Aptitude refers to the ability, talent, or competency to perform a specific task or job.
Attitude is defined by one’s belief, mentality, and drive to achieve a goal.
We often focus on aptitude while recruiting, looking for candidates with the best talents for the job and hiring the most qualified person.
In annual reviews when assessing people there is often a focus on ability, technical or managerial, or on potential as well as on performance.
Here again, the focus can often be on aptitude.
After years of delivering large complex change programs if there is one thing that I have learnt it’s that it’s actually attitude, which drives things to completion.
It’s determination, that never says die attitude, which often sees us overcome complex technical problems that experts struggled to solve.
We often see in sports, that it’s not always the most talented player that wins.
Often it’s the most determined, the player with the most heart, the most commitment that often overcomes a more talented opponent.
Today when I look for staff, my primary focus is on attitude, not aptitude.
If I have someone with the right attitude I can always work to give them the aptitude, i.e. the skills, to do the job.
It’s much harder to give someone the right attitude, no matter how much of an expert they might be.
There’s a well know saying, “Genius is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration”.
If you have someone with the right attitude then you will definitely get 99% perspiration, at which point you’re only looking for 1% inspiration, in order to achieve genius or success.
It is great if you can get someone with the right aptitude and the right attitude, but if that’s not possible, then I will take attitude every time.
When it comes to Leadership, I think this differentiation is even more important.
Leaders set the culture for their organization, the tone, and a lack of attitude here will foster a lack of attitude in the entire organization.
So if you want your organization to be successful, then you need to make sure you pick the leader with the right attitude, so they can set the right attitude across the whole organization.
Remember, as the saying goes,“It’s attitude, not aptitude, which determines altitude”.
If you want to learn more about creating highly engaged teams or being a better leaderclick the linkto make an appointment to talk about how I can help.
