Claim Your Attitude and Lead With It

What gets you up and out the door in the mornings?  Do you drag yourself out because you wouldn’t have a bed to roll out of if you didn’t have a paycheck?  Or, is a cup of coffee and a shower enough fuel so you can greet the day with great expectations?

I like to start early.  Most mornings, I am treated to a breathtaking Colorado sunrise that actually does turn the Rocky Mountains purple as I drive west towards my workplace.  That takes a lot of the sting out of my morning commute.  It also gives me a half hour to loosen up my facial muscles and replace my yawning appearance with a smiling one.  I have a lot of responsibilities as a manager but none more important than what I try to do every morning – set the tone for the day!

If I have a bad day, my department gets silent and my staff avoids interacting with me.  I used to wonder how they knew because I never yelled at anyone.  In fact, the grumpier I felt, the more I tried to be polite and courteous.  I even smiled – one of those fake ones that never work in a photograph – but a smile, none the less.  Still, everyone avoided me and there was an underlying tension in the department all day.  So, I asked them how they manage to read my moods so well.  It turns out that I am an easily readable person.

When my smile is genuine, it is accompanied by a quicker step, better posture, and the tendency to visit a little beyond “Good Morning”.  I learned that, if I want to set a good tone for the day, I need to be genuine.  This is where the early morning commute and the Colorado sunrise come in.

It may seem like a tired cliché but you truly can choose your attitude.  That’s good for all of us but if you’re the boss, it’s also your job.    You’ll still be over-worked but you’ll no longer be grumpy about it.  You’ll still be tired but you won’t whine about it.  Yes, your feet will still hurt but you won’t focus on them.  Enjoy your own sunrise and claim a good attitude before you walk in to greet your team.