Attitude determines altitude

Dear Business Partners,?

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In my communication last month, I touched on the importance of delivering outstanding customer service and going the extra mile for every client. It has been hugely encouraging to see so many of you taking the story of Joshie the giraffe to heart and pushing your customer service game to a whole new level! I’ve also been applying the lessons learnt from this wonderful anecdote and am actively looking for opportunities to innovate in all my business interactions.

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There is so much value in learning from those who have gone ahead of us and, during my banking years, I was fortunate enough to have a mentor who shared a wealth of wisdom with me. Of all the knowledge and advice he shared, this phrase is possibly my favourite: attitude determines altitude. I simply love the philosophy behind these words and was intrigued to later learn that the full quote, which belongs to author and motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar, reads, “Attitude, not aptitude, determines altitude.” I also learnt more recently that another author, Martin Seligman, conducted a study into this very theme in 1985, with very interesting results.

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Seligman, who wrote the bestseller, Learned Optimism, became involved in a research project for Metropolitan Life Insurance when the company started struggling to retain its insurance agents. In an effort to boost the business’ retention rates, Seligman introduced an optimism test to its screening process. And because the company had lost so many agents, it also decided to hire several candidates who scored below the cut-off point in the aptitude test. What happened next is fascinating. When Seligman reviewed the performance of the employees two years after they had been hired, he discovered that those who scored highly in the optimism test had sold an astonishing 31% more than those who scored lower in the test. What’s more, the employees who had failed the aptitude test, but done well in the optimism test, performed 57% better in the second year than those who had passed the aptitude test, but scored poorly in the optimism test. In other words, it was their attitude, rather than their aptitude, that determined the heights they achieved!

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The good news is that we have so much to be optimistic about. Not only do we live in an incredible and beautiful country, but we are also fortunate enough to work in a truly inspiring industry where we are privileged to change peoples’ lives and make home dreams come true, every day!

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As we make our way through another chilly month, let’s remember to be grateful for our health and wellbeing, and stay focused on doing everything we can to be the very best we can be.

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Warm regards,

Jors van Niekerk

CEO

MortgageMax