Yo! Attitude is everything. EVERYTHING!!!! Your approach to life, to relationships, to any task you want, to making goals, making decisions, and most of all dealing with life's BS.I had a job interview once coming out of college and the interviewer asked me to describe the last time I failed at something and how I reacted to it. After pondering the question for a moment, I replied, "I have never failed at anything in my life." Point Blank. I was serious in my response and meant what I said. I didn't get the job, and though I did end up getting an offer from the same Company (a different office) a few weeks later, I thought a lot about the interview and ultimately concluded that my answer to his question probably had a lot to do with his decision to not hire me.
So...after realizing that my comment probably seemed arrogant and unrealistic to my interviewer, I have spent a lot of time over the years trying to think of how I would respond now that I have more seasoning and have spent years on the other side of the table interviewing candidates. In the end, I love my answer, I think it defines who I am, and it all comes down to attitude. You see, I define failure as not learning from my mistakes. I define failure as a conscious decision to continue down a path that has been shown to be ineffective.
I believe that greatness only comes with the willingness to be aggressive and make mistakes. Not only that, its the mistakes that make you better. The key is, you only make the same mistake once- that is greatness, learning before you get killed by the same mistake again. If you look at the greatest people of our time (maybe outside of Jesus Christ), all of them have a past of mistakes and screw ups that ultimately began to define who they were. If you read about Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, the great Roman leaders, the renaissance greats like Michelangelo, DaVinci, all of them had times in their lives where the path they were destined to take was shaped by a dedication to being great. The greatness came not only from talent (which we all have at some level), but from reacting to setbacks as learning experiences, as opposed to treating them as failures. Bankruptcy, poor family relations, troubles with women, plagued these great people.
After working in the world of big finance, big money and working with the largest companies on deals that bring money, and as a result, huge pressure to the table, in the end, the best brains and talent set themselves apart from the rest of the pack in their attitude. No obstacle is insurmountable, no challenge too great. No problem is so difficult that they can't overcome it. In the end it comes down to attitude.
As a leader, your attitude and tone sets the stage. Period. If your leader is a stressball, the team is stressed. If your leader is lackadaisical, your team will follow. If your leader is thoughtful, dedicated and competent, your team will work hard to be the same. Being a leader is just as much about emotional intelligence as it is about educational intelligence. You may be smart, you may think your good at what you do, but if you don't inspire those below you to strive for better, you are a failure. That being said, if you care about those you lead, you will never fall into that trap. In the end, I think emotional intelligence is as if not more important than physical intelligence.
However, all of it comes back to attitude. I have read about past leaders and one in particular caught my eye when I was in eighth grade. I remember this as clear as I remember filling my second cup of coffee this morning. This man's legacy has inspired me to not dwell on setbacks and mistakes, but to instead learn from them so that I do not fail and make the same mistakes again. In fact, I just opened the same book I read in eighth grade and there is a bookmark from my high school days on the exact page. Here is what is says about him.
This man was defeated in just about everything he did.
He failed in business in 1831
He was defeated for the legislature in 1832
He failed in business again in 1833
He won a seat in the legislature in 1834
His sweetheart died in 1835
He had a nervous breakdown in 1836
He was defeated for speaker in 1838
He was defeated for land officer in 1843
He was defeated for Congress in 1843
He was elected to Congress in 1846
He was defeated for reelection in 1848
He was defeated for Senate in 1855
He was defeated for Vice President in 1856
He was defeated for Senate in 1858
He was elected President in 1860
His name was Abe Lincoln. And he defined failure the same way I do.
BE EXCELLENT TO EACH OTHER!!!
2 comments:
That was really refreshing to read. I wish more people had the same outlook.
Lincoln also suffered from depression. A great man to read about. Amazing what he overcame.
I have heard rumors they are going to make a movie based on the book 'Manhunt' which was a best-seller. I'm thinking about picking it up after I read "His Excellency" (George Washington) by Ellis.
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