Why Attitude Matters a Lot in Job Interview, Career Development and Workplace? Find out Top Strategies those really Bring Positive Changes in Life!

Abstract:
Having a positive attitude opens your mind to trying new methods, adapting to new technologies, and identifying opportunities. People with a positive mindset are more successful because they recognize opportunities and take advantage of them.

Attitudes help to develop the prevailing workplace environment that determines employee morale, productivity and team building abilities. A negative attitude in the workplace creates an atmosphere of distrust among employees and causes employees to attempt to achieve success at the expense of each other.

Employees with a positive mindset are generally highly coachable, eager to learn, and willing to adjust to changes in your company. The high level of "emotional intelligence" is a better indicator of success than technical knowledge.

So let's explore about Attitude Building in the terms of career development.

Keywords:
Attitude, Building, Career, Development, Behaviour, Workplace, Employees, Morality, Performance

Learning Outcomes 
After undergoing this article you will be able to understand the following 
1. What's Attitude?
2. What's the significance of Attitude?
3. How to build attitude?
4. What's the types of attitude?
5. What's the impact of attitude in personality and career building?
6. Strategies to develop positive mental attitude. 
7. Some unforgettable  motivational quotes on attitude.
8. Resources for further information
9. Conclusions
10. FAQs

1. What's Attitude?
Attitude is the way a person thinks or feels about a specific person, place, action or experience. Similar to individual perspective, attitude encompasses a person's particular emotions and the way in which they act toward someone or something.

Attitude as noun. 
manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., 

with regard to a person or thing; 
tendency or orientation, especially of the mind: a negative attitude; group attitudes. position or posture of the body appropriate to or expressive of an action, emotion, etc.: a threatening attitude; a relaxed attitude.

2. What's the significance of Attitude?
Your attitude has a direct impact on how you communicate and collaborate with others, how you contribute to the culture of your work environment, and how you perform your daily tasks and responsibilities. Ultimately, your attitude shapes your success and your happiness.

Your outlook can greatly impact your health, social life, earning potential, productivity, ability to overcome obstacles and more. 

With a positive attitude, excelling in these various domains of life can become a much simpler endeavor—creating enormous benefits that can significantly improve the quality of your life.

3. How to build attitude?

Your actions and reactions toward other individuals can determine the end result of the interaction. For example, if you are receptive and respectful to individuals’ opinions, they in return could be more open to what it is you have to say.

Take responsibility for your actions, thoughts and feelings. No one can make you feel any way that you do not want to feel.

Accept that no one is perfect and that includes you. Be proud of your accomplishments and the hard work you’ve done. Use the moments when you think you have not succeeded as learning experiences.

Take a close look at your life. Examine your daily routine and the effects it has on your life and most importantly your attitude. Ask yourself these questions:

  • Do I have beneficial, positive relationships?
  • How do I start my day? Do I have a routine that promotes positive energy to keep a positive attitude all day long?
  • Am I aware of my state of mind and its changes? If I am in a negative state of mind, am I able to change it?
  • Is my living space a positive environment? If not, what can I do to make it a positive environment (examples: change the lighting, add color, and/or cleaning)?
These are top 10 Creative Ways to Keep a Positive Attitude: 
  1. Start a gratitude journal.
  2. Treat yourself to some self-care every day.
  3. Start every morning strong.
  4. Avoid spreading gossip.
  5. Crack more jokes.
  6. Take real breaks.
  7. Have something to look forward to after work.
  8. Practice meditation.
  9. Focus on the long-term instead of the short-term.
  10. Listen to music that matches your mood.
4. What's the types of attitude?

Every attitude is made up of three parts, which are represented by the ABC model of attitudes: A for affective, B for behavioural, and C for cognitive. 
 
•    Despite the fact that these three components are present in every attitude, any particular attitude can be based on one component more than the others.
 
1.    Cognitive component: It refers to the beliefs, thoughts, and attributes that people associate with a particular object. 
 
•    A person's attitude is frequently influenced by the negative and positive characteristics they associate with an object. 
 
•    It is the cognitive part of an attitude that we are talking about when we form our opinion or judgement based on available information and decide whether we have a favourable or unfavourable opinion on it.
2.    Affective component: The affective component of attitudes is linked to people's feelings or emotions (e.g., fear, sympathy, hate, like, and pleasure). 
 
