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Adopting Positive and Productive Attitudes 61

When I met with the five-person department, I asked, “When the
phone rings, what do you tell yourself before you answer it?” Every
person related a variation of the same negative self-talk: “I wonder
what this jerk wants” or “Oh, hell, here comes another complainer.”
After discussing with the group the effect of self-talk on behav-
iors, I suggested they tell themselves something else when the phone
rings. For instance: “The caller has a problem, which is why he or she
is calling”; “My job is to help each caller with his or her problem and
I can do that”; “I am a valuable aid to people who are in trouble.”
As part of the solution, they also adopted the greeting “How
can I help you?” when answering the phone. This simple question
was more than words. It was a genuine positive attitude, revealed
in their tone of voice and helpful actions that said, in effect, “I care
about your problem and have a sincere desire to help you.”
Within a month, the vice president of operations started to
receive calls from customers praising the customer service depart-
ment’s services.
The third element is intent. If your intent is to harm or be
negative, it will come through. However, if your intent is to help,
learn, or grow, it can also help to adjust your attitude. So, let’s play
this out in a simple example.

Situation: One of your key employees did not meet the
deadline for an assignment you gave him.
First round of self-talk: “That guy is irresponsible and
worthless. If I wanted it late, I could have done it myself.”
Want or need: I need that employee to be productive and
timely, and I do not want to upset him, but I do need to
get him to be more timely.
Second round of self-talk: “How can I get that guy to be more
timely with his assignments? I wonder why they are always
late?”