Comments on: Skill v Attitude – would you rate one over the other in the workplace?

By: Kelly Manjula Koza

Kelly Manjula Koza — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 23:52:23 +0000

Attitude. Skills can be taught relatively easily; a positive, can-do, willing, attitude is more difficult to engender. I've been hired, and would hire, because of attitude. Attitude can make or break not just the job, but the individual! Thanks for asking.

By: DivineCommsTrust

DivineCommsTrust — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:45:09 +0000

Dear Tim, thanks for your detailed comments. I completely agree. It is great to see organisations are placing more emphasis on it rather than just the profit-line. The thing is this – are schools and colleges equipping the students with the necessary skills to match the employers expectations? I am hoping to raise awareness of the importance and see the gap narrowed….best wishes.

By: DivineCommsTrust

DivineCommsTrust — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:42:13 +0000

Dear Sravan, thanks for your comments and I couldn’t agree with you more! My aim is to raise awareness of how important it is so schools and colleges can pay more attention to equipping students for the workplace.

By: Tim Little

Tim Little — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:30:41 +0000

Hello Viv

I have worked in large and small organisations, public and private. Much of the time devoted to learning and development not only in the UK but also in various parts of Europe. And for me attitude (or behaviour as it is sometimes referred to) beats the rest hands down.

Nowadays, I work predominantly as an Investors in People specialist and so try to persuade organisations to raise the bar on skill, knowledge and behaviour. To give you an example – I can give people the ingredients and menu to make a loaf of bread (knowledge) and I cna run a half day workshop so they can practice how to make the loaf till it is really good (skill) but I can’t necessarily persuade them to do it (behaviour). When i talk to organisations about recruitment, I always say that they should recruit “behaviour” as the others can be taught.

Sure, it will depend on the role and the circumstances, but behaviour is still top of the pile.

By: sravan

sravan — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 04:58:41 +0000

Viv, a person with an attitude will never get into unnecessary arguments because he knows what it is going to fetch him. In my experience, i have seen people who are skilled yet with no attitude to understand and correct what his fellow colleagues are saying, which ultimately will prove to be correct.
When one understands that every human being divine…he naturally will leave his bios nature and can find a solution for his internal sufferings.

By: DivineCommsTrust

DivineCommsTrust — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 09:53:15 +0000

Hey Imeda! Thanks for your comments. Everything you said is so true. I guess a balance-sheet driven Exec will think differently. I guess the reason I raised this point is for Schools and Colleges to start thinking about addressing attitudes before they get to the workplace, because it does make a huge difference.

By: Imelda McGrattan

Imelda McGrattan — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:11:27 +0000

Viv, I have worked in the Sales environment for many years and I firmly believe that attitude beats aptitude anyday. We can train people to utilise technology packages and applications, we can familiarise them with the company policies and procedures. We can introduce them to the client base and the vision we have for our business, we can even try to change their psychological belief systems. Yeah I know quite a lot of hard work in that one.

Nothing beats a person who is internally happy, internally motivated to achieve, internally possesses a healthy attitude to colloborate to make a business and their own life a success especially when the going gets tough, when the shit hits the fan, when every turn they take appears to be the wrong one and in doing so they learn, they don’t see it as failure but having tried one way that didn’t work at that time.

Give me people with a good attitude anyday for that is where true personal success lies.