Do You Have a Bad Attitude?

A bad attitude, like secondhand smoke, is toxic, and it affects everyone in the room. Unfortunately, no one has figured out a way to ban a chronically bad attitude, even though it’s hazardous to everyone’s health.

The mere presence of negative people sucks the oxygen right out of a room. These people are Black Holes whose gravity is so dense that no light can escape. They live in a constant state of denial that prevents them from seeing their destructive behavior.

I’ve known many “Black Holes,” but not one of them would admit to being negative. Their bad attitude is an integral part of who they are. Bad attitudes come in different shapes and sizes: moodiness, a sense of entitlement, disloyalty, paranoia, self-absorption, low energy, jealousy, passive aggression, self-righteousness, defensiveness, secrecy, and artificiality.

An easy way to quickly detect good and bad attitudes is to ask yourself with whom do you enjoy working? There will always be certain people with whom you prefer to work given the choice. These are people with positive attitudes. They are wise, innovative, thoughtful, and spunky. Their competencies are ideally suited to removing boundaries and helping others thrive in a bigger space. They may have an occasional bad day, but you won’t ever find them donning the odious suit of bad attitude. They bring an air of good-natured spontaneity with them wherever they go. They instill confidence in others and create safe environments. They’re like human lightening rods – they have an uncanny ability to absorb an endless amount of nonsense and divert it to the ground.

People with bad attitudes only stay on the payroll if leaders are apathetic or if they’re highly skilled and needed by the business. Black Holes rarely move on to other opportunities voluntarily because: a) they have to fake a positive attitude to get a new job; b) they know they can’t sustain a positive attitude; c) no well-informed manager wants to hire them. So, if they have a toehold at their current job (usually through tenure or because management looks the other way), it’s less risky for them to latch on like a leech and continue to bleed everyone dry. Black Holes have so few viable options that they remain where they are out of fear and lack of initiative, not loyalty or productivity.

Black Holes and bad attitudes will cost you your positive people. No one with a positive attitude will tolerate a dysfunctional workplace permeated by bad attitudes. Life is too short. Positive people are wired for change and growth. So they will either move on voluntarily or get fired for trying to change things.

Positive people are natural transformers and power boosters that add value wherever they go. They strive for connection and meaningful work. They’re stronger communicators and not afraid to speak up, because they’re ensemble players who don’t have a sense of entitlement. They remain good-natured in the face of adversity. They know that every company is a big, messy kitchen with the potential for miraculous creations. They encourage everyone to embrace glorious possibilities with a positive can-do attitude and a willingness to experiment.