We all have people in our lives who are more fun to be around than others. Is it because they’re funny? Entertaining? Wise? Interesting? I’m sure we enjoy all of that. But I think more than anything, it’s their attitude.
People who have cheerful, positive, friendly dispositions are just more enjoyable to be around. They make us feel good. And their demeanor tends to rub off on us. We’re positively affected by their positive attitude.
Conversely, people with poor attitudes tend to bring us down. We’re affected by their outlook, their complaints, their focus on themselves and many other things. They’re what I call stinking thinkers—people with Mental BO. You know the kind—the ones who brighten up a room—BY LEAVING.
The bottom line is our attitudes are contagious—good or bad.
I’ve always coached my business owner clients to hire for attitude and train for skills. Because even highly skilled people with crappy attitudes hardly ever turn out well. Training people to have good attitudes is very hard work indeed. I’ll take someone with a great attitude who needs additional training for skills over a skilled stinking thinker any day.
That said, we can—and should—all work on improving our attitude. Not only for our own enjoyment of life but also to make sure that others will want to be around us and that our attitude is worth catching.
Best Life Tip: Attitudes are Contagious. Make Sure Yours is Worth Catching.
This article was originally published on SuccessNet.org in 2015.
