Attitude Adjustment
Have you ever had the experience of leading disgruntled people? People that complain about EVERYTHING! You don’t have to raise your hand, but my experience tells me we have all worked with this type of person and it can be exhausting!
In Numbers 13 Moses sends 12 scouts to preview the Promised Land that God had promised to the Isralietes. However, despite the beauty of the land, ten of those scouts came back and expressed negative opinions and incited fear among the people because they saw “giants” and fortified cities. “And they spread among the Israelities a bad report about the land they had explored.” They only saw hurdles and challenges; they did not see the land for what it could provide to them and their families. The negative attitude of these ten men drastically changed the vision that God had for His people.
As leaders we must be extremely careful of the words we choose to say; especially if we are voicing our opinion about something. Early in my career I remember our company was rolling out a new initiative that promised cost savings and a better way to manufacture our product. It was met with a lot of negativity and scepticism. My Manager at the time used this as a teaching moment for his new employee. He said, “as you grow in your career there will be programs and initiatives that you may not always agree with, but it is our role as managers and leaders to embrace and promote these programs in front of our employees. If we are negative our employees will also be negative.”
Another manager in my career taught this same message to his team using the analogy of a bell curve. If you are familiar with this mathematical concept you know that about 50% of people will fit in the middle of the curve. What does this mean? This means 25% of people will always support a vision, a mission, a program, etc. You don’t have to work very hard to convince them, they just go full speed ahead. The lower 25% of people are going to complain regardless of what is asked. That is just who they are and most likely nothing that you do or say will change their minds. However, you have the biggest opportunity to influence the 50% of the people that are in the middle; they have not decided what direction they will go. If you are negative and have a bad attitude as their leader; chances are they are going to shift towards the bottom of the curve and not to the top. What a missed opportunity!
Effective leaders need a positive attitude! John C. Maxwell writes, “A positive attitude is the difference between success and failure.” In my years of experience I am fully convinced of this truth. We aren’t always going to agree 100% with every program, every initiative, or every decision that Senior leaders make. But our job as Christian leaders in the workplace is certainly NOT to be negative!
The negativity and complaining by the Israelites angered God. He had promised them so much, but yet their fear prevented them from entering the great Promised Land. Focus on the positives, adjust your attitude, and lead others to their greatest potential. What an amazing mission to be on!
Love you!
Heather
#itsallintheBible#bepositive#leavenegativitybehind#berootedinfaith
