It’s easy to get bogged down with the daily grind of work, but it’s important to stay positive as this will have lasting benefits for you, your team and the people you support.
Maintaining a positive attitude at work will benefit your career and your outlook. Thirty six percent of professionals polled on LinkedIn agree that a positive attitude is the most important quality that employers look for in candidates and team members.
However, maintaining a positive attitude on a daily basis in the workplace is harder than you may think. Work can be stressful and challenging, and most professionals face deadlines and obstacles on a weekly, if not daily basis. This is not necessarily an environment that fosters a positive attitude – you really must work at it.
SO-HOW DO YOU DO THIS?
Read below and we will provide some pointers that will not only help you become more positive but also show you the benefits and impact of your new found positive outlook.
THE HOW
1. Smile More
Smile when you greet your coworkers and clients. Smile when you walk down the hall. Smile even when you don’t want to smile, and see how much it improves your days! Smiling even if you don’t feel happy will make you feel better, and seeing a smile on your face will make others feel better, too!
2. Never Criticise Anyone
There is a difference between criticism and constructive feedback. Always use the method where you begin by complimenting the individual on something they’ve done well, and follow it up with a suggestion on how to improve their performance. Also, ensure to have this conversation in private. The individual will respect your feedback, and also respect the fact that you brought awareness to the situation in a professional manner.
3. Stay Away From Gossip
Nothing eats away at a teamwork environment worse than gossip does. Whether team members are gossiping about colleagues or their personal problems, avoid the situation altogether. If you are caught in the conversation, act as a listener who does not provide any input. Maintaining a positive attitude at work means that you are a team player who provides all team members with respect. By refraining from joining a gossip circle, you can ensure that you maintain that level of respect.
4. Put Teamwork First
When a team member has performed well, let them know. Offering pats on the back and compliments on a job well done are two simple and easy ways to foster a positive teamwork environment. In the same regard, when the team is faced with an obstacle, be sure to offer solutions and next steps rather than focusing on the negatives. Approach each obstacle with a “glass half full” mentality and you will create a positive outlook that will catch on to the rest of the team.
5. Don’t Complain
Every day is not a good day – but don’t let everyone on the team know that. You may have been stuck in standstill traffic that morning, or experienced a 45-minute delay on your train ride, but you can’t let those variables affect your work. If you are in a foul mood, ensure you walk it off before you get to the office. That way, instead of ranting to your colleagues about how terrible your morning was, you can poke fun at your bad luck and give everyone a chuckle. Laughing at your unfortunate circumstances will keep the work environment positive, where ranting will add negativity and diminish the upbeat working tone of the office.
6. Leave Work at Work
It’s important to have time to yourself, your family, and your hobbies. If you work for eight hours, clock out, and then come home to do more work, you’re not going to be excited to go back to work the next day. Make a rule where you have to leave your work at the office. If you don’t complete a task while you’re clocked in, make it a priority for the next morning, but leave it at work. It’s hard not to even think about work while you’re at home because it’s such a large portion of your life, but give it a try. The more you put it out of your mind, the more rejuvenated you’ll feel each morning when it’s time to go back to the office.
7. Build Relationships with Colleagues
Your work environment will be more comfortable and fun if you’re friendly with your coworkers. You don’t have to know every detail of their personal lives, or even the names of their children, but having a good back and forth with coworkers, bosses, and associates will make your workplace more inviting. Having a friendly community at work will also make you feel more supported in your work duties, which can help cut stress levels.
8. Concentrate on One Thing at a Time
You have a lot of things on your To Do list, but concentrating on one thing at a time will help you be more motivated and focused. If you stay on task until it’s finished, you won’t lose time by multitasking or changing course from one topic to another. By concentrating on one thing at a time, you also are more likely to complete more tasks fully, instead of doing bits and pieces of a bunch of different projects but not finishing any.
9. Set Attainable Goals
Instead of setting your sights on the moon, set attainable work goals. It’s good to have dreams, but if you dream too big and don’t make it, you might be discouraged when it comes to accomplishing other goals. If you set attainable goals and meet them, you’ll be more inspired to set more goals you can reach.
10. Don't Beat Yourself Up Over Mistakes
If you make a mistake, whether it’s a verbal slip-up in a meeting or a typo in an email, let it go. You can’t beat yourself up over something like that, because everyone makes mistakes. Don’t forget what you’ve done wrong, but learn from it and move on. Take comfort in the fact that people won’t remember it for long, and use it to push yourself to do better next time, so instead of remembering your blunder, they’ll remember your success!
THE WHY
1. Health Benefits
A positive attitude is about more than just smiling at work. It literally benefits your overall health. Stress can deteriorate your health, especially when you experience it on a daily basis. These daily stresses start to wear down your health and your immune system. Put a stop to that before it starts by using our steps to ensure you face each workday positively.
2. Become a Role Model
People avoid negativity and they are drawn to positivity. Your positive attitude at work will allow your colleagues to feel comfortable coming to you with questions or for advice. You will quickly become a role model and an ally for many team members which will be viewed as an excellent quality by superiors.
3. Infectious Positivity
Your positive attitude will rub off on your teammates. Nobody wants to be the grumpy and pessimistic team member when everyone else is so positive. You will set an example, become a role model (as stated in point #2), and eventually create a full team of professionals with positive attitudes. This will boost the effectiveness of the overall working environment and lead to successes for the company.
4. Take the Lead Role
You’ve become a role model in the team, so naturally management will see that you have the leadership qualities to take on the next special project. The team members will respond well to your leadership and you will be given additional responsibilities to help you climb up the ladder in the office.