MODULE 2
What's Your Attitude?
ATTITUDE MANAGEMENT - OUR APPROACH TO LIFE & WORK
​Objective:
Recognize Hazardous Attitudes in ourselves and others & learn how to over come them.
Hazardous Attitudes (6 Traps)
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The following 6 Hazardous Attitudes can impede good judgement and decision making. These attitudes can be an ingrained personality style, or you might adopt one or more just for the day. They can be precipitated by an isolated event such as a conflict with someone or an impending deadline. It's important to be aware of these attitudes in ourselves and in others.
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Anti-Authority
People with this attitude don’t like anyone telling them what to do. They often regard rules, regulations, and procedures as silly or unnecessary.
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Impulsivity
Impulsivity causes people to want to act immediately without stopping to think or consider all the alternatives. They just do the first thing that comes to mind.
Invulnerability
Invulnerability leads people to believe that mistakes or accidents happen to others, but can’t happen to them. This makes them more likely to take chances.
Macho / Macha
These people try to prove that they are better than anyone else by taking risks. Although typically a male characteristic, women are also susceptible.
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Resignation
Some people do not see themselves as making a great deal of difference. They leave the action to others (Copilot Syndrome). An attitude of resignation is typical of people who work for an overbearing PIC.
Mission-itis
Many people feel such an overriding need to get the job done that their decision making process becomes impaired. In fact, the chance for a conservative decision gets smaller as they get closer to their deadline.
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TOOL
Antidotes to Hazardous Attitudes
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Since we cannot actively think about two things at once, one way to to keep a Hazardous Attitude from affecting you is to correctly label the thought and then say its Antidote to yourself. Memorize the antidote for each Hazardous Attitude so that it will automatically come to mind when you need it.
Hazardous Attitude / Antidote
Anti-Authority "Don't tell me!" / "Follow the rules; they are usually right."
Impulsivity "Do Something Quickly!" / "Not so fast! Think first."
Invulnerability "It can't happen to me" / "It could happen to me."
Macho/Macha "I can do it" / "Taking chances is foolish."
Resignation "What's the use?" / "I can make a difference."
Mission-itis "We have to finish this now." / "It's better to get the project done right the first time than spend weeks trying to fix it later."
Special Situations (6 Traps)
There are 6 Special Situations (they are also Traps) that often lead people into risk taking behavior. This in turn can result in a mistake, incident, or accident. They are listed below:
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Everybody's Watching
When other people are watching, you can be distracted or led into taking unnecessary risks to try to impress them.
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Perceived Pressure
You are under perceived pressure if you think that others want you to hurry or to use an unapproved procedure when it is really all in your head.
Proximity Rule
This rule states that the chance of a conservative decision is directly proportional to the distance to the destination or time remaining to project completion. In other words, the closer you are to where you are going, the harder it is to decide to turn around or stop.
We Can Always...
This is a tactic people use to delay dealing with a problem or making a difficult decision. For example, “We can always figure it out later.”
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The Other Guy Got Away With It
Seeing someone who is stupid enough to try an unauthorized procedure and lucky enough to get away with it encourages others to try the same approach.
Sophisticated Equipment Syndrome
Sometimes, people are so excited by a new piece of equipment that they believe it can accomplish anything. This belief can lead to a lack of attention and/or unnecessary risk-taking.
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Sudden Loss of Judgement (SLOJ)
The Hazardous Attitudes, the Special Situations, and the rest of the Traps of human nature can all lead to what we call Sudden Loss of Judgement, where the most experienced, careful, professional persons suddenly does the most "stupid" thing you can imagine.
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