Skill or attitude: what’s more important…… If I asked you this question in person what would you say?
Most people would probably say that skill is more important.
After all, if you don’t have the skills to do something, you can’t do it, right?
But is that really true?
In this post, we’re going to explore the importance of attitude and how it can be more important than skill.
We’ll discuss how you can improve your attitude, from my mentor, Zig Ziglar, so that you can reach your goals.
Zig Ziglar’s Mentor Message is relevant to us all:
This timeless mentorship message comes from my original mentor, Zig Ziglar.
At the very young age of 19, I was given the opportunity to be mentored by the legendary Zig Ziglar.
He put his arm around me and said, “Mark, I want you to come to Dallas, Texas, and I want you to be my guest at Born To Win”.
Of course, I loaded up and I went to Dallas and spent an entire week with Zig.
I ate dinner with him and the redhead (his wife).
One activity that he did was so memorable that it’s worth sharing.
He did an activity with the CEOs and Presidents of Fortune 500 Companies, and he said:
“I want you to throw out the qualities that are the most important in hiring the best, superstar employees for your company.”.
People started listing the qualities of hardworking show up on time, they’re cheerful and positive.
Next, he wrote them all down.
He filled an entire whiteboard full of these qualities.
Then, he said, “Okay, I want you by a show of hands to raise your hand if this quality is a skill or an attitude.“.
To our amazement, out of 40 qualities, over 30 of them were listed as attitudes.
He then went on to finish the entire seminar of that session, talking about the power of a positive attitude.
Here’s another big Lesson I learned from a mentor in my life.
Zig pointed out the power of a positive attitude:
If you want to change your day, it starts with your attitude.
If you want to change your relationship with somebody, it’s an attitude.
If you want to get that dream job, attitude is more important than skill.
He also, Zig Ziglar, used to say “garbage in, garbage out – what you put into your mind impacts what you get out of your mind”.
Therefore, it’s important for you to put good things in, and to remember how important a positive attitude is in life.
It is attitude over skill that counts in life:
You can be the most skilled person in the world, but if you don’t have the right attitude, you won’t get the job.
If you don’t have the right attitude, you won’t have the relationships that you want to have.
When I get a bad attitude or “stinking thinkin'”, as Zig would say, I visit my happy place on our property and it’s almost impossible for me not to improve my attitude.
If you want to improve your mindset, go to someplace you love, go spend time with someone you love, or call someone that you love.
I guarantee you will see an improvement in your attitude.
What matters most conclusively, having a positive attitude will make the biggest difference.