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GOAL-SETTING
Setting and achieving your goals


Chapter 8 VALUES AND VISION 223
Doing the right thing for the right reason

7 of 7







CHAPTER 1


IMPORTANCE
OF
ATTITUDE



Building a positive attitude

8 of 8 There was a man who made a living selling balloons at a fair. He had all colors of
balloons, including red, yellow, blue, and green. Whenever business was slow, he would
release a helium-filled balloon into the air and when the children saw it go up, they all
wanted to buy one. They would come up to him, buy a balloon, and his sales would go up
again. He continued this process all day. One day, he felt someone tugging at his jacket.
He turned around and saw a little boy who asked, "If you release a black balloon, would
that also fly?" Moved by the boy's concern, the man replied with empathy, "Son, it is not
the color of the balloon, it is what is inside that makes it go up."

The same thing applies to our lives. It is what is inside that counts. The thing inside of us
that makes us go up is our attitude.
Have you ever wondered why some individuals, organizations, or countries are more
successful than others?
It is not a secret. These people simply think and act more effectively. They have learned
how to do so by investing in the most valuable asset--people. I believe that the success
of an individual, organization or country, depends on the quality of their people.
I have spoken to executives in major corporations all over the world and asked one
question: "If you had a magic wand and there was one thing you would want changed,
that would give you a cutting edge in the marketplace resulting in increased productivity
and profits, what would that be?" The answer was unanimous. They all said that if people
had better attitudes, they'd be better team players, and it'd cut down waste, improve
loyalty and, in general, make their company a great place to work.
William James of Harvard University said, "The greatest discovery of my generation is
that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind."
Experience has shown that human resources is the most valuable asset of any business.
It is more valuable than capital or equipment. Unfortunately, it is also the most wasted.
People can be your biggest asset or your biggest liability.

TQP--TOTAL QUALITY PEOPLE

Having been exposed to a number of training programs, such as customer service,
selling skills, and strategic planning, I have come to the conclusion that all these are
great programs with one major challenge: None of them works unless they have the right
foundation, and the right foundation is TQP. What is TQP? TQP is Total Quality People--
people with character, integrity, good values, and a positive attitude.
Don't get me wrong. You do need all the other programs, but they will only work when
you have the right foundation, and the foundation is TQP. For example, some customer
service programs teach participants to say "please," and "thank-you," give smiles and
handshakes. But how long can a person keep on a fake smile if he does not have the
desire to serve? Besides, people can see through him. And if the smile is not sincere, it is
irritating. My point is, there has to be substance over form, not form over substance.
Without a doubt, one does need to remember "please" and "thank-you," the smiles, etc.--
they are very important. But keep in mind that they come a lot easier when accompanied
by a desire to serve.
Someone