Home > Corporate > Media Centre

Putting Pollyanna to Work:

Joan Grobb Augustino

By Joan Grobb Augustino

(Editor's note: CFPSA has five core values, "positive attitude" being one of them. We asked Joan Grobb Augustino, personality expert, Certified Career Facilitator, and specialist in "attitudes at work", to write on this subject. Joan invites your comments and questions on what she has to say.)

What's all the recent fuss about attitude in the workplace? My experiences with thousands of people at work and seeking work has shown that attitude has ALWAYS been the most important factor for work and life success.

Imagine for a moment, that Pollyanna was right. You remember her, don't you? She was the main character in the movie with the same name. She was a positive and truly enthusiastic young girl who saw good things in all people and circumstances. Her GLAD game was all about finding something good, something positive, even when disaster hits.

CFPSA Core Values

And what's wrong with that? Why is it now that when someone says you are a Pollyanna, it is meant as a negative thing? Why is finding some good in all people and in all work such a negative?

My grandfather lived to 93 years of age. He always taught me to say nothing if I didn't have anything good to say. He also taught me that ANY job, done well and with integrity was something to be proud of, even if it was hard work, manual work.

But misery loves company. People love to complain together. It feels good to complain. Being negative is working for them. Complaining about how bad work is, how bad spouses are, or how bad things are with children and relatives is getting attention and, most of the time, sympathy.

Imagine the possibilities if all of this energy could be used to grow, not groan. If this same group of people looked at their problems from different points of views, helping each other out. Imagine what a different workplace and life we all would lead.

It seems to me that the GLAD game could be used very much every day to try and examine the possibilities. Do you want to SOAR to new heights with renewed vigor and hope? Here are four tips to flying high with a positive attitude:

  1. Share the problem, not the pain. Tell others about the problem, not about the feelings surrounding it. Maybe they can see an answer that emotions are hiding.
  2. Open up to the possibilities. Listen to other people's viewpoints. Often the answers to our challenges are out there, just not packaged in something easily recognizable to us. Re-evaluate and use other people's suggestions to examine new solutions.
  3. Accept failure as growth. Daring to be the best is risk-taking. But, winners share a history of repeated failures and moving beyond them. Do you think an Olympic gold medallist wins all of their races?
  4. Respond to the universe positively. There are things that are beyond any one person's control. Let them go. Focus on your reaction to these events because that's something you CAN control. You are 100% in control of your reactions and your attitude!

So, go ahead and put some attitude to work for you. And when those "misery loves company" people are looking for you, turn and run the other way.

You'll be GLAD you did because you'll pretty much find what you look for at work, in your self, and in life!

Copyright Joan Grobb Augustino 2005. All rights reserved.

top