The Impact of Attitude

By Mike Gaymon, Senior Advisor

We all know that attitude can make a big difference in expected outcomes. We also have probably all heard the phrase, "our attitude will govern our altitude". But what does that have to do with the work that MSS does?

Over 160 clients ranging from cities, regions and states obviously have recognized the necessity of not only determining the current status of their entity but more importantly, helping to design the future status in development and structure. The "facts and figures" from the research can be both reinforcing and challenging. However, it is only when reality is clear that the future can become even clearer.

A favorite city of my family is Charleston, S.C. There is much history and beautiful things to see and learn about there. One of our favorite stops is at the Hyman's Seafood Restaurant. They know how to make food almost melt in your mouth from the delicious taste. On one of their marketing materials they have their motto which was originally written by Dr. Chuck Swindoll. It says....." The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important then education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company....a church...a home. The remarkable thing is that we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we embrace for that day. We cannot change our past....we cannot change the fact that people act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is to play on the one string we have and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you....we are in charge of our attitudes."

We should never underestimate the power of the impact that attitudes have on the plans, studies and analysis in their acceptance and execution.
 

A Steering Committee charged with building a consensus should always focus on the process of the group and the constituents with the BIG PICTURE in mind having a positive attitude about the end results. There will always be different interests and opinions that need to be heard during the process which should strengthen the final outcomes. The process has been proven to work when there is open and honest dialog and input without premature judgement as to the value early on.

The MSS experiences have proven that the more proactive the Strategy becomes then the clearer the pathway to structure the specifics measurements for the implementation phase. The things that get measured get done.