Developing A Positive Attitude

Terms Arrogance – being overbearing and full of self- importance Assertive – being direct, honest, and polite to those around you Attitude – your way of looking at people and the world Defensive – being very angry and refusing to listen to peers and others around you

Terms Cont’d Enthusiasm - eager interest Gossip – idle talk that consists mostly of rumors Professionalism – handling problems and criticism at work gracefully and maturely Self-esteem – a recognition and regard for yourself and your abilities

I’m Positive Positive thinking is the first step in building a positive attitude. Positive thinkers tend to get along well with others. When you are able to turn a bad situation into a good one by listening to a customer, you are demonstrating a positive behavior. Your attitude and how you react in certain situations at work and in life determine how others perceive you.

Developing Self-Esteem An essential step in developing self-esteem is to recognize your abilities A feeling or knowledge of your abilities, called confidence, generates success. Repeating to yourself statements such as “I can achieve whatever I want” can help you overcome inner doubt.

The Importance of Enthusiasm Doing your work with enthusiasm can help you develop a reputation as a hard and willing worker.

Dealing With Mistakes A good way to handle a mistake is to learn from it.

Representing Yourself To make sure your work efforts are recognized, you should keep a journal of your accomplishments.

Assertiveness – Not Arrogance Sometimes assertiveness can be confused with arrogance if the person exhibits overbearing behavior.

Acting Like A Professional An important part of professionalism is handling criticism gracefully.

Accepting Criticism One advantage of constructive criticism is that it addresses behavior, not attitude. Criticism that is presented in a way that can help you learn and grow is constructive. Sometimes it is difficult to accept criticism when you are standing up for the values that are important to you.

Handling Pressure When you are dealing with a complex problem at work, it’s a good idea to break larger tasks into smaller steps. Making a daily “to do” list can help you deal with on- the-job pressure.

Handling Gossip A worker who gossips frequently does so in order to feel important.

Controlling Anger Channeling your energy into problem solving can help you control anger on the job.