I recently read an article in which the writer asserted that “attitude is everything.” He was quoting none other than the famous sales guru, Zig Ziglar.
I respectfully disagree. I believe attitude is simply part of the equation. You can succeed with a bad attitude and you can fail with a good one.
In my experience, bad attitudes can crush people. A bad attitude can keep someone from achieving their goals, even if they are superb and skillful in their execution. Their attitude can blind them to opportunity, prevent them from even attempting to find solutions, destroy relationships, and cause them to give up too soon.
A good attitude, however, isn’t enough. It still needs to be backed up with thought, ability, and execution. The good attitude may set the stage for someone to work hard, learn, try, fail, and try again. But the attitude itself isn’t enough. Confidence should follow from competence, not replace competence. Similarly, attitude should partner with aptitude, not replace it.