming, but you'll end up having much more energy and focus and you'll actually be able to get more done in less time. You'll also feel much better mentally, which will help you maintain that positive attitude.
5. Smile - Force yourself to smile, even if you don't feel like it. A smile will actually shift how you feel internally. And when others see you smiling, they feel better as well.
6. The "No Complaining" Policy - No one likes a complainer. If you're a manager, tell your team that you would like them to not come to you with an issue unless they have a proposed solution to go with it. If you report to someone else, refrain from whining to them. Instead, go to your boss and explain that you have a challenge and would like to offer a way to solve it. This both minimizes complaining and turns the focus away from the issue and to possible solutions instead, thereby maintaining a constructive work environment.
7. The Win-Win Policy - Make it your own personal philosophy or make it a requirement in your workplace that each agreement reached must be win-win. Agreements and negotiations must never favor one party. There is always a way to make agreements positive for both parties involved. Ask "What would be good for you?" Once they and you have answered that question, do your best to work out a solution that implements as any many of the good ideas for both sides as possible.
8. Put People Into Positions that Use Their Strengths - What better way for people to enjoy their job than to have them doing things they're good at and that they enjoy. People will be more motivated and get better results when they enjoy what they do. Some people like crunching numbers: get them to work on the spreadsheets that need to be done. Others like talking to people: maybe they would like working in customer service. Some people are natural problem solvers: put their skills to use. If you play on people's strengths, you'll see a dramatic shift toward a positive attitude in the workplace.
9. Trust Others and Evaluate People Based on Their Results - If you are a manager, trust your people to do the jobs they were hired for. If you give people the authority to do their jobs, you will get amazing results, much better than if you hover over them. Tell your people what you want them to achieve, and then let them go do it. When you trust them to do it well, they will want to honor that trust. Most people will do the best they can to live up to the confidence you're placing in them, and they will appreciate you for it. There might be the occasional person who takes advantage of this policy, but their attitude will show itself quite quickly.
10. Focus on What You Enjoy. Improve the Things You Don't Enjoy - Make a list of the things you enjoy about your job and your workplace. Make it a point to review this list often as a reminder that there are good things about your workplace. For the things you don't enjoy, ask yourself how you could make them tolerable. Could you do them at a different time, in a different location, maybe with some music going? Can you speak to your manager about them, and offer a possible solution? Can you see anything good about them? If so, focus on that instead. Do whatever you can think of that might make those tedious tasks more enjoyable. Keep challenging yourself with the question of how you can make things better until you feel a noticeable difference in your attitude toward those tasks.
