As I travel around our wonderful country, I meet some fantastic people, some people you really warm too and some who you would be happy to sit down and have a beer with. I would suggest most people whom you would sit down and have a beer with.

Of course, sometimes you meet people who you don’t necessarily warm to straight away.  Moreover, in specific roles where your customer-facing or leading or managing staff it is essential that you come across as someone who you can talk to.   This is particularly relevant if you are a manager or leader and you are dealing with the potential of conflict or challenging behaviour.

I am a massive believer in the attitude-behaviour cycle which is “My Attitude is going to affect My Behaviour which is going to affect Your Attitude which will, in turn, affects Your Behaviour”.   This simple but effective cycle is perfect for managers dealing with conflict and confrontation.  It gives you a simple decision to adopt a positive attitude.

Please don’t misunderstand me, this isn’t about being soft or a pushover.  The best managers and leaders can be assertive when required. Adopting the attitude-behaviour cycle means you’re in control and sometimes this takes incredible efforts and focus.  It is a sign of strength and not weakness.

Spend a day today having the right attitude and watch peoples reaction to you and watch their behaviour.

Ralph Moody is the founder of Target Training and specialises in trainer and management development.  You can read more about him here.  To see courses where Ralph delivers see our website here.