Attitude
As CEO you can always learn the skills of the job, the how to do it. As time passes you acquire experience and knowledge so that you know what to do about it. So if you sort out the ‘how to do’ and the ‘what to do’ that only leaves one bit of the jigsaw and that is ‘wanting to do’ or attitude.I used to think this came from inside people and that you either have it or you don’t. There is a third generation family business near Stockport where they have got a lot of things right internally except attitude. It is as if they think (two brothers and a sister) that if they stick to doing things the way their dad did, everything will be all right.
So the results were not looking good for the second year running and one day in exasperation I turned on them and said, “Look, you three were born with a silver spoon in your mouth. Not one of you has ever had to fight for anything, but now you are going to have to if you want this business to survive.”
The effect was amazing and suddenly they all started to apply best practice, not just pay lip service to it.
I was wrong; I learned that attitude can come, but of course it can go as well.
posted by Tim @ 1:31 AM
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