Attitude notes from Maxwell, Wooden, Lincoln and Blanchard

ATTITUDE

Maxwell

• To be a leader you must preserve the attitude of being receptive to new ideas
• Write the name of a friend you admire _______ , write one thing you admire about the friend…..95% of descriptive words will be about attitude
• Attitude is more important than facts, the past, education, money, circumstances, failures, successes, what other people think or say or do, appearance, giftedness, and skills
• Attitude will make or break a company, church, or home
• Attitude if a daily choice – how will you react to the inevitable
• The right attitude will set the right atmosphere, which enables the right responses from others
• Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react
• 100 of America’s largest companies were asked to name single greatest reason for firing an employee (Incompetence – 30%, Inability to work with others – 17%, Dishonesty/ Lying – 12%, Negative outlook – 10%, Lack of motivation – 7%, other reasons – 8%). After incompetence the next five relate to attitude problems
• 15% of success is due to technical training and 85% is due to personality with the primary trait of personality being attitude
• “If you could beat the person responsible for most of your troubles, you wouldn’t be able to sit down for weeks.”
• Loneliness is not a positional issue; it is a personality issue
• Think of Moses during discouraging times – he led a million complaining people for forty years and never arrived where he was supposed to go
• Whatever has happened in your life has happened.  Since you cannot undo the past no matter how hard you try, wipe the slate clean and go on to what’s next

Wooden

• One bad apple is more than most barrels can stand
• Emotional control is as important as knowing how to shoot
• If you can’t control your emotions, your emotions will control you
• The peak emotion creates is eventually followed by a valley
• Who passed the ball, who set the screen, who was in position for a rebound if shot was missed, who had floor balance to stop a fast break, it certainly was not the man pounding his chest
• Temperamental and moodiness were not accepted or recruited
• Kareem was just as enthusiastic as Bill, he just didn’t make as much noise
• All prayers are answered, sometimes the answer is just no
• Wife could not tell if it was a good day or a bad day of practice (leave it behind)
• Don’t hold a grudge.  It takes up room in your heart, time in your life, and space in your mind (clouds your judgment).  LET IT GO
• “Forgiveness will set you free” – Mother Teresa

Lincoln

• Can’t afford to have a brooding or depressed leader who has lost their nerve and will not fight anymore

Blanchard

• “No one can make you feel inferior without your permission” (Eleanor Roosevelt)
• We can feel good about ourselves or we can feel lousy about ourselves.  Why would anyone chose the later?  (Norman Vincent Peale)

·         Until you deal with your feelings, you will be stuck with them.

Fred Smith

·         There are 2 kinds of people in any organization: Polluters and Purifiers.  When you walk away from someone do they feel better or worse?