Prime
Attitude: Smile, it doesn’t hurt
Babra Mehangye Kahima
What you need to know:
A great attitude takes positive action. Both good and bad manners can be learned and unlearned
Attitude is an inward feeling expressed by an outward behavior. It comes from our personality, environment or our association with others, your self-image, your exposure to growth opportunities, your beliefs and choices. Our attitude makes the difference in life more than just anything else. Some people will see the word “Attitude” and go yeah right, heard that before! Oh yes, it is very important and this attitude can make or break relationships, can propel you forward in your career or break you. It can keep customers coming and it can keep them out.
Your technical skills and talent will get doors to open but the soft skill and the right attitude will keep you in a job or business and take you to greater heights. All things being equal, I would rather work with a person who has a positive healthy attitude rather than one with skill and a lousy attitude.
I recently had to deal with a photographer who took pictures for a family function in Mbarara. It was her way or no way for every and any request I made. First, I had to pay the full amount even without seeing any soft copy, which I did. Next, I had to take her selection without any input, when I insisted that I at least needed to see some of the work done, she said I had to go there myself or send extra money. I had to send money for her data. When the two weeks had passed and I mentioned that our agreement on time had been breached, again I was the problem because I had asked for the soft copies. There was no winning with this one. I even went a step ahead and gave her some articles to read on Customer Experience, these were blue ticked, no reaction and more blame on me. I took the higher road and gave up!
I eventually got the soft copies of the photographs and they actually looked great. But will I ever use this service provider again/ NEVER. Will I recommend them to anyone, not even when they are the last ones left on the planet, we shall use our phones! Did they have the technical skill, oh yes but their attitude is definitely a business killer.
One of the ways to make an attitude your greatest asset is to consistently have an attractive demeanor and one of the first visible ways is to smile. In the recent past social media has been awash with jokes about a request by one of the government leaders asking Ugandans to smile.
I honestly do not see a problem with this. I don’t think the leader meant for us to align the street and show our teeth, I imagine it was meant to mean that as you go about your business, remember to smile with every customer who visits your business. It should be basic good manners.
A smile is a universal language understood by everyone young and old as long as they have the gift of sight and good health. It costs you nothing and yet it has immense benefits to your brain and possibly to your business. Why this was turned into a joke, I probably will not understand. By the way, the brain does not know if you are faking it or not, it will produce the feelgood hormones anyway. Honestly, who does not want that? Does being grumpy and gloomy resolve your problems?
A great attitude knows failure and adversity but is willing to overcome these. A great attitude is the willingness to listen and learn. A great attitude knows that things will not always be perfect but there is hope for change. A great attitude takes positive action. Both good and bad manners can be learned and unlearned, in my tribe there is a saying that “embuzi embi tosibikaho eyawe’. Loosely meaning that don’t tie your goat near a bad mannered one. One person with a bad attitude can contaminate the whole team. Beware.
Ms Babra Mehangye Kahima is a Customer Experience enthusiast