•    Affective responses have a variety of effects on attitudes.
 
•    Many people, for example, are afraid of spiders. As a result of this negative affective response, you're likely to have a negative attitude toward spiders. 
 
•    Affect plays a crucial role in the formation of attitudes. 
 
•    Affect is also a common factor in changing one's mind. Purely cognitive rationales may be overridden by how we feel about a result.
 
3.    Behavioural component: A tendency or predisposition to act in a certain way is referred to as the behavioural (or conative) component of attitudes. 
 
o    Affective and cognitive factors may contribute to a person's proclivity to behave in a certain way.

5. What's the characteristics of attitude?

Attitude are predispositions

Attitude are predispositions of purpose, interest or opinion of the person to assess some objects in a favourable or an unfavourable manner.

Attitude are different from values

Attitude are different from values: Values are the ideals, whereas attitudes are narrow, they are our feelings.

Attitude are evaluative statement

Attitude are evaluative statements: either favourable or unfavourable concerning the objects, people or events. 

Attitude influence human behavior

A positive attitude towards a thing will influence human behavior towards the thing favorably and vice-versa.

Attitude have intensity

It refers to the strength of the effective component. For example, we may dislike an individual but the extent of our disliking would determine the intensity of our attitude towards the person.

Attitude are learnt

Attitude is not inborn phenomenon. Attitude are learnt through social interaction and experience.

6. What's the functions of attitude?

Adjustment Function

Attitudes often help individuals to adjust to their work environment.

Consumers hold certain brand attitudes partly because of the brand utility. If a product has helped us in the past even in a small way, our attitude towards it tends to be favorable. One way of changing attitude in favor of a product is by showing people that it can solve utilitarian goals. They may not have considered some advertisement which stresses the utilitarian benefits of a product.

Ego-Defensive Function

Consumers want to protect their self concept from inner feelings of doubt. Cosmetic and personal hygiene products, by acknowledging this need, increase their relevance to the consumer and have the possibility of a favorable attitude by offering reassurance to the consumers self concept.

Value-Expressive Function

Attitudes are one expression of general values, lifestyles, and outlook. If a consumer segment generally holds a positive attitude towards being in a fashion segment, consumer may treat high fashion clothing and accessories as symbols of that lifestyle.

Knowledge Function

Attitudes provide frames of reference or standard that allow individuals to understand and perceive the world around him. Individuals have a strong need to know and understand the people and things with whom they come in contact, especially if they think they might influence their behavior.

7. What's the impact of attitude in personality and career building?
The major impacts of attitude in personality and career building results in the following way:

Career success

Performance is a parameter to measure employees‘ success in the workplace. Performance leads to success either through promotion or increased compensation. A positive attitude of an employee will help him to think of ways to accomplish their task in a well-defined manner

Productivity

An employee with a positive attitude tends to take more interest and responsibility and will provide better work, which in turn will improve productivity.

Leadership

Managing a diverse workforce is a crucial task for achieving the objective of an organization. Positive attitude demonstrated by leaders or employee will result in proper communication between the subordinate which will lead to efficient work.

Teamwork

A positive attitude of employees helps to appreciate each other‘s competencies and work as a team for achieving common objectives.

Decision making

An employee with a positive attitude and mindset will help employees to make better decisions, in an objective manner. It will enable employees to choose wisely and logically and avoid them to take an unambiguous decision.

Motivation

Motivation is an important factor for efficient work. An employee with a positive attitude will always be mentally prepared to face any obstacle in a job. The moment they are successful in overcoming obstacles, they are motivated to move forward.

Interpersonal relations

Customers prefer to make relation with someone who is positive in nature. A positive attitude helps in establishing valuable customer loyalty.

Stress management

Positive attitude and thinking will reduce the stress of an employee and with reduced stress employee can take a better decision and increase their productivity which results, employees, to enjoy better health and take fewer sick leaves.

8. Strategies to develop positive mental attitude. 
Start by following one simple rule: Don't say anything to yourself that you wouldn't say to anyone else. Be gentle and encouraging with yourself. If a negative thought enters your mind, evaluate it rationally and respond with affirmations of what is good about you. Think about things you're thankful for in your life.

Interact within positive environments and with positive people. Do things with people who reinforce you in a positive way. Go places that have special meanings and positive memories or associations.

