Positive Attitude Questionnaire

A positive attitude questionnaire
Employers rate positive attitude as the number one skill they are
looking for when they recruit. Some people think it’s something
you’re born with — so you either have it or you don’t. But all the
research tells us this is not the case. We all know that we can feel
positive and optimistic some of the time and less so at other times,
and it’s not always clear why.
To get a little clearer about when and why you feel positive and when you don’t, complete this
questionnaire. (Answer the questions based on how you feel on a normal day, not when you’re
feeling really miserable or really happy because something great has happened).
QUESTIONS
Q1: You’ve missed out on getting a job you were really sure you’d get. Your
interview had gone really well, and they had even asked you when you would
be able to start. What do you do?
a) Get really angry as you feel you’ve been cheated.
b) Feel depressed and assume you must have screwed up the interview.
c) Feel confused and wonder what went wrong.
d) Accept that it didn’t work out and start looking for something else.
e) Make contact with the business and say you would appreciate getting
feedback so you can improve for next time.
Q2: You missed your bus. It left the stop just as you arrived. How do you feel?
a) Really angry, as you’re sure the driver saw you but drove off anyway.
b) Annoyed with yourself for being late and wondering whether you
should just skip work today.
c) Defeated and wondering why this always happens to you.
d) Annoyed but you find out when the next bus is due and text your boss.
e) Calm enough to think of other ways to get to work on time.
Q3: Would your teachers, boss, youth worker or others describe you as friendly?
a) No, but what they think of me is not important.
b) Probably not – I’m not really a people person.
c) Maybe – it depends how I’m feeling.
d) Most of the time – I normally make an effort to be friendly.
e) Yes – I make a real effort to be friendly with everyone.
Q4: Your boss has told you off for not wearing your uniform to work. You forgot
to wash both of them last night. What do you do?
a) Tell the boss that you need a third uniform because you can’t be
expected to be doing a wash every night.
b) Start to cry because you feel you’re always screwing up and getting
into trouble.
c) Apologise, make up a story about the washing machine being broken
and promise you’ll wear it tomorrow.
d) Apologise and say it won’t happen again.
e) Apologise, say it won’t happen again, then check with the boss to see
if there’s a spare uniform somewhere that you can wear for the day.
Q5: You wake up and see it’s cold, grey and wet outside. You have to get up
and get to the bus stop, which is a ten-minute walk away. How do you feel?
a) Angry that you are going to get wet because you don’t have a car or
someone to drop you off at work.
b) Miserable and annoyed about having to get up and go to work on such
a crappy day.
c) OK. You’ll get up and get on with it.
d) Fine. You will get a bit wet but you are grateful to have a job.
e) Great. You don’t mind the rain; it waters the garden and helps keep
things alive.
Q6: You wash your clothes and forget to take out your red hoodie. Everything
in the wash is now a mucky pink colour. What do you do?
a) Yell at your mum, partner, flattie or cat that they should have reminded
you to sort out the colours from the whites.
b) Kick the washing machine, thinking it’s not fair — just one mistake and
now all your favourite white t-shirts are wrecked.
c) Walk out of the room and go have coffee or something to calm down.
d) Wash them again, hoping the second wash will magically restore them
to white.
e) Google how to get dye stains out of your clothes. If you can’t get them
out, you’ll talk to your sisters or your girlfriend to see if they’d like some
new pink shirts.
Q7: You’ve just got a job at a takeaway shop, and you’ve been asked to deliver
500 flyers. By 4.30pm, you’ve only managed to deliver half of them. You’ve got
basketball practice at 6.00pm. What do you do?
a) Dump the last 250 under a bridge and go to basketball early.
b) Feel miserable and go home, thinking life sucks. You don’t finish
delivering the flyers or go to basketball.
c) Get as many delivered as you can and then go to basketball.
d) Ring up your boss and ask if you can finish delivering the flyers the
next day. If he says no, you ignore him and do it anyway.
e) Ring a few of your basketball mates and do a run delivery as a warm-
up for basketball. Promise to shout them after your first payday.
Q8: Your boss is an elderly Asian lady who is a little deaf. You find that you have
to repeat yourself lots because her English is not great and she struggles to
hear you sometimes. You feel:
a) Angry and frustrated, knowing you are being increasingly disrespectful
to her.
b) A bit annoyed, feeling like you’re wasting time when you’re so busy.
c) Un-complaining but often feeling unsure exactly what she wants you
to do.
d) Tolerant and trying to be patient and respectful.
e) Very grateful you have the job and respectful towards her as she is
clearly trying her best to communicate clearly with you.
Q9: Your boss is prepared to offer you a promotion if you can show positive
leadership within your labour group on the building site. What do you do?
a) Feel angry that he hasn’t just given you the job already because you
don’t like being on trial.
b) Feel nervous that you won’t be able to live up to his expectations.
c) Feel mistrusting about whether he’s for real or not.
d) Feel pretty good about being given the opportunity and do your best.
e) Ask your boss if you can discuss the opportunity with him so you can
better understand what he expects of you as a leader.
Q10: You have been given the opportunity to do an electrical apprenticeship.
You know that it will be a lot of work for not much pay and that the study and
paperwork will really stretch you. What do you do?
a) Don’t take it. The pay is a total rip-off.
b) Don’t take it because you don’t think you’re smart enough to do all the
study and paperwork.
c) Say you will think about it.
d) Say yes because your whānau thinks this is a great opportunity.
e) Say yes because you think plumbing is a good career and within 6–8
years you could be running your own business.
RESULTS
Now take a few moments to look back over your answers. Do you notice any patterns
in the way you responded to these questions?
If you mostly chose Es

You have an excellent attitude. You are the person who sees the positive and the opportunity in
nearly everything. You would be a great friend and employee to have.
If you mostly chose Ds

You have a good attitude and make a real effort to be positive and hopeful. You understand that
your attitude and effort will contribute to you being happy and successful.
If you mostly chose Cs

You know how to be positive but you don’t always make the effort needed to achieve the best
results. Have a look at the following resources and see how you can be more consistently helpful
and friendly, and how to build a ‘can-do’ attitude into your life.
If you mostly chose As and/or Bs

It would appear you lack confidence in your abilities to succeed. If you feel the world is against
you and, every time you try, you just get knocked back, it’s easy to stop trying. Everyone can
succeed once they discover what they enjoy and are good at, then work hard at it. When you
work this out, it’s easier to get motivated and start building other skills and talents. Have a look
at the positive attitude resources and get some ideas on where to start.

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A positive attitude questionnaire

If you mostly chose Es

If you mostly chose Ds

If you mostly chose Cs

If you mostly chose As and/or Bs

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