It's a Team's Life
Attitude
Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
A negative or hostile state of mind
A Cool, Cocky, Defiant, or arrogant manner
Or
They had a positive attitude about the changes
They are friendly and have a good attitude
When I looked up the word attitude there was a lot more information about the negative than the positive. In our jobs we deal a lot with different attitudes and often the people we are dealing with are doing the same job but in different areas of the country.
We are often in a situation where we have to have another background check. Personally, I think our backgrounds should be about worn out from all of the checks but that is beside the point. This check can take as little time as five minutes or in this past week an hour and a half. While we are waiting the time can be spent working on other projects, reading, playing a game online, or we can spend the time fuming. We make the choice on how we deal with time.
Stress also has a lot to do with attitude and while we know what has caused our stress we usually do not have a clue what has caused the person we are dealing with to be stressed and have a bad attitude.
Ways to deal with a bad attitude:
· Smile
· Be patient
· Don’t raise your voice
· Keep replies short and to the point
· Stay calm
· If appropriate give a compliment
· If you start to get overwhelmed take a minute to step away and then start again
As the end of the year approaches stress seems to go up exponentially and this does not only happen to shippers and receivers. As the holiday season approaches traffic increases, the weather can become hazardous, and we are often delayed, stay calm and carry on.
The end of the year is stressful and only we can control our attitudes.
Bob & Linda Caffee
TeamCaffee
Saint Louis MO
Expediters since January 2005
Expediting isn't just trucking, it's a lifestyle;
Expediting isn't just a lifestyle, it's an adventure;
Expediting isn't just an adventure, it's a job;
Expediting isn't just a job, it's a business.