A Positive Attitude And Self Concept Management Essay

Attitude is a mental position relative to a way of thinking or being; a leaning toward that which you believe (Purkey, 1988). A positive attitude is the inclination to generally be in an optimistic state of mind. Positive attitude, positive thinking, and optimism are all characteristics that will make a leaders life more positive and increase their self worth. A leader will most likely be more successful when using all of these characteristics to their full potential.

A positive mind set gives the leader the ambition and drive to accomplish the goals your organization as given you. Everyone has goals. Some may be bigger and more advanced than others but every leader has a goal. To accomplish these goals, a leader must “focus on putting their life out there and risking it for success” (Campbell & Martinez-Perez, 1977, pp. 455-459).

To have a positive way of thinking you must have healthy self-esteem or self confidence. “The self-esteem is the part of you self-concept that determines your self-worth” (Campbell & Martinez-Perez, 1977, pp. 455-459). Websters dictionary define self-esteem as “a confidence and satisfaction in oneself” (“Self-esteem,” 2010). Many leaders have low self-esteem due to many reasons. Some leaders compare themselves to other leaders. You cannot compare yourself to another leader because their motives and objective are usually different than your own. Some leaders allow the people who surround them influence their ideas. For example, if you are developing a new concept for a company. However, your team mates do not like the concept or idea you probably will give in due to peer pressure. You have allowed others to influence your decision. This is neither good nor bad, just depending on the situation. When you receive support and encouragement from significant people than that is when you start to appreciate yourself (Campbell & Martinez-Perez, 1977, pp. 455-459). You may be thinking “no one ever appreciates you,” however, may be you should be the first to complement others. You are the leader, so lead.

The author believes everyone is created for a special reason. We all have different talents and a way of thinking. You also have the choice on who you hang out with as well as who influences you. Not hanging around people who have bad influences in your life will likely be the first step to having a better outlook on life. You are more likely to succeed in a leadership position if you surround yourself with supportive people (Campbell & Martinez-Perez, 1977, pp. 455-459).

The author believes there are two types of self-esteem. You have positive self-esteem and negative self-esteem. Positive self-esteem is having an ‘I can accomplish this task.’ Positive self-esteem people are usually fun to be around because they have a ‘cup half full’ outlook on life. A negative self-esteem person has a “cup half empty’ outlook on life. They are always down and can even have a negative influence on the people they surround themselves with.

Negative self-esteem can stem from the family life. Leaders who were bullied or teased on at school can go through life thinking the things they were told. A good leader should never compare themselves to another leader whose objectives, ethics, and motives are different than themselves. Comparing yourself is not always negative. It can be positive. Comparing can give you a drive to complete an objective when used in the correct way. Always having a positive attitude can make the difference between failure and success (“Positive attitude,” 2008). The best advice the author can give is just learn to move on. Forgiveness goes a long way.

The way you view yourself will be difference than how other people view you. You are a leader, there to accomplish a goal (“Positive attitude,” 2008). Not everyone is going to agree with you. Your research department may view you as a quiet and laid back leader. But your team mates you see every day may view you as upbeat, positive, and encouraging leader. Some team mates may believe they are giving feedback but they are actually criticizing you, which is never healthy. Just keep motivating yourself and “work hard to work forward” (“Positive attitude,” 2008).

Having a positive self-esteem and attitude have many benefits including:

-Helps achieve goals

-Gives you more happiness

-Gives you more energy

-You can inspire and motivate yourself and others

-You can overcome many obstacles

-People respect you

Some step to develop a more positive attitude and self-concept are:

Consciously try to have and maintain a positive, optimistic attitude.

If you catch yourself being negative correct it and concentrate on the positive.

Realize that there are few benefits to negativity.

Holding a grudge only hurts you. Usually the person you are holding a grudge against has forgotten what they did to you. They have continued with their life and so should you. Forgive and forget.

Cultivate optimistic thoughts

“Every time you think positive thoughts, your body, mind, and spirit respond” (Lussier & Achua, 2007, pp. 50-51). If you always think positive your life will reflect your thinking.

If you catch yourself complaining stop and change to a positive attitude

We can always tell when we are being negative. Next time you catch yourself stop and look at the positive of the situation

Avoid negative people

Imagine being around negative people all the time. As the saying goes ‘one rotten apple spoils the basket. Hanging around negative people can actually influence your attitude too

Set and achieve goals

“Set short-term goals that you can achieve.” This includes “daily, weekly, and monthly goals” (Lussier & Achua, 2007, pp. 50-51).

Focus on your success

If you achieve two of ten goals do not dwell on the failures but think of the ones you accomplished

Accept compliments

When someone compliments you or tells you did an excellent job tell them thank you. Not only does it build your self-esteem but it tells them you appreciate them.

Don’t compare yourself to others

You cannot compare yourself to others because they are usually trying to accomplish a different objective

Think for yourself

Do not allow others to be your brain. You have your own. You should allow others input but not allow them to think for you

Be a positive role model

If you have a positive attitude most of the members look up to you for guidance and will have a positive attitude too. Lead by example.

When things go wrong do something to help someone who is worse off than you

When you help someone who is worse off than you, you realize how better off you are. You also realize that what you are going through is small to other peoples’ problems. It also give you a sense of gratefulness that you are not in their situation

(Lussier & Achua, 2007, pp. 50-51)

“We must train ourselves to be aware at all times of how our mind is working, including our thoughts, thinking patterns, and tendencies” (Goal, 2006).

A three step approach to determine how your mind is thinking is:

Awareness:

Being aware of what and how you are thinking is very important. You must train yourself “to be aware at all time of how our mind is working – the thoughts, thinking patterns, and tendencies” (Goel, 2006).

Acceptance:

“Awareness, however, brings about a heightened sensitivity to the issues. We tend to become judgmental and critical of ourselves or of others. This has the danger of sending us into a vicious cycle of negativity UNLESS we learn to accept what we see and understand” (Goel, 2006).

Attitude:

Once you have accepted what is in your mind you can now determine how you want to look at that person situation. Realize you may not have a good attitude about someone when it comes to work ethic. This is healthy because you have accepted it and base your decisions on it.

When we are positive, our conversations and thoughts become healthier. You will become more productive in all aspects of your life. This constitutes a good leader with high self-concept.

Putting everything into perspective, you are a department head in a fortune 500 company. Your boss told you to develop a new product that blows the other companies away. First, you must believe you can accomplish this goal. Secondly, choose a team that is positive and believes that the department can accomplish the goal too. Now as you are developing your product many tests will not go a planned but consider it a learning process. Throughout the process many team mates may feel they cannot accomplish the goal. It is you job to keep the positive attitude. Encourage them and build their self-concept. If you catch yourself thinking negatively you must immediately switch to a positive mind set. When a team member accomplishes a small goal or test pat them on the back. Also, congratulate yourself because if one team member accomplishes a goal you all do. And remember not to let anyone compare themselves to another member. You will find as the deadline approaches that you will most likely accomplish your goal because you kept a positive attitude and believed in yourself and team.

In conclusion, a positive mind set helps a leader grow. It helps them grow not only in their professional life but at home too. Having a great self-concept will allow you to gain new skills and learn from your experiences. A positive mind set will teach you to control your emotions and keep you focused on your goals and objectives. Everything starts with baby steps. People usually do not dive into the deep end without learning to swim first. When you grasp being positive and believing in yourself this is when your life will start to transform, build your health, and have a new drive for your goals and life. As you become a better person usually the people around you follow. So not only are you influencing yourself but you are having a lasting impact of your peer, children, and others. Following all the steps will help you succeed as a leader.