Perfectionism
Attitude Matters, a Lot
If you want to do your best work, bring your best attitude.
Posted March 10, 2021 Reviewed by Davia Sills
Let me give you an example of why attitude and effort count for so much. Over the years, I’ve been honored to work with many fine people throughout the branches of the United States Armed Forces. A while back, I spent time with the crew of an important military aircraft. One of the crew members' duties in missions (which last as long as 10 hours) is to lie face-down in a window facing the ground in order to provide visual confirmation of the aircraft’s electronic surveillance of the ground below.
“Basically, I just lie down there with my eyes wide open and focused,” the young Airman told me. “We have very advanced systems on the plane, but I am the eyeballs. I need to provide visual [confirmation] to make sure we don’t fire on any [friendly forces] or civilians. But I also am watching for muzzle flares which might indicate enemy forces.”
Of critical importance, this young Airman is also looking for enemy fire directed at the plane: “When we are fired on, we only have a few seconds to detect that and take countermeasures to protect the plane.”
As I talked with this young Airman, I couldn’t help but compare him with the many people who have complained to me that their jobs are lowly or mundane or repetitive. For hours at a time, he stays focused and blinks as little as possible. During a 10-hour mission, there might only be a handful of incidents for which the Airman would actually need to take notice and act.
I asked the young Airman if it’s sometimes hard to stay alert on the job. “Sir, I don’t have a choice,” he responded. “The difference between me giving 99 percent or 110 percent could be the difference between life or death for me, for people on the ground, and for my crew.”
The crew numbered 13. Each person played a narrow-focused role and was critical to the safety and effective operation of the airplane and its mission. And every single one of them knew that they had no choice but to give 110 percent all the time because the work of every single role is a life-or-death matter.
For your sake, I hope that every move you make at work is not a life-or-death matter. Still, if you want to succeed, you would do well to follow that young Airman’s example. No matter how narrow or mundane or lowly or repetitive you might find your current role, play that role to the max. If you really want to grow, you need to bring your very best effort and the very best attitude to work every day.
That’s easier said than done. Right?
There are three elements that you need to care of to stay healthy. In my seminars, I sometimes walk participants through the following reality check. I call it the "best self reality check":
- Are you taking good care of your mind? What are the main sources of input for your mind right now? How can you expose your mind to a greater variety of input?
- Are you taking good care of your body? When do you sleep? What do you eat and drink?
- How do you exercise?
- Are you taking good care of your spirits? Do you know what you believe? What is your purpose? What is your attitude? How can you improve your attitude?
Being at your best and bringing your best attitude to work means also being high quality, high integrity, and adaptable: You are what you write, say, create, and do. No matter how grand your intentions or how generous and kind you may be as a person, others will know you by your words, actions, and creations.
Be high quality.
Always hold yourself to a high standard. Then go for it. Don't let yourself be paralyzed by the myth of 100 percent. Most people can accomplish 98 percent of almost any undertaking quickly and efficiently.
If you ask me, 98 percent is the highest standard of quality attainable by human beings. I'm not saying that avoidable errors should be excused. The 2 percent I am talking about is the central character in the myth proliferated by procrastinators and failure-phobes (the myth is that they get nothing done because they are actually perfectionists). That 2 percent is so intangible that it's just not worth agonizing over for even five minutes. So, hold yourself to the highest standard attainable (98 percent) and go for it.
Be full of integrity.
If your boss wants you to lie, cheat, steal, or harm others, don't do it. Quit if necessary. Blow the whistle if you think it's appropriate. No matter what, don't get involved in unethical dealings. It's not worth any price.
Be honest, and honest people will gravitate toward you. But let's face it, that's the easy part. I mean, how much effort is required to reject downright dishonesty and corruption? Real integrity requires proactive behavior: It requires breaking your back to deliver when people are counting on you; helping others even when nobody is there to give you credit; intervening when others are being treated unfairly; and speaking out loud for unpopular causes (if you believe in them).
Be adaptable.
People who are too attached to the way things are have a hard time learning new skills, performing new tasks, doing old tasks in new ways, working with new machines, new managers, new co-workers, new customers, new rules, no rules. Usually, the greatest difficulty for such people is the uncertainty—not knowing what is just around the corner.
Don't be one of these people. Learn to love change. Master today's changes and tomorrow's uncertainty because things are going to keep changing, faster and faster, with or without you. Bringing your best self to work means being one of the few people who are willing to do whatever is needed, whenever it's needed, whether it is something you already know how to do or not, whether it is supposed to be "your job" or not, whether it is something you love to do or something you are going to have to just tolerate for a few weeks or months.
