Skills vs Attitude: Which Matters More?

Definition of Attitude is described in dictionary.com as a manner, disposition, feeling, position with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, especially of the mind. It is the way and the choice of how a person views something or tends to behave towards it. It means that you can control it at any point in time, no matter the circumstances you are facing. In fact, learning to adjust your attitude is the first step in self-leadership: you lead your frame of mind before anything else. Skill, on the other hand, is the ability acquired from knowledge and practice. It means to do something well in a particular field.

In an ideal world, the best combination of all is having great skill and attitude that goes along with positive thinking. But in the real world, many hiring managers are facing decisions, shall I hire a person who has a great number of skills, abilities, and aptitude but showing signs of not very positive approach towards work or life-related issues. There are many skills that can be gained and learned quickly with a great attitude. In that case, you are snatching a very valuable employee who is becoming skilled but also is influencing and inspiring others with his/her way of thinking.

In the other scenario when you hire somebody who is highly qualified with a poor attitude, there is a chance the person can improve her/his attitude. But this is going to be a much longer and more difficult path to take. It is not impossible, but it takes a personal decision, determination, strength, and willingness to change their personal view and approach. It is not something that others can be convinced about unless they are open to it and seek diversification. My personal experience is that you change easily what a person knows and can do, rather than their attitude.

The employers ranked the top six “essential” attitude qualities as (pnet.co.za):

• commitment
• honesty
• trustworthiness
• adaptability
• accountability
• and loyalty

There are other reasons why you might hire for attitude and not skills. Many people don't meet all the required expectations and don't possess 100% of the required skills, to begin with. There will be also more options to choose from if you focus more on what a person can bring to a team rather than how many skills they really have.

Having the right attitude goes to leadership also and even more so. The success of your organization is dependent on the leader's attitude. You, as a leader, have the choice to decide how you want to manage your team, and how you want to inspire and motivate them. What kind of company do you want to establish and what is the most important for you? Would you rather have a successful company based on profit or would you rather own a company where people are creative, happy, and want to make a change along with you and see the bigger picture? How you answer these questions determines what kind of leader you will become.

To have a great attitude in leadership, we must constantly be aware of the things that are influencing us. Although you are constantly influencing people, you yourself are constantly influenced by your surroundings, You have to pay attention at all times, be open-minded, flexible, proactive, and educated about all the changes present and future brings.

“It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult undertaking which, more than anything else, will determine its successful outcome.”
- William James