THE IMPORTANCE OF MODELLING A “CAN-DO” ATTITUDE
From time to time there is debate in my leadership training on whether Ford or Holden is the best brand. My simple contribution to the debate is that I am a Ford fan through and through, not at all because I favour Ford vehicles, but entirely because I love some of the quotes that Henry Ford generated, and I am unaware of any meaningful quotes uttered by Holden (Holden fans have made it abundantly clear that this is inappropriate criteria for choosing between the two brands).
Regardless, one of my favourite quotes from Henry Ford that I am constantly referencing in my leadership development is: “If you believe you can do a thing, or believe you can’t do a thing, you’re right”. It's such a simple statement by Henry Ford, but so profound in its commentary that if you believe you can do something, you’re much more likely to make every effort to see the achievement of that goal.
On the other hand, if you believe you can’t do a thing, you’ll make little to no effort to change the situation and so your belief becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
One of the challenges that leaders at any level of any business face is that of the underperformance of team members, particularly with attitudes that are not conducive to high performance. It’s a necessary requirement of effective leadership that you are able to view underperformers with a ‘can do’ attitude- that you believe that they can and will change with support, guidance and accountability.
The old adage: “Speed of the leader, speed of the team” intimates that a team will replicate the behaviour and attitude of their manager. So another important reason to have a ‘can-do’ attitude is that, in doing so you’re modelling an attitude to your team that is desirable and beneficial and will hopefully be replicated. If you’re the kind of person that sees a “problem in every solution”, you need to work hard to shift to a ‘can-do’ attitude.
If, on the other hand, you already have this trait of effective leadership, then you’re well set up to establish this as a cultural norm in your team and as a non-negotiable requirement of all of your team members.
