2020 is still a year for businesses to be optimistic and aggressive with set goals. The real value of doing business this year is not to simply be profitable, but to provide real solutions to real consumer problems; the coronavirus has proved businesses unfavourableness to its customers. Typically, some businesses are still looking forward to hitting their turnover targets to keep afloat as restrictions and bans are gradually being eased to get them back into operation – Indeed, it’s been a difficult first half of the year.
However, a business has to be well-positioned and doing the right things at the right time to be efficient and yielding. The weight of being profitable will still be a struggle. It has been long months of inactiveness and businesses are trying to revive themselves from the eased restrictions – the options are quite a few. While they try to keep focus and productive, some are struggling to keep a balance and positive attitude towards work.
Let me for a moment try to step into the psychologist’s shoes to get this message deeply across to you
Now, there have been days everyone has experienced the “positive thinking” towards one hurdle or the other and stayed positive until NOTHING happens. Yes! Nothing happens because, we condition the mind to stay and think positively, but we do not act on these thoughts. People’s needs can define who they are: how far they envision themselves and how low they can perceive their abilities. Because a person’s needs are intrinsically enlaced with their growth as well as problems. You’ll be right to say our needs are who we are; the things we desire to have are what form our personalities.
The same needs can also propel us from nowhere to culminate our dreams. In other situations, they develop us into completely new individuals. We can fix the mindset, even improve the attitudes but how can we achieve results with a fixed mindset? We have to set our attitudes into motion, we must act on them and not only think and feel them.
Attitudes are just like setting business goals; without strategic actions and activities set to achieve them, they will always remain just goals. Do more than just possessing the mindset, do more beyond the feeling and thinking: do more action, do more dealing, get the deeds done!
Why attitude towards work is important to business now more than ever
Success is an attitude that is promising as much as your business. Attitudes are as powerful just as words. These two can be conflicting but reflects each other. Your words reflect your attitude and your attitude is the reflection of your words; this is no secret. However, there are also many business leaders across the globe with winning attitudes killing for; what attitudinal traits sets you apart?
Among the many things businesses require cash for, attitude is not one of them – it’s a zero cost. It is the key that sets you apart to achieve success and maximize competition. This mental power is something only you, the business leader, or whatever capacity you lead can have absolute control over. It is a discipline many successful business owners have developed over the years and a trait that runs through many other entrepreneurs.
People achieve extraordinary success because of these constructive attitudes. When the attitude beside the business and the brand is solid, success can be achieved on a silver platter – developing a winning attitude is not easy but who said it can’t be achieved?
The willingness to do whatever it takes to achieve business goals is limitless but the willingness to improve the attitude it takes to achieve those goals often sits in the comfort zone. The impact of attitudes through work and the decisions you make for your business can affect a lot of things; from operations, and even to the customer. It goes all the way to affect these business elements.
In business, some things are seemingly out of our control, like waiting for a potential client, increasing cash flow, satisfying your customers and largely, managing through a global crisis; like the coronavirus. But you can control your power attitude through words whether spoken or not, and through actions
If your attitude about any given situation is negative, the outcome of those situations cannot be anything better. Companies fathomless about these problems because they have not fully realized the impact of their mental powers on their businesses. It’s a lurid truth, but businesses careless about how they indirectly through their attitudes hold back business successes. They tend to focus on business situations as the cause of their failures – such as the many business failures, debts, and layoffs credited to the covid-19 pandemic. Dear business owner, it all jump starts with you. Your attitude is everything to your business as much as any other endeavors, crucially in this difficult times.
6 attitudes that will impede many businesses continuity
- Refusal to acknowledge the “abnormal” times
Don’t be alarmed. There are still many well-schooled and informed leaders and individuals who are in denial of the existence of the COVID-19 global crisis. I’ve encountered a few since the virus inception and bluntly referring to it as a hoax. Look, the world is in crisis and businesses on the far stretch are severely impacted and at the edge
- Doing what everybody is doing
My greatest worry. Seeing businesses follow the COVID-19 trend without a clue – shifting and altering business activities and services lacking proper understanding and strategies. Don’t be an aper! Don’t emerge into industries because it has become the trend and likely profitable of the day or simply because it’s enterprising. You are unique, you have great potentials, you can set the pace too. Do you know it is even more difficult doing what everybody else is doing? It takes a lot more efforts and time to be good at what others are already good at and It costs less to start and grow a side business or complementary services,
Don’t become a sanitizers’ and face masks because producer
- Anxiety and stress
Anxiety and stress can be one of the greatest setbacks for business leaders; actually for most entrepreneurs. It takes a great deal of toll on us, on every entrepreneur. Keeping a balance between these and businesses can set your business in the right place. It is quite a difficult handling anxiety and stress disorders but it can be managed.
However, stress and anxiety can give your attitude a negative boost faster than any mental breakdown. The restlessness and agitations often accompanied by a sense of depression and lack of concentration can cause you to make the wrong decisions as well as reflecting negatively in your attitude. Learn to create a balance
- Adynamic – moribund
Evolve! The challenges of many businesses is being and continuously remaining dynamic. The ability to constantly be innovative with their business services or products to meet the unsatisfying nature of consumers has been their fall. The market dynamism is progressive and competitive, and new businesses sprout daily irrespective of the pandemic, hence, consumers want more and better offerings; businesses must keep up and this requires you to be disruptive.
- Can’t take risks
Risks are attitudes of brave entrepreneurs. Take the risks and own up to the falls. “Business is a money game with few rules and a lot of risks” – Bill Gates
Successful business people have entertained risks more than they have entertained success. Ray Kroc’s quote about risk is my favorite- “if you are not a risk-taker, you should get the hell out of business” It’s straight to the point. You must take risks because it’s essential for your business continuity. Don’t play safe; there’s no such thing as “safe” in business. Risk it if it’s all that you have and borrowed, but take “intelligent” risks.
- Lacking focus
‘Be conveniently locked down’; convenience is used here to keep your focus defined: achieving target productivity for your inputs. There are many times we think we’re focused on the rights things but actually, we are just keeping up with the pace. To be focused is to have set goals and expected results. You can also be focused and not achieve any results. It’s still possible to win amid the pandemic.
- Afraid to fail and adapt to the “new normal”
No business leader hasn’t for a moment entertained the attitude of fear in this unfavorable business situation. We’ve all panicked at one point, of losing it all. In business, you don’t count your losses, you grow from them – they become the experiences you charge for. It is a necessary evil. It is required to make you a successful entrepreneur. It does not mean you aim to fail. It simply means, when it happens, grow from it. Now, if business leaders handle failures with the right attitude and mentality, imagine what they can achieve. It is better to try and fail than not to try at all; that is a complete failure only a positive attitude can overcome.
>>>The writer is the CEO of Commec Group, a business development consultancy. She is a multiple award winning Business Development Consultant and a Writer. For business and engagements: [email protected] / www.commec.group
