Aptitude and Attitude

[SLM]

"Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character." (Albert Einstein)

Judgement of one's attitude is highly subjective. As is the judgement of character.

 

[Motar]

Judgement of one's attitude is highly subjective. As is the judgement of character.

Agree, SLM. People can be highly ethnocentric in their judgments. What is needed is an ultimate standard and an impartial judge.

 

[SLM]

Agree, SLM. People can be highly ethnocentric in their judgments. What is needed is an ultimate standard and an impartial judge.

I would disagree, not an ultimate standard but a baseline one. Beyond that, I'd say people should keep their judgements to themselves.

 

[Motar]

I would disagree, not an ultimate standard but a baseline one. Beyond that, I'd say people should keep their judgements to themselves.

Agree, SLM. As there is more than one way to spell judgment/judgement, there is more than one way to define the standard (ultimate/baseline).

 

[JLM]

Agree, SLM. As there is more than one way to spell judgment/judgement, there is more than one way to define the standard (ultimate/baseline).

When we are judging attitude are we really just judging an expression of attitude?

 

[Motar]

When we are judging attitude are we really just judging an expression of attitude?

"Your attitude, not your aptitude will determine your altitude." (Zig Ziglar)

Agree, JLM. Ziglar suggests that achievement may be a better measure of attitude.

 

[SLM]

Agree, SLM. As there is more than one way to spell judgment/judgement, there is more than one way to define the standard (ultimate/baseline).

Fair enough, my interpretation of the term ultimate suggests to me a high and exacting standard. Which on the face of it may be interpreted to be a good thing but one which I think can also be interpreted as demanding and often times demeaning to those who don't 'measure up'. We should, I believe, endeavour to not judge one another whenever and where ever possible. It is however something that is impossible not to do sometimes and there are even times when it becomes necessary to make a judgement of someone else.

But what I'm seeing when I peruse this thread is a substitute use of "attitude" for "character", which I find rather confusing. They inform one another and overlap to a certain degree, certainly, but they are not the same thing. So to go back to the OP, someone can come into a job interview and bring a great positive attitude, and that would certainly suggest that they have, at least in part, a positive character but it's not the entirety of their character. So an attitude is fine to judge, we have to judge it at least in your scenario, to determine if the individual fits the position well enough to ignore the lack of experience. But it's in judging character that everything gets a lot more subjective, and who are we to judge that about another? Or even to apply more than a very basic standard, if that?

 

[Motar]

So to go back to the OP, someone can come into a job interview and bring a great positive attitude, and that would certainly suggest that they have, at least in part, a positive character but it's not the entirety of their character.

Agree, SLM. With this in mind, do you see anything amiss in the following quote:

"Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character." (Albert Einstein)

 

[Goober]

have you checked yourself for these lately? (no, I don't really wanna know....lol)

Thanks for the image.

 

[Sal]

I personally hire for attitude. I don't care how good someone is at a job, if they bring the wrong attitude into a team then it all goes to ****. Those who have the right behaviors consistently outperform because they adapt and progress and bring the team ahead with them.

I used to as well...it's about strengthening the team...bad attitude weakens the team and screws production. A skill can be taught. Character is intrinsic.

 

[Motar]

"Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character." (Albert Einstein)

In my experience, attitude does not determine character. Rather, attitude reflects and proceeds from character.

In a previous post, Spade stated: "If the Buddha applied for a job as a physicist, I would not hire him. If the Buddha applied for a job as an ethics commissioner, he'd have my written support." I think that a similar statement can be made about Einstein. He's a prime candidate for employment as a physicist, but less so for employment as an ethics commissioner.