Does Attitude Matter?
As a squadron leader in the Air Force, I was passed for promotion from yellow to red rope (we wore different colored shoulder ropes) over a less qualified, less experienced candidate. I stewed about this a few days until finally asking the Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) about it.
"I can sum it up in one word," he said, jabbing his finger at me. "ATTITUDE!"
According to one article, "There is no doubt that a positive attitude is important for success in school, work and life." A positive attitude makes you more optimistic, helps you manage stress better and even makes you healthier. Positive thinking is linked to a stronger immune system and reduced risk of cardiac disease.
But attitude is inferred from behavior. We don't observe attitudes. Usually, they reflect each other. Acceptance of change and a willingness to work towards a goal set by the company reflects a "good" attitude; complaining and arguing with peers about work issues reflects a "bad" attitude. If all we see in each other is behavior, does attitude matter?
To put it another way: which comes first? Which matters more?
Healthcare uses so-called "social marketing" to change behaviors by trying to change attitudes, according to one author. Campaigns promoting positive attitudes toward preventative medicine "sell" beliefs and attitudes about smoking cessation, prenatal care, et al., hoping to change behavior.
But the same article reminds us that psychologist George Kelly advocated adopting new behaviors and strategies to change attitudes ("constructs"). Peer pressure can affect adolescent attitudes, for instance. This is the "fake it 'til you make it" approach.
In my experience as a manager, influencing attitudes about a situation is the best way to change behavior. But inferring an "attitude" is a slippery slope. I'm often wrong about what motivates a behavior.
The NCOIC should have said, "BEHAVIOR!" He probably had the wrong attitude.