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THE KEYS TO UNLOCKING A CAN-DO ATTITUDE
By John C. Maxwell
A faint but discernable dividing line separates achievers from dreamers. At first glance this line may be difficult to distinguish. You may be tricked into believing that talents, titles or resources draw the line between the doers and dreamers. However, if you spend a significant length of time with a group of leaders, the line splitting the achievers from the dreamers will become crystal clear—it’s having a can-do attitude.
Here are ten keys to cultivating a can-do attitude.
Key #1: Disown Your Helplessness
Can-do people aggressively pursue solutions, and, in the process, uncover creative solutions others never even try to find. Can-do leaders take responsibility for the future, whereas lesser leaders blame circumstances or other people when facing roadblocks. Rather than wallowing in helplessness, can-do leaders search diligently to overcome the obstacles in front of them.
Key #2: Take the Bull by the Horns
Can-do people are fearless. They go straight to the source of their solution. Their very effort commands attention as they wrestle a problem to the ground with expediency. I have discovered that people with a can-do attitude have an aggressiveness about them. When they enter into the arena of action, they don’t wait; they initiate.
Key #3: Enter the No Whining Zone
Can-do people abstain from complaining. They recognize its futility and guard their minds and mouths against indulging in this time-wasting activity. As George Washington Carver observed, “Ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who have a habit of making excuses.”
Key #4: Put on Another’s Pair of Shoes
Can-do people empathize with others. They attempt to see any predicament from the other person’s perspective in order to make the best decisions. Leaders use their own perspective to give direction, and they use others’ perspectives to forge relational connection. Both direction and connection are indispensable to taking the team on a successful journey.
Key #5: Nurture Your Passion
Can-do people are immune to burnout. They love what they do because they’ve learned how to fuel the fire that keeps them moving. In leadership, the prize is not given to the person who’s the smartest, nor to the person with the advantages in resources and position, but the prize goes to the person with passion.
Key #6: Walk the Second Mile
Can-do people exceed expectations. While others settle for an acceptable solution, they aren’t satisfied until they have achieved the unimagined. They set expectations for themselves higher than what is dictated by the people or situations around them.
Key #7: Quit Stewing and Start Doing
Can-do people take action. While others are crippled by worry, fear and anxiety, they have the fortitude to press forward. The perfect moment when all is safe and assured may never arrive, so why wait for it? Can-do leaders take risks.
Key #8: Go with the Flow
Can-do people can adjust to change. They don’t get caught griping about an unexpected curve in the road. They accept transition with an optimistic outlook. They realize it’s less important what happens to them, than it is what happens in them.
Key #9: Follow Through to the End
Can-do people not only initiate, they finish. They are self-starters with the capacity to close the deal.
Key #10: Expect a Return as a Result of Your Commitment
If you make an all out commitment with a can-do attitude, expect a return. Passionate commitment is contagious, and resources follow resolve. Committed leaders will reap rewards and find open doors as others are drawn to the excitement and energy emanating from them.
Achievers have a can-do attitude that sets them apart from mere dreamers. Achievers are sold out to success—no matter the obstacles—and they are willing to put forth the effort and pay the price of success.
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This article is used by permission from Dr. Maxwell’s free monthly e-newsletter, Leadership Wired.
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