Some people are so predictable. Past posts by "#40" show a certain undesirable attitude that comes shining through here. After reading the story I KNEW that there would still be dust settling in the reader's comments. And the dust would be heaped up around "#40". Great story Greg. Fantastic, spot-on comment mgcarguy- one of the most worthwhile comments I've read here in a long time. #40- there are times when you have made worthwhile contributions to the discussions. This is not one of those times, but we all know that your tongue is firmly planted in your cheek when you are giggling over your keyboard.

vnvet7071, but Sigma has told all of us that he is not an idiot. Hehehe.

Poor,poor Sigma. The light is on, but no one is home.

Eagle1 - I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one that has had that experience. I applied to a job once and had to take one of those tests that is apparently designed to tell them all kind of things about me and my personality. I got the job, and later when I was promoted to a different department my boss said to me as I was leaving "you know, you're nothing like your (I can't remember the name) test said you would be." I just had to laugh.

Thank you, little effort on my part. He/she obviously needs more help than people think I need.

Sigma40, you have stepped over the line with this comment: "vnvet7071 - Why are you so negative towards me? Are you still bitter about the war you lost? You need to change your attitude."

Does anyone notice that none of the rightie haters comment on positive stories. They so run against their quick.

BTW, Greg, I'm glad you, or whoever, shut down comments to a certain other blog of yours. I don't think that topic was doing anybody's attitude any good! No hard feelings, I hope. :-)

Yep, pretty wise words to live by, Greg, thanks for the reminder to keep trying!
.
mrcarguy: Thanks for sharing. When you run into someone like that, especially in what is considered a menial job, it is like a ray of sunshine on a gloomy day, isn't it? It's a work in progress to maintain it, but do-able, I think, for a good percent of your job/life.
.
I kind of feel sorry for people I come across while conducting the business of life, especially younger people, who are so sour and sullen at their jobs, and try to make an effort to not respond in kind and hopefully cheer them up a bit, maybe even set an example. I think (hope) it can be contagious!

saxcat70, your original post is similar to something I have seen over my working life. On two occasions I have been given a ‘test’ while interviewing, some sort of psychological, personality test. On both occasions I was stunned by the results in that they were opposite of who I am. In both occasions I got the job despite the results of these tests, and on both occasions I was told during my first weeks that those tests were not going to be used anymore since they were so wrong. That initial ‘introduction’ or ‘read’ can be way off at times, more times than not in my case.

As I read these post's I am starting to sense an ATTITUDE ! Funny how that works isn't it ?

People!
Please don't feed the troll!

vnvet hits a nerve on Sigma and she comes out with both barrels thinking she can get under his skin.

Another sad attempt by a sad little person.

I need to get off of the computer and get back to my project, and I will after saying this: Because I have never met Sigma I don't know if I would like him or her. My thinking is she ( guessing it is a she because we are being fooled in every other way ) is very clever and is using the blogs to get people started for kicks. Nobody I have ever met has ever been negative about having a positive attitude, hence this whole thing is a hoax.

Sigma also claims a high level of personal responsibility for himself but blames the police procedures that prevent drunk driving for the very problem of drunk driving itself.

mccarguy - unfortunately, my experiences with leaders has usually been that they don't know what it takes to be a leader, so they don't recognize their own shortcomings. Some of them couldn't function as individual contributors so they got promoted! At any rate, I guess if I were responding to the pastor, I would say, "I believe God helps those who help themselves," and that means being proactive to make changes in your life or your world, as you are so driven. But if you are not driven, do not whine to me.

Poor,poor Sigma. Obviously he doesn't do welll in interviews. Keep trying Sigma, remember, flipping those burgers is all in the wrist. They can only turn you down so many times. Wear them down. ( and let us know where you end up working ! )

If anyone on this site should take a few pointers on attitude it is Sigma. So what does he do but come on line and call another poster an idiot.

He loves to talk about how financially secure he is, how he has it all figured out but his crappy attitude towards people has and will continue to hold him back from bigger things.

Great story Mgcarguy.

Saxcat, I agree on your interview theory which makes me an idiot too, I guess. I have hired dozens of people over the year and attitude and my comfort with them will always surpass a superior resume.

