APTITUDE or ATTITUDE

 

Let's roll the dice: APTITUDE or ATTITUDE ?

In the midst of this Covid-19 Pandemic, let’s roll the dice: will you go for APTITUDE ? or ATTITUDE ? Obviously, we want both, we want the best of both worlds but life is what it is.

More often, we are left with an ‘either or’

Likely if you are an academician, you will be partial to aptitude. And if you are a parent, the likelihood is you will tend to lean towards aptitude. But if you are an office manager, we could end up split between aptitude versus attitude ?

Why will we go for aptitude ? Just going by the books [of Wikipedia], aptitude is that innate, inborn potential to do certain things regardless whether one is trained or not. And as that aptitude breaches the ‘outstanding’ level, that could turn into a talent.

Whereas with attitude, it is that feeling or opinion about something that will be difficult to change because it becomes a disposition or tendency that becomes embedded in someone. And if that attitude is brewing with lots of positivities, there we go, we got a match, do we go for someone with aptitude or positive attitude ?

Nope, it is not as simple as that. That’s where we got to take a balancing act. If you are a teacher, don’t be harsh if the aptitude is not as outstanding as even a parent wants it to be. Let’s figure out the attitudinal aspect, that component that can be nurtured and developed until that positive attitude becomes the very core of one’s persona.

Parent or teacher, taking the harsh path is not the way to go because you might end up empty handed. Instead, have that empathy. Put yourself into the shoes of the child or the student. If an ‘x’ factor seems to intrude in evolving a positive attitude, pin down that ‘x’ factor.

For a hiring manager, you might crack your brain if for one job requirement, your 2 top shortlisted job applicants are the best bets, one with high-flying aptitude versus one with a top-notch attitude. Making that judgment call will be tough but if I were to offer my 2-cents, I’ll bet on that candidate with the top-notch attitude. Why ? With a positive attitude, I as the people manager, can hone him until he reaches that maturity and productivity level at work. Whereas if I risked on that high-flyer, surely the attitude component will remain an unknown quantity.

So, in brief, there is no one size that fits all. Balance things out but do give a heavier weight on the attitude component because that gives you an inside track towards ending up with a diamond in the rough. A word of caution though. Don’t discard the lesser option unless that deserves to be a discard.