Positive Attitude Creates Business Success

A Positive Attitude Creates Business Success

A positive attitude creates business success, at least according to Barbara Corcoran know from the reality TV series “Shark Tank”. There are two distinct statements that come back to me whenever I deal with people, whether in private or in a business setting. The first one by my late great Mom, “Be positive, and remember everyone has something positive to offer”. The second one by one of my bosses at the Gillette company: “I don’t like problems, I like solutions!”.

I would like to start by adding a saying of my own. “Where there is a will, there is a way!”. Although I can’t claim to have created great sayings like the late great Dutch soccer star Johan Cruyff, I am Dutch like him and we Dutchies love sayings.

In the article below, an interview with Barbara Corcoran she talks about the power of a positive attitude. Interestingly she also talks about the fact that complainers will never make it.

I must contradict her, at least partially. I agree that complainers who just complain to make themselves feel good won’t make it. They simply never move forward and in life, particularly in business, standing still means falling behind. Your competitors move forward so standing still and complaining, whining and moaning about what’s wrong won’t cut it.

However, complainers who outline a solution, a way around a problem and execute will make it in my eyes. As you may know, the national sport of the Dutch is complaining, but at the same time we know how to do business….we have been trading around the globe for centuries.

Having a Positive Attitude

Now back to having a positive attitude. I am not sure you can learn to have appositive attitude although your upbringing, your parents’, siblings’ and friends’ influence definitely help. For whatever reason some people always see the glass half empty, while others see it half full. Some see opportunities come by, and grab them, others don’t see the opportunities or don’t want to grab them. Yet those who don’t see the, or don’t want to grab opportunities that stares them in the face may see those who do as lucky. In life sometimes you make your own luck, and fail as many times in the process of finally making it.

Find Me Solutions, Not Problems!

Finding solutions, instead of only seeing problems and not doing anything about it does not get you anywhere. Grabbing opportunities, trials and errors, building experience and using experience as a building block to build the proverbial Cathedral will. And last but not least, continue to have a positive attitude while you are going through trials and errors, combined with hard work, training and building the experience will undoubtedly get you farther than sitting there complaining.

I will leave you with a final thought, a quote by Jerry Barber a fellow golfer of Gary Player who once said “The harder you practice, the luckier you get!”. Keep practicing, keep positive!

Please read the interview with Barbara Corcoran of “Shark Tank” and her thoughts on positive attitude below.

You’ve heard hundreds of pitches in your years on “Shark Tank,” and invested in dozens of entrepreneurs. What are you listening for?

The same thing I’ve always listened for: attitude. I’m looking for someone who, after the Hollywood of “Shark Tank” fades away, is going to stay the course, and always figure out a way to succeed.

The minute I make a deal with someone, I put a photo of them in a matted frame on my wall. They look beautiful. They’re like my kids on my walls.

But the minute I hear them sounding like a victim on the phone, I hang up, walk over to the wall and I flip their picture upside-down. They’ll never succeed. Victims don’t succeed.

Source: NY Times – Small Business – Feed

Corner Office: Barbara Corcoran on the Power of a Positive Attitude