Is there some kind of nomination process to make mgcarguy the next community blogger?

The AA Serenity Prayer has always been a good guide. I know little about politics and I don't wish to turn this into a political discussion, but my feeling is that if we, the majority vote somebody into office, our mission should be to help that person accomplish his or her promises rather than try to get him or her out of office. Helping is far more rewarding than hurting. I believe that if one person takes on one person to help it will not take too long for everyone to become better. One guide which is useful in hiring is looking for the person who will be better than yourself. I learned far more from the people I hired than than they did from me. All I did was show them the way to be the best. It is most fun to watch a follower pass you by and become a good leader.

mccarguy - unfortunately, almost zero percent of employers take the approach that you do - and even some who try just are not the same kind of people person you are. I would, however, suspect that 15 minute rule would not have worked as well for you early on as it does now, just because you have gained the wisdom to know when someone is playing you (charm the boss to get a job and then don't/can't do it). However, regarding this quote from the pastor - I do take exception to it because my take is that "you can't do anything about how anything is, so lay back and let junk happen, to you and those you love." (Probably because I am a cynic.) You might not be able to change how other people act, but you can choose not to associate with then (rather than changing the way you do associate with them). It can be hard, if it is family or at a job, or for that matter, trying to get someone voted out of office in the next election, but I don't care to hear "Woe is me" from people who don't try to change the circumstances which cause them said woe. And "inevitable" can be a very subjective term. If it means death, then it's clearly defined. If the user means "I'm going to be stuck forever in this situation," then it is their own definition of inevitable. Maybe if the pastor had used the word "approach" instead of "attitude," I could go with it.

Eagle, Thank you. This post is about attitude not about me. But I have to say that attitude is our most important quality. I mentioned hiring people and trying to nail down a good employee during the interview. This does not always happen and when it didn't it was as much our mistake as the mistake of the person we were looking at. If I found after a few months that the "fit" was not good, rather than lay the person off, we had a long chat and we helped that person find the company that would work better for both. Part of running a successful company is knowing the competition and we were successful in becoming a leader in our field by helping out our competitors. We we often asked to lead discussions on how we became what we were. Our reputation helped us attract some of the most highly qualified young people in the field. Our mission was to hire the best people, pay the best wages and put out the best product. At one point our challenge was to take the weakest area of our company and make it the strongest, and we did that. This morning while I drove my ten year old grandson to school we talked about the book THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD. He read that book right after we taught him to read and I mentioned to him that it was a good guide for life. Thanks Greg, for running this blog.

mgcarguy, very, very awesome!

mgcarguy, all I can say is AWESOME!!!!!!

Sigma, I would bet that I could find something good in you in a fifteen minute interview. And as an employer I would build on that good I saw and one day I would say that I made the right decision. Any interviewer who cannot put a prospective employee at ease and bring out good qualities in fifteen minutes should not be hiring people. Yet some people have difficulty being positive in an entire lifetime.

mgcarguy....Your story inspired me. I have witnessed many students go a long way over forty years because others are able to clearly see the altitude of their attitude.

No. And Saxcat, anyone that thinks they can get to know someone in 15 minutes in an interveiw is an idiot. Most people are stressed, and ive yet to see anyone conduct themselves in a business environment as they did in their interview. There are some things that need to be overlooked in an interview....if you are giving interviews you should know this.

Good post mgcarguy. I call in people for interviews, and wish I could throw out everything "official" associated with hiring. I can usually tell what a person will be like in a 15 minute talk.

Great story, mgcarguy; thanks for sharing.
Greg Peck

One night I had a lot of lab work to do in my company. I took a few minutes to drive over to Arby's for a sandwitch. The person who handed me the order at the window thanked me and had a great smile and was very friendly. The next night I went back and handed him my business card and told him that if he were ever looking for employment in the field I was in, give me a call. He did, I hired him and he did a great job for us while he finished college. He is now a pilot and airplane mechanic for a missionary group in South America. He has a bright future and I hear from him monthly. He had a great attitude and now has a lovely wife and still a great smile.