Dejected Cutler Listens to iPod on Sidelines while Bears Lose to Packers in NFC Championship

Jay Cutler of the Chicago Bears created a lot of controversy last week when a knee injury prevented him from finishing the NFC conference championship game against the Green Bay Packers.  Many questioned his toughness, and believed he had “quit on his team” during their most important game of the year.

An MRI later showed the injury was indeed serious, and confirmed the decision for him not to play.  It did not, however, excuse the lack of leadership and poor attitude he displayed during the remainder of the game.  Instead of cheering on his teammates or supporting the backup quarterbacks, cameras repeatedly caught him sulking on the sidelines, listening to his iPod.  

The lesson for CEOs is that, like Jay Cutler, we are always “on camera” in our organizations.  We need to periodically check ourselves to make sure we haven’t succumbed to bad leadership habits and make sure that we aren’t displaying a poor attitude, which can be contagious for the rest of our organization. 

Mike Myatt makes a compelling case that attitude reflects leadership and is a decision.

“Show me a CEO with a bad attitude and I’ll show you a poor leader. While this sounds simple enough at face value, I have consistently found that one of the most often overlooked leadership attributes is that of a positive attitude. As a CEO, how can you expect to inspire, motivate, engender confidence, and to lead with a lousy attitude? The simple answer is that you can’t…it just won’t work. CEOs with bad attitudes will not only fail to engage their workforce, but they will quickly find themselves shown the door as their attitude’s impact on performance becomes visible to the board.” 

Do you need an attitude adjustment?  Click here for a 5 point checklist to check yourself, and some compelling statistics about why you may want to change.