態度：重要的特質

身為一個年輕的人力資源專業人士，諷刺的是，我卻對於強調「態度」有負面的態度。我早期的任務之一是為各種受雇人員設計績效評鑑。我詢問主管們，他們認為哪些績效表現因素應該納入評鑑。毫無例外，每位主管都覺得評鑑員工對工作的態度是重要的。

問題是我們要如何去衡量態度，因為那不能量化。然而我順從地接受評量態度是有價值的，因為我需要那些主管和經理買進我提議的系統。關於用「態度」作為評量標準最讓我煩惱的是我對那些主管們的看法。我自己的態度就不對！

隨著時間的過去，我了解一個重要的真理：我們每個人對許多種事情都有態度。人們的天性是形成意見，而那些意見影響我們的思想和行動。你可能甚至對這次「週一嗎哪」的討論開始形成了態度或擔心討論會朝哪個方向發展。我們有權力去形成自己的態度，但有時態度會使我們看不到真理，並且攔阻了與他人的關係。

態度能使我們不致作出寶貴的變化轉移－－我們思想的改變－－我們如何看待生命以及我們每天所遇之人的生命。這對我們的事業、婚姻和人際關係有重大的影響。我相信我們都需要認真看待我們尊重別人的方式，並試著了解我們的天父按照祂的旨意把我們每一個人都造得非常獨特。

透過上帝的眼光，多樣性是美好的。但從我們的觀點，那可能是功能不佳或甚至令人生氣。我建議的解決辦法是努力培養討上帝喜悅之「心的態度」。

在舊約聖經中，大衛王被形容是「合神心意的人」（撒母耳記上13章13-14節，使徒行傳13章22節）。不要讓你的心和你過去的經驗使你看不到上帝創造每個人之完美計劃的美好。不要因為別人不符合你覺得他們應該怎麼做的期待而落入論斷的陷阱中。腓立比書2章3-8節直接談論到這一點。以下是其中的一部份：

「凡事不可結黨，不可貪圖虛浮的榮耀；只要存心謙卑，各人看別人比自己強。各人不要單顧自己的事，也要顧別人的事。你們當以基督耶穌的心為心：他本有神的形像…反倒虛己，取了奴僕的形像，成為人的樣式…」

確實有絕對的真理，但我們不要當法官或陪審團。那是上帝的工作，而祂只要我們盡心、盡意、盡性、盡力地愛祂，並且愛人如己（馬太福音22章37-39節）。這就是聖經所形容的正確態度。

吉姆．朗立自1983年起就擔任紐約人壽的保險經紀人和特許人壽保險承銷商，從1987年起他也是美國加州聖塔巴巴拉CBMC分會的活躍會員。

As a young human resources professional, I ironically developed a negative attitude toward an emphasis on “attitudes.” One of my early tasks was to design performance evaluations for diverse employee groups. I called upon supervisors for input into what performance factors they thought needed to be assessed. Inevitably, every group felt it was important to evaluate their employees’ attitudes about their work.

My problem with this was not seeing how we could possibly measure attitude, since it was not quantifiable. Yet I deferred to the notion that an assessment of attitude had value since I needed the executives and managers to buy into the system I was proposing. What bothered me most about the use of “attitude” as an evaluation criterion was my perception of the supervisors. My own attitude was not right!

Over time I realized an important truth: We each have attitudes about many kinds of things. It is human nature to form opinions, and they influence the ways we think and act. You may even be developing an attitude about this “Monday Manna” discussion or concerned about where it might be heading. We have a right to our own attitudes, but sometimes they can keep us from the truth and hinder relationships with others.

Attitudes can keep us from making valuable paradigm shifts – changes in our thinking – on how we look at life in general and the lives of those we encounter on a daily basis. It can greatly impact our business, marriage, and other personal relationships. I believe we all need to take a hard look at the way we value others and try to understand that our Father in Heaven has made each of us into unique beings for His purpose.

Diversity can be beautiful when seen through God’s eyes, but from our perspective it can appear to be dysfunctional and even irritating. I would suggest the answer lies in striving to develop a "heart attitude" that is pleasing to God.

In the Bible”s Old Testament, King David was described as “a man after God”s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:13-14, Acts 13:22). Do not let your mind and your past experiences get in the way of seeing the beauty in God’s perfect plan for each of His individual creations. Do not fall into the trap of judging others because they don’t fit your perceptions of how you feel they should act. Philippians 2:3-8 speaks directly to this. Here is a portion of it:

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider each other better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus who, being in very nature God…made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant…. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself….”

Yes, there are absolute truths, but we are not to be the judge or the jury. That is God’s task and He simply desires for us to love Him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and to love others as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39). That is what the Bible describes as having the right attitude!

© 2015, all rights reserved. Jim Langley has been an agent and chartered life underwriter (CLU) with New York Life since 1983 and an active member of CBMC in Santa Barbara, California, U.S.A. since 1987.