  • Develop a Solid Morning Routine. You don't have to be a morning person to get the day off to a good start. ...
  • Practice Gratitude. ...
  • Live Healthily. ...
  • Celebrate Often. ...
  • Keep Learning. ...
  • Take Breaks. ...
  • Maintain Balance. ...
  • Build Friendships with Coworkers.
  • So the first step to developing a positive attitude is to accept that you won't always succeed at everything you do. The second step is to realize that trial and error provide a wonderful opportunity to keep improving. In the business world, professionals set goals for themselves.
9. Some unforgettable  motivational quotes on attitude.
  • Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.” — ...
  • “You're off to great places, today is your day. ...
  • “Keep a positive attitude, even if results don't seem to be occurring as quickly as you want them to.” — ...
  • “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” — ...
  • “You need an attitude of survive.
  • “If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.” —Frances Hodgson Burnett
  • “Having a positive attitude isn’t wishy-washy, it’s a concrete and intelligent way to view problems, challenges, and obstacles.” —Jeff Moore
  • “It makes a big difference in your life when you stay positive.” —Ellen DeGeneres
  • “Building a positive attitude begins with having confidence in yourself.” —Roger Fritz
  • “A positive attitude is something everyone can work on, and everyone can learn how to employ it.” —Captain Jack Sparrow
  • “A positive attitude may not solve all our problems but that is the only option we have if we want to get out of problems.” —Subodh Gupta
  • “Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking.” —Zig Ziglar
  • “The most important thing you’ll ever wear is your attitude.” —Jeff Moore
  • “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement; nothing can be done without hope.” —Helen Keller
  • “Our future cannot depend on the government alone. The ultimate solutions lie in the attitudes and the actions of the American people.” —Joe Biden
  • “When a happy person comes into the room, it is as if another candle has been lit.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
  • “Take the attitude of a student, never be too big to ask questions, never know too much to learn something new.” —Maya Angelou
  • “You can often change your circumstances by changing your attitude.” —Eleanor Roosevelt
  • “Attitude and enthusiasm play a big part in my life. I get excited about the things that inspire me. I also believe in laughing and having a good time.” —Dwayne Johnson
  • “Be positive. Your mind is more powerful than you think. What is down in the well comes up in the bucket. Fill yourself with positive things.” –Tony Dungy
10. Resources for further information on attitude 
  • Barden, J., & Petty, R. E. (2008). The mere perception of elaboration creates attitude certainty: Exploring the thoughtfulness heuristicJournal of Personality and Social Psychology95(3), 489509.
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  • Bruner, J. S. (1957). On perceptual readinessPsychological Review64(2), 123152. doi:10.1037/h0043805
  • Chaiken, S.Liberman, A., & Eagly, A. H. (1989). Heuristic and systematic information processing within and beyond persuasion context. In J. S. Uleman & J. A. Bargh (Eds.), Unintended thought (pp. 212252). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
  • Eagly, A. H., & Chaiken, S. (1993). The psychology of attitudesNew York, NY: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
  • Ewoldsen, D. R.Rhodes, N., & Fazio, R. H. (2015). The MODE model and its implications for studying the mediaMedia Psychology18312337.
  • Fazio, R. H. (1986). How do attitudes guide behavior? In R. M. Sorrentino & E. T. Higgins (Eds.), Handbook of motivation and cognition: Foundations of social behavior (pp. 204243). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
  • Fazio, R. H.Chen, J. M.McDonel, E. C., & Sherman, S. J. (1982). Attitude accessibility, attitude-behavior consistency, and the strength of the object-evaluation associationJournal of Experimental Social Psychology18(4), 339357.
  • Fazio, R. H.Jackson, J. R.Dunton, B. C., & Williams, C. J. (1995). Variability in automatic activation as an unobtrusive measure of racial attitudes: A bona fide pipeline? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology6910131027.
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  • Fazio, R. H.Roskos-Ewoldsen, D. R., & Powell, M. C. (1994). Attitudes as determinants of attention and perception. In S. Kitayama & P. M. Niedenthal (Eds.), The heart's eye: Emotional influences on perception and attention (pp. 197216). Orlando, FL: Academic Press.
  • Fazio, R. H., & Williams, C. J. (1986). Attitude accessibility as a moderator of the attitude–perception and attitude–behavior relations: An investigation of the 1984 presidential electionJournal of Personality and Social Psychology51(3), 505514.
  • Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonanceStanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
  • Festinger, L., & Carlsmith, J. M. (1959). Cognitive consequences of forced complianceThe Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology58(2), 203210.
  • Friese, M.Hofmann, W., & Schmitt, M. (2008). When and why do implicit measures predict behaviour? Empirical evidence for the moderating role of opportunity, motivation, and process relianceEuropean Review of Social Psychology19(1), 285338.
  • Gawronski, B., & Bodenhausen, G. V. (2006). Associative and propositional processes in evaluation: An integrative review of implicit and explicit attitude changePsychological Bulletin132(5), 692731. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.132.5.692
  • Greenwald, A. G., & Banaji, M. R. (1995). Implicit social cognition: Attitudes, self-esteem, and stereotypesPsychological Review102(1), 427.
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  • Gross, S. R.Holtz, R., & Miller, N. (1995). Attitude certainty. In R. E. Petty & J. A. Krosnick (Eds.), Attitude strength: Antecedents and consequences (pp. 215245 ). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
  • Hofmann, W.Gawronski, B.Gschwendner, T.Le, H., & Schmitt, M. (2005). A meta-analysis on the correlation between the Implicit Association Test and explicit self-report measuresPersonality and Social Psychology Bulletin31(10), 13691385.
  • Insko, C. A., & Schopler, J. (1967). Triadic consistency: A statement of affective-cognitive-conative consistencyPsychological Review74(5), 361376.
  • Ito, T. A., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2007). Attitudes as mental and neural states of readiness: Using physiological measures to study implicit attitudes. In B. Wittenbrink & N. Schwarz (Eds.), Implicit measures of attitudes (pp. 125158). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
  • Johnson, B. T., & Eagly, A. H. (1989). Effects of involvement on persuasion: A meta-analysisPsychological Bulletin106(2), 290314.
  • Katz, D., & Stotland, E. (1959). A preliminary statement to a theory of attitude structure and change. In S. Koch (Ed.), Psychology: A study of a science (Vol. 3, pp. 423475). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
  • Knobloch-Westerwick, S.Johnson, B. K., & Westerwick, A. (2014). Confirmation bias in online searches: Impacts of selective exposure before an election on political attitude strength and shiftsJournal of Computer-Mediated Communication20(2), 171187.
  • Krosnick, J. A., & Abelson, R. P. (1992). The case for measuring attitude strength in surveys. In M. T. Judith (Ed.), Questions about questions: Inquiries into the cognitive bases of surveys (pp. 177203). New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.
  • Krosnick, J. A.Boninger, D. S.Chuang, Y.-C.Berent, M. K., & Carnot, C. G. (1993). Attitude strength: One construct or many related constructs? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology65(6), 11321151. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.65.6.1132
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  • Miller, G. R. (2013). On being persuaded: Some basic distinctions. In J. P. Dillard & L. Shen (Eds.), The Sage handbook of persuasion: Developments in theory and practice (pp. 7082). New York, NY: Sage.
  • O'Keefe, D. J. (2002). Guilt as a mechanism of persuasion. In J. P. Dillard & M. Pfau (Eds.), The persuasion handbook: Developments in theory and practice (pp. 329344). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
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  • Rhodes, N.Roskos-Ewoldsen, D. R.Edison, A., & Bradford, B. (2008). Attitude and norm accessibility affect processing of anti-smoking messagesHealth Psychology27S224S232.
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  • Roskos-Ewoldsen, D. R. (1997). Attitude accessibility and persuasion: Review and a transactive modelAnnals of the International Communication Association20185225.
  • Roskos-Ewoldsen, D. R., & Fazio, R. H. (1992). On the orienting value of attitudes: Attitude accessibility as a determinant of an object's attraction of visual attentionJournal of Personality and Social Psychology63(2), 198211. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.63.2.198
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11. Conclusions
A positive attitude is a plus in the workplace. It helps boost morale, supports cooperation, and improves customer/client outcomes.
It should come as no surprise that most surveys indicate individuals prefer to work with someone positive rather than negative.
Studies also show that a more positive attitude can dramatically improve the decisions made, the opportunities available, the number of people who choose to connect, the focus on job-related tasks, the determination to continue learning, and the drive to improve performance.

12. FAQs


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