Maintaining a positive attitude at work not only benefits you as an individual but also your career as it has potential to steer you towards certain perks such as a promotion, according to experts. Alphonse Uworwabayeho, a lecturer of mathematics at University of Rwanda’s College of Education believes that maintaining a positive attitude at the workplace has a great impact on one’s career as well as on how an individual relates to others in society. He gives an example noting that at work in case of a challenge, when one always keeps a positive attitude, it’s easier for them to remain strong and positive towards the situation. “It’s vital to ignore the notion that if one has or maintains a positive attitude in the workplace, it will not at any point necessarily make them better at their job. Instead, keep in mind that this will improve the way people view you as a person and this is important as this might help others provide a hand in case there is need,” he explains. Alphonsia Gatera, a financial analyst is of the view that having a positive attitude is a tool that helps one thrive in their workplace. She mentions that one such outstanding aspect about having a positive attitude is that it can help influence other workers, thus providing a conducive environment that favours everyone, which later improves the performance of workers in general. “This means that by gaining influence on a team, it can help all employees work together more effectively. Besides, by influencing one another, it creates gratitude and also makes one to be more acknowledged at the same time,” she says. In addition to this, Gatera notes that employees are more likely to feel better and valued when they associate with those who are positive in everything. This, she says that it is so because such people always encourage others to reach for their goals. When it comes to the business side, Uworwabayeho says maintaining a positive customer service can reinforce customer engagement, increase satisfaction, and reduce customer attrition rate. According to various research and studies, it has been established that how you treat and react to your client, will determine how your organisation or enterprise grows in terms of making profits. To remain positive all the time, the lecturer says there is need for one to learn how to appreciate others and never criticise. According to him, this can apply to most specifically when trying to give feedback to your team, adding that constructive feedback is one of the ways of practicing and maintaining a positive attitude. Also, in case one needs to give feedback, figuring out what people are good at and complimenting them is vital, and it is recommended to add suggestions on what and how something is done. Studies also indicate that a positive attitude means that one has to act as a role model. For this reason, it’s important to always maintain a positive attitude at work, which can allow others feel comfortable whenever they are seeking for any kind of help.
