CHAPTER 1: ATTITUDE, GOAL SETTING AND LIFE MANAGEMENT

In this chapter you are about to embark on self-discovery to identify how to become and
remain productive and successful in the workplace. The first step in this self-discovery is
to perform a simple exercise. Look in the mirror and identify the first three words that
immediately comes to mind.
MIRROR WORDS describes how you view yourself and how you believe others view
you. You perception of yourself influences your relationship with co workers and your
performance.
PROFESSINALISM is defined as a workplace behaviors that results in positive
business relationships. The secret to healthy relationship at work is to first understand
yourself.
What you need to understand?
1. Personal needs
2. Motivations
3. Irritations
This is why the first part of this chapter focuses on your personality, your values and
your self-concept. An individual’s personality, attitude dictate how he or she responds to
conflicts, crisis, and other typical workplace situations understanding your own
personality and attitude makes it much easier to understand your reaction to others’
personality and attitude.
HUMAN RELATION are the interaction that occur with or through people. These
interactions create relationship.
Example: for an organization to be profitable, its employee must be productive. It is
difficult to be productive if you cannot work with your colleagues, bosses, and
customers. Workplace productivity is a result of positive workplace interactions and
relationships.
Personality is a result of influences, and there are any outside influences that affects
workplace relationships. These influences includes family, friends, extended family,
religious affiliation, and even society as a whole. Therefore to understand workplace
relationships, you must first understand yourself.
PERSONALITY AND VALUES
PERSONALITY is a set of traits that assist in explaining and predicting an individuals
behavior.
PERSONALITY TRAITS
POSITIVE
1. Caring
2. Considerate
3. Organized
4. Enthusiastic
5. Reliable
NEGATIVE
1. Rude
2. Unfocused
3. Lazy
4. immature
VALUES are the things that are important to you as an individual based on your
experiences and influences.
Example:
1. Achievement
2. Family
3. Money
4. Security
5. Freedom
ATTITUDE is a strong belie about people, things and situations. Attitude affects
performance: an individual performance significantly influences a group performance,
and a group performance, in turn, affects an organizations’ performance.
If you continue to expose yourself to negative influences, you can lose sight of your
goals, which may result in a poor attitude and poor performance. Choose your
friendship wisely and surround yourself with positive people.
SELF EFFICACY AND ITS INFLUENCES
Review your “mirror words” from the beginning of this chapter. Were your words positive
or negative? Whatever you are feeling s a result f your self-Concept.
SELF-CONCEPT is how you view yourself.
SELF-IMAGE is your belie of how others view you.
SELF-EFFICACY is your belief in your ability to perform task and the final factor that
influences self-concept and performance.
PROJECTION is the way you feel about yourself and your environment is reflected in
how you treat others.
PERSONAL BRAND reflects traits u want other to think when they think of you.
These personal traits may include your appearance, your values, or specific knowledge
or skills that make you unique, interesting, and of value to others.
DEALING WITH NEGATIVE BAGGAGE
Many of us have experienced people who appear to have a chip in there shoulder that
negatively influences their behavior. The negativity reflected n an individual personality.
More often than not, a “chip” is a reflection of a painful past experience. What many do
not realize is that negative past experience sometimes turn into personal baggage that
creates barriers to career success. Example of negative past experiences may include
traumatic issues such as an unplanned pregnancy and criminal offense. Other times the
negative experience involved a poor choice or failure at something that had great
meaning. The experiences are the ones that most heavily influence one’s personality,
values and self-concepts, and in turn, may affect workplace attitude and performance.
If you have had a negative experiences that is hindering your ability to succeed
recognized the impact your past has on your future.
Take this steps towards a more productive future.
1. Confront your past.
Whatever skeleton is in your past, admit that the negative event occurred. Do not try
to hide or deny that it happened. Acknowledgement of the negative event is the first
step toward healing.
2. Practice forgiveness
Past negative experience hurt. A process in healing is to forgive who ever hurt you.
3. Move forward
Let go if hurt, guilt, or embarrassment. Do not keep dwelling on the past and using it
as an excuse or barrier toward achieving your goal. As you become more confident
in yourself, your negative experiences becomes envelope with the rest of your past
and frees you create a positive future.
Sometimes painful process is necessary if your goal is to become the best individual
you can be. Dealing with negative baggage is not something happened overnight.
Some individuals may need professional assistance to help them through the
process. There is no shame in seeking help. In fact, there is great freedom when you
have finally let go of the baggage and are able to climb to the top of the mountain
unencumbered.