The Influence of Internal Attitudes on Organizations
Attitudes can be the most wide-spread energy drainer within organizations, disrupting the flow of ideas, energy, and mutual support.
The cancerous kind of attitude, called being “off-grid” with others, manifests when individuals view and treat their colleagues merely as tools to achieve personal aims. This mindset leads to immense mental, emotional, financial, and opportunity costs due to the maintenance of political rivalries and conflicts, as subtle as they may be.
Embracing Reliability as the Solution
The remedy to this pervasive issue lies in shifting the attitude to a state we can name "being in the heart." This approach involves recognizing and supporting the ambitions and objectives of colleagues while treating them as human beings with equal worth. Adopting such a stance not only enriches internal relationships but also boosts people’s ability to rely on each other. Without this fundamental shift in attitude, communication falters, and workplaces become arenas for political maneuvering rather than cooperative environments.
Conversely, a culture of cooperation backed by an “in the heart” attitude allows for direct communication, efficiently overcoming technical and interpersonal challenges while minimizing the resources spent on work-related tasks and internal politics.
Recognizing Off-Grid Signs Enables Prevention
Off-grid attitudes are often preceded by patterns of blaming, over-analyzing, or exaggerating situations—similar to lighting bolts before a storm.
Recognizing these patterns enables individuals to acknowledge their off-grid attitude, which is the first step in realigning with their values and integrity. Awareness and management of these underlying attitudes are crucial, acting as preventative measures to sustain business efficiency and interpersonal reliability.
The Role of Leaders in Managing Attitudes
Not every leader is equipped to handle complex relationship dynamics or heal emotional wounds directly. However, leaders can employ two straightforward questions to help navigate off-grid attitudes, whether their own or those of their team members:
1. How am I the problem in this case?
2. How am I the solution in this case?
Leaders play a pivotal role in addressing and rectifying off-grid behaviors. Opting to no longer tolerate such dynamics can transform an organization, encouraging a shift towards more collaborative and supportive interactions while maintaining a safe environment where employees feel empowered to acknowledge and correct their off-grid attitudes.
It is essential for leaders to initiate discussions on these issues and lead by example. This proactive approach in leadership sets the foundation for a cooperative organizational culture.
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