Jan 18 Give Your Attitude a Raise and You May Win Your Next Promotion
Emerging leaders can have all the technical skill, educational background, and hands-on job experience to qualify them on paper as the outstanding candidate for a promotion. But resumes don’t run companies, people who can handle pressure with grace and show an exemplary positive attitude do. Climbing the corporate ladder isn’t easy for those who hold on to the heavy baggage of a bad attitude. To be identified as a “high potential” employee on the succession planning short list you have to have the right attitude.
As Charles R. Swindoll said, “I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it.” To improve your chances of getting that prized promotion first focus on an attitude upgrade. Not only will you look better to your superiors but you’ll feel better in both your professional and your personal life.
Action is the Outward Expression of Attitude
Oftentimes leaders don’t realize how strongly their attitudes influence their behavior. What we think permeates the subconscious mind. From there it percolates up to drive action. Thoughts and ideas may seem subtle and private. But they eventually manifest into the real world to determine how others perceive us. Ignore a leaky basement and eventually the foundation of your house will wash away – taking all those upper floors with it. Similarly, when there are negative beliefs deep down in the dark basement of the subconscious mind they gradually undermine the ability to support higher levels of leadership and career promotion.
As Denis Waitley explained, “The winner’s edge is not in a gifted birth, a high IQ, or in talent. The winner’s edge is all in the attitude, not aptitude. Attitude is the criterion for success.”
Mastering Attitude One Day at a Time
Of course it can be virtually impossible to have a positive winning attitude 24/7 because life is full of disappointments, frustrations, and challenges. But how we respond to those bad days dictates what happens inside us on a deeper level. That’s why it is imperative that we consistently practice mastery of a winning attitude. The good news is that the more you practice overcoming negative thoughts the more natural it becomes to have a positive outlook.
A Winning Attitude Leads to Greater Magnitude
It’s never too late to readjust your attitude and it is a skill every great leader should acquire. I’ve seen how people who can shoulder greater responsibilities with a winning attitude always outshine their peers and competitors. A new and improved attitude can be the one key that unlocks your next BIG promotion, so be ready! The better your attitude is, the greater the magnitude of your success will be.
Leaders need to learn to self-diagnose their attitudes and give themselves a daily tune-up. Practicing this may not be easy at first, but investing in a positive mentality can skyrocket your career to the next promotion and beyond – and that is how lifelong dreams become reality.
Sarah Hathorn, AICI CIP, CPBS is an internationally distinguished executive coach, corporate consultant, professional speaker, and the founding CEO of her own company, Illustra Consulting. A career acceleration and leadership presence expert, Hathorn created the innovative Predictable Promotion System™, a 10-step proprietary process she uses to coach managers aspiring to be directors, directors seeking vice presidential promotions, and VP’s eager to ascend to the C-suite. Hathorn served as a senior level executive for a Fortune 100 company for 25 years, and she has more than 30 years of experience mentoring high potentials for rapid career advancement and extraordinary success.
Illustra Consulting
Copyright © 2011, Sarah Hathorn, AICI CIP, CPBS
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Sarah Hathorn, CEO of Hathorn Consulting Group, is the go-to-expert in working with leaders and companies to create successful corporate DNA. As an executive coach, consultant and speaker she collaborates globally with clients and brands such as Deloitte, McKesson, Kimberly-Clark, Sherwin-Williams, Home Depot and other leading organizations.
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