Can attitudes be changed?
We develop our attitudes and over time we form habits, of which we usually have little awareness. Not all our habits are helpful and some can be destructive or goal defeating. But, since our attitudes are learned, they can be unlearned.
"A bad attitude is like a flat tyre, you can’t go anywhere until you change it."
Many negative attitudes stem from ignorance. This means you can often change your attitude with the right knowledge.
For example, if your colleague is short-tempered with you, you might have a negative attitude towards her (you will feel angry, you will think she is moody, and your behaviour towards her will reflect this – you might be unpleasant back to her or avoid contact with her altogether). But if you were to learn that she had just been diagnosed with cancer, your attitude might alter somewhat. Your attitude could be positive (you will feel compassion and your behaviour will be kind and understanding).
Changing an attitude starts with self-awareness and usually includes changing a belief. Over the course of our lives we develop many beliefs that are bias and cause us to look at the world in a particular way. It is not surprising that the way we think effects our behaviour. But, research has also found that behaviour can affect attitudes just as much.
Therefore, a change in behaviour can change an attitude. Applied to the workplace, this means if you can get employees to behave a certain way (for example, by calling clients to make sure their deliveries have arrived), their attitude will change towards that issue (they will believe following up with the customer is important).
There are two ways that your attitude can change:
- Education – Learning helps develop your attitude. For example, after learning about emotional intelligence in one of our workshops, participants reported an average of 55 percent improvement in their ability to deal with negative emotions. It is easier to have the ‘right attitude’ if you have the right knowledge.
- Experiences – Experiences shape our attitudes. You can provide employees with the opportunity to think differently. For example, employees may have poor relationships until they are given an opportunity to bond together through team building exercises.
We use theoretical and experiential learning as the basis for our training. By combining scientific research and self-analysis with activities and case studies, we are able to offer the best opportunities for people to develop proactive attitudes.
Developing Attitudes
Workshops, feedback and coaching will benefit your attitude. Training programs can improve leadership, sales, handling change, project management, team building, communication and customer service.
Our customised programs provide the resources to build long-term change.
Change requires self-awareness and motivation. Some of us are resistant to change, or don’t know where to begin. We help you overcome this obstacle by letting you identify your strengths and weaknesses. We use reliable psychometric questionnaires to create self-awareness and then we work with you to create an action plan.