Alan Crnko, Marathon Garyville
Everyone knows the factors that can contribute to a negative attitude in the workplace: poor health, bad finances, family troubles, sleep deprivation, difficult co-workers, lack of recognition for achievements, etc. But how does one develop a positive attitude in the workplace? According to Marathon Petroleum Co.’s Garyville Refinery Training Supervisor Alan Crnko, the answer is simple: choice.
“It’s like a mechanical device. It has to get its parts in a certain configuration before good things can start happening inside,” Crnko explained during the Alliance Safety Council-sponsored Louisiana Governor’s Safety & Health Conference in Baton Rouge. “You’re missing opportunities if you’re not stopping to say to yourself, ‘Life doesn’t happen to me; I happen to life. I’m in control of this thing.’”
According to Crnko, fostering a positive attitude in the workplace starts with selecting the right core values and beliefs, which determine one’s internal dialogue and personal motivations in turn. “It all starts right here with your core values and beliefs,” Crnko said, indicating the bottom segment of a pyramid diagram he designed for the presentation. “If I have a value and belief, for example, that safety is a very important part of life, that safety measures should be [implemented] across the board in everything I do, then what’s going on in my head? What am I telling myself? That I should do my job the safest way possible, look for my personal protective equipment, buckle my seatbelt, etc.
“And that internal dialogue is very powerful, because that’s what leads to motivation and alters behavior,” Crnko explained, gradually moving higher on the pyramid diagram. “People have to choose to motivate themselves, and they do that based on their internal dialogue.”
Moving to the highest segment of the pyramid, Crnko introduced the concept of a significant emotional event (SEE), which is defined by its capacity to change a person’s attitude by way of his/her core values and beliefs. “Life deals us SEEs all the time,” Crnko elaborated. “Sometimes when these events hit, and they hit hard, then we’ll go back to our core values and beliefs and we’ll reorganize them. And we’ll start to think about things a lot differently.”
Crnko emphasized how SEEs can make management difficult by impeding employees’ consistency on the job: “Motivation is what creates the behaviors you see and can control with leadership skills — unless a significant emotional event comes along.” In these cases, Crnko insisted supervisors must be careful not to rely solely on negative reinforcement to ensure good behavior. “You’re not going to change someone’s bad attitude by beating on him, because he’s ready for that,” Crnko explained. “Even though everyone may be mad at him for doing what he’s doing, if I gang up on him as the boss, all of a sudden they’re on his side. Everybody knows when someone has a bad attitude. But if you mishandle it, then you can flip the whole group; you’re the bad guy.”
Crnko also warned against blaming negative attitudes on others, reminding listeners once again attitude is a choice rather than mere happenstance. “It’s the same question every time: ‘How will I control outside influences that will impact what’s going on inside?’” Crnko concluded. “It’s OK for me to work on Saturday. That’s a core value and belief. It’s our job as individuals to try to control those external inputs and reshape them to make the most of our situation. Ultimately you’re responsible for bringing excellence, fairness and enjoyment to the workplace.”
For more information, visit www.marathonpetroleum.com or call (419) 421-2121.
