ATTITUDE MAKES A DIFFERENCE

At their work place in a piggery somewhere, longtime friends Peter and John each work hard on separate tasks. Boar priming is assigned to John while Peter takes care of the sows and piglets. After evaluating their work, Simon, their supervisor points out key errors in each task.

And these are their individual reactions to the errors that were raised.

Peter:  “I put much effort and even works overtime for my sows and piglets and still I didn’t get it right! I did everything the vet told me! It’s never good enough no matter how hard I work. I’ll never succeed at this job. Why do I even try?”

John:  “Sir Simon highlighted aspects of my work that he liked, but I made a few fundamental mistakes. For one, I injected heavy dosage of testosterone on my boars, making them too sexually aggressive hurting the sows during mating. I have learned some valuable lessons that will help me do better next time.”

What do you think?

l  If you were the owner of the piggery, which of those two men would you be more likely to hire or keep on your payroll?

l  After six months at work, which one will be a more capable employee, Peter or John?

l  When you face disappointment, which of those two men do you react like?

In your workplace, you probably know people who fit the attitude towards work or responsibility of Peter and John.  You might even feel that you are John but sometimes like Peter too. If so, undoubtedly you can see that your attitude can make a difference in your life. If you react often like Peter, there are ways in which you can adopt a more positive view of life’s struggles.