You Might As Well Smile

You Might As Well Smile
Attitude makes all the difference
April 1995

I watch with interest how novices react to learning how to use a new computer software program. Some take to it with an eager willingness, others have a “wait and see” attitude, and some seem to fight it tooth and nail.

I almost always run into members of the first group, the eager willingness group, somewhere down the road. Maybe in an advanced class or maybe in a different class. Some of the “wait and see” crowd I’ll probably meet again, and some of them I may not. It’s almost certain, if a first-time learner really fights learning a program, I won’t meet her again in and advanced class, and I usually don’t meet them again in any class.

I got thinking a few years ago about how attitude affects learning. I have been watching groups of students come through my classes - academic and business training - since the late 1970's. During this time, I’ve noticed lots of patterns and shared behaviors. Some habits, thankfully, passed away years ago. For example, today’s class participants are more willing to take responsibility for their learning - they don’t expect to be taught, they expect to learn.

The behavior that I have most commonly correlated with success during and following training is the participant’s attitude toward learning the subject. So, that’s what started me thinking, reading, and listening about attitude.

I spoke to the a job club last month. This is the third time, and I hope not the last time, that I’ve been asked to speak at their lunch meetings. All of the people in the room are unemployed. Some I had meet during previous visits extending back a year, and some were new faces. I was saddened to see acquaintances again - remember this is a job club.

I was to speak about motivation. But as I listened to how some of the members described their situation, a light bulb went off in my head! Those who were having difficulty finding a job (and no one that I met had an esoteric specialty or unusual employment requirement) spoke about how difficult it was to find a job.

Those members who will be leaving the club within a few weeks (because they found employment) spoke about how excited they were to be employed.

Now wait, I’m the first to admit that I’m on shaky ground. My profession is computer training, I’m not a qualified behavioralist or psychologist. But I heard the same voice inflections, and I watched similar body motions from the long-time job seekers as I did from my tooth-and-nail fighters in the classroom.

Does our speaking about finding a job or learning a software program affect how we perceive the process of job searching or computer learning?

I think that we’re not all equally suited to all tasks. Some people may like the challenge of finding a job, some may like learning new software programs, some may detest job searching or learning software commands. I’m playing fast and loose with psychology, but I’m still wondering...

If I must learn a new software program, for whatever reason, wouldn’t it be less of a hassle if I could enjoy it? What I’m exploring now is the question: How does my speaking about myself and my circumstance affect my perception of myself and my circumstance? The bottom line - why complain about learning? Smile, who knows, we may find out that it’s not so bad after all.

David Stephen Murphy is President and CEO of Damar Group, Ltd. which presents computer training classes, publishes computer learning guides, and helps organizations do business on the Internet. The website is http://dgl.com, and Mr. Murphy may be reached at dave@dgl.com or 410.567.5366.

updated November 2, 1996
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