By Fred Martel

Are you a productive person? Do you have employees who could be more productive?

Work attitudes can determine whether the answer to these questions is yes or no. American workers, unlike their European counterparts often seem to operate under the premise that they are always looking for the next best deal. The notion that one should at least act as though he or she loves their job seems to be lost in their dreams of finding that perfect job. The prevailing attitude seems to be “why kill myself doing this. I’m looking for a real job.”

The difference between career people and job seekers is just that. People who have worked for me knew that they should, at the very least, pretend to love their job and go home each day with the feeling that they have accomplished something. I call it owning your job. This concept promotes the notion that each day one makes the most of their tasks and accomplishes them for themselves. That means that you can be a professional regardless of the company that employs you because you are the job. It is your career; therefore you should do it for you!
When interviewing candidates for a position you should consider this line of reasoning. Searching for someone with the right attitude makes more sense than looking for the person with experience in my book. You can teach the right person anything if the attitude is right.

Productivity is always higher when the person with the right attitude gets the job done their way with the best of their ability and goes home with a sense of accomplishment. For some employers, following these guidelines is painful because it doesn’t allow for bossing around and dictating methodology. Get over it. It is the best way to do business and be profitable.