Maintaining a positive attitude at work will benefit your career and personal well-being. Employers are often looking for a positive attitude as one of the most important qualities in a candidate.
Keeping a positive attitude can be difficult at times. Work is stressful! You face deadlines, obstacles, and challenges. You have to work at being positive in difficult situations.
Let’s take a look at 5 ways you can project a positive attitude at work.
1. Think Positively
Your attitude is mostly mental. When you are stuck in a negative loop, it’s common to project an outwardly negative attitude. Try adding in positive thinking at the start of your day. This can be a simple phrase you repeat to yourself before you walk out your door for work or an interview.
2. Avoid Criticizing Others
Criticizing is much different than providing constructive feedback. How do you show the difference? Always start by explaining your positive intent – “I want to help you be better and more successful.” This conversation should be had in private and should always be handled in a respectful, professional manner.
3. Disengage from Gossip
Nothing picks away at a team worse than gossip does. If you hear your team members gossiping about colleagues or even their personal problems – avoid the situation. If you happen to get caught in the conversation, be a listener, not a contributor.
4. Put Teamwork First
When you see a team member performing well, let them know! Offering compliments and acknowledgment is a simple, effective way to foster a positive teamwork environment. Those times when your team is facing a challenge, be positive in identifying a solution rather than focusing on the negatives in the situation. Your positive outlook will be contagious.
5. Replace Complaints with Constructive Feedback
No one has a good day every day. But you don’t need to let your team members know when you’re having a not-so-awesome day. You may have got stuck in traffic or had a hard time getting the kids off to school, but you can’t let those variables ruin your day and project onto your team members.
Do your best to shake off the negativity before you step foot in your workplace.
Positivity in the workplace shows that you can encourage your team members to focus on overcoming challenges and work together to achieve your company’s goals. Being a positive influence on your team will surely stand out to your supervisor and could be a contributing factor to a promotion.
