ETS is a company dedicated to helping individuals and organizations achieve their full potential. Long ago, my orientation in this direction was shaped by a course I attended while working at Aetna. In fact, it was called Achieving Your Potential, based on the work of Lou Tice of the Pacific Institute. I think that course helped liberate ideas and values lying deep within me. I had always been an optimist at heart, oriented toward looking at the positive side of life. However, since that time, I’ve tried to act on those values undoubtedly instilled in me by my family. What follows is one of the fundamental beliefs I hold relative to all businesses but in particular my own.

As service providers and coaches, we find the most success when we are optimistic and choose a positive attitude. When we first focus on the customer’s problem, issue, need or challenge and when we persist to solve that problem or fulfill that legitimate need despite the opportunity to use an existing policy to deny service.

Now, I understand there are times when “exclusions” are necessary and appropriate. But no time is good for regular complaining, customer or peer victimization or poor quality work. I believe in the proverbial “can do” attitude as a place to start. To quote the famous Wayne Dyer in one of his audio programs, ”I just want to speak with someone who doesn’t already think it can’t be done.” I love that and I try to approach requests first in that manner. How often have you heard the reverse of that…”we can’t do that because…” OR…”I’m sorry, our policy is”….or the dreaded, “we tried that before and…”

Here is a central point for me. Don’t be the kind of person who approaches a situation already believing it can’t be done. Cultivate that ‘can do’ attitude and the habit of asking yourself: How can this be done if we really wanted to do it? Wrapped up in asking HOW is the underlying assumption that it CAN be done (which isn’t the same as it must be done). In fact, you may decide that something shouldn’t be done after all, but at least you didn’t start with that assumption.

Photo: The News International