The Attitude "Alarm Clock"

When I was a kid my mother used to tell me that someday I'd appreciate what having no responsibilities felt like, though at the time, watching out for our family cat, my trucks and trains and a host of Matchbox toys seemed like a big enough responsibility to me. All too soon came my first opportunity to see what being an adult was really like: I was to grow and sell vegetables to our neighborhood, an idea of an eccentric aunt whose motto was "idle hands are the devil's workshop." The money earned would be my allowance; the days of weekly quarters from mom, and advances on next week's quarter, were over.

At fifteen a girlfriend suggested, firmly, that she would no longer pay for my ticket to the local drive-in movie. Then she promptly marched me off to where she worked, the local Marriott Hot Shoppes. There a tall, imposing and stern-faced fellow, Terry Stone, offered me my first "real" job as a short-order cook in the restaurant's snack bar. More responsibility. Showing up on time. Working versus talking. But it felt good, in the way that the notion of regular exercise, once confronted and actually implemented, can change your attitude toward physical labor. It can, though it doesn't always, particularly if you think it's not worth the effort. Some people work through the pain, the inconvenience, sore muscles, reduced couch time. Some put that New Year's resolution on the pile with all the others.

The same is true of the employees we hire. Hoping that they will succeed we provide them the tools -- and we wait. We wait for the new hire's skills to sharpen, her mind to focus solely on the task at hand. Sometimes it does, and we reward the effort. When her mind wanders, we remind her that "this is work, you know; you can daydream later." Sometimes this works, and sometimes it doesn't. That's when we bring out the big guns: "Keep up like this, and you will be out of a job," we say, knowing that only some employees will hear, let alone care about this admonition. Others will not hear or not care. Some are so impertinent they simply walk off the job which may seem an attractive alternative to hearing the words "you're fired."

What separates those who do from those who do not? What single definable characteristic caused the Ritz Carlton hotel chain to win the prestigious Malcolm Baldridge quality award? How can Crystal Cruises keep up its unparalleled reputation as "best cruise line", winning the Travel & Leisure award, year after year? What inner strength led an adopted child, Dave Thomas, to found and lead Wendy's?

As my grandfather used to say, it's all about mental attitude.

When hiring, promoting, training and yes, even disciplining, watch the candidate or employee's attitude. Some, as we all know, are timid about showing they care; with encouragement, however, they blossom. Others are natural leaders and will pick up every job you throw their way, do it, then ask for the next assignment. Others seem wooden, disinterested, unfocused; this group, needless to say, may not be your best new hires. You're reaching them too late.

All great performers possess an attitude "alarm clock". They know when it's time to add effort and when to let others take the lead. They keep track of important dates and rarely, if ever, miss work. They prepare. They smile, share kudos with co-workers. They participate in performance assessments, offering occasionally overly harsh self-appraisal just to show that they're aware of their shortcomings. When an especially challenging moment arrives -- deciding whether to return lost property, telling the truth about a missed goal -- the "alarm clock" inside superstars rings. It just rings. No prompting needed.

Can we teach employees to possess an attitude "alarm clock?" The subject of much debate, this is. What is very clear, however, is that great attitudes are catchy, and where one resides, others will follow.

Be honest and be well.

Copyright 2008 by Charles A. Conine and Hospitality HR Solutions