Attitude is the key to personal satisfaction but its also a foundational quality that makes organizations work. The quote in this headline really resonated with me as it speaks to my belief that for a leader to be successful you must surround yourself with talent. This talent must have the recreate skills for the work to be done, it should complement your own skills and most importantly fills in the gaps or deficiencies in the leader’s personal skills toolbox. 

A servant leader understands and embraces this thinking and approach but no matter how well intentioned and obvious this is it will always be an uphill battle if the Attitude is not right! As the headline says people that Give A Shit is the defining and most foundational attribute for success. GAS means a number of things…

1.       Pride in doing good work – a personal belief and core values that are self-motivating

2.       Loyalty to organization – a personal commitment to the choice you make, and others make to you

3.       Integrity – As Jack Welch used to say…knowing the difference between doing the right thing vs. doing what’s right. That is on my Jack top ten list.

4.       Team players – believing that diversity of thought is good and finding enjoyment and satisfaction is group knowledge and success.

5.       Being part of something bigger than self - The value of belonging to something you care about.

6.       Being part of the solution and not part of the problem – Is the glass half empty or half full?

This list could go on and on but the essence of GAS in my opinion is the Golden Rule. Or maybe reminding our selves about what R. Fulghum wrote in 1990…in his book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten:

1.     Share everything.
2.     Play fair.
3.     Don't hit people.
4.     Put things back where you found them.
5.     Clean up your own mess.
6.     Don't take things that aren't yours.
7.     Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
8.     Wash your hands before you eat.
9.     Flush.
10.    Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
11.    Live a balanced life — learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
12.    Take a nap every afternoon.
13.    When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
14.    Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
15.    Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup — they all die. So do we.
16.    And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned — the biggest word  of all — LOOK.