Is the 'Can't Do' Attitude Holding Your Business Back? 7 Strategies to Overcome It

Welcome to episode 179 of the Business development podcast.

And today we're chatting all about the can't do attitude.

And what are some of the signs?

It might be time to let someone go?

Stick with us.

You are not going to want to miss this episode.

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Welcome to the Business Development podcast.

And now your expert host, Kelly Kennedy.

Hello.

Welcome to episode 179 of the Business Development podcast.

And today we're chatting all about the dangers of the can't do attitude.

We talk about it all the time on this show.

Whether you believe you can or whether you believe you can't, you're right.

And so the power of belief and the power of the can't do attitude is actually substantial.

And we've all had these people working with us at one point or another, whether they were part of a project team, whether they were part of the operations team, the business development team, you name it.

The can't do attitude is real and it is dangerous to the forward progress of any projects that we take on, any companies that we want to build.

We've seen it with guests that we've talked to who've had radical transformations after unfortunately having to let go certain employees to get rid of that can't do attitude that was holding their businesses back.

And so today we're going to chat about the dangers of the can't do attitude.

And hopefully we're going to find some ways to correct these challenges with our teams because we love the people we work with, we love our teams, and we want to make sure that we give them the best possible options, the best possible outcomes in order to keep our businesses moving forward and keep our people engaged and excited and hopeful for the project.

We want to hopefully turn the can't do attitude into a can do attitude.

But before we get into that today, I wanted to start with a show update.

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All right, let's get into it.

A can't do attitude, either personally or within your team, can mean the difference between success and failure of your project, your opportunity, or heck, even your business.

Today we are going to discuss what is a can't do attitude and how to counteract it.

Because whether you think you can or you think you can't, you are right.

Guys.

Belief is everything.

It's kingdom.

We have to believe in our business, we have to believe in our products and services, and we have to believe that our customers are out there in the world.

Because the moment we don't, we are in trouble.

You have likely worked with somebody like this before, or heck, you may even know someone like this right now.

They call themselves realists, pessimists, cautious pragmatists, or even skeptical.

These labels allow individuals to rationalize their can't do attitudes in ways that align with their perceptions of the world.

Guys, we have to remember the people with can't do attitudes.

They didn't just get here.

They have struggled with things.

They're using real life challenges to stop them from having to do it again.

There's something that happened that led them down this path.

And so it's important to remember that all of these people, they have their reasons for being can't do attitudes.

Whatever, whether it's real or false, whether it's a real reason or a false reason, it doesn't really matter.

At the end of the day, there is a reason that they developed a can't do attitude.

And the great news about this is they can also make a choice to try to come back into a can do attitude.

And so today we're going to chat about this.

What is a can't do attitude?

Surprisingly, finding a formal definition for this was actually pretty hard.

So I had to ask chat GPT for help chat, gBT gave me this.

A can't do attitude refers to a mindset or outlook when somebody consistently believes that they are unable to accomplish tasks or overcome challenges.

This attitude is characterized by negativity, self doubt, and a lack of confidence in one's abilities, often resulting in giving up easily or not even attempting to find solutions in the first place.

It contrasts with a can do attitude, which embodies optimism, determination, and a belief in finding ways to succeed.

A can't do attitude tends to focus on limitations rather than possibilities.

I think that was pretty good.

So if we're dealing with a can't do attitude, whether this is our own can't do attitudes, guys, I've been there.

I've been there.

I talk about it on this show.

When I was starting in BD, there was, you know, large scale oil and gas companies in Canada that, honestly, I didn't think that I could get into.

And because I didn't think that I could get into these companies, that I could book meetings with them, my can't do attitude kicked in, and it basically made it impossible.

Why?

Because I just didn't even try.

What was the point of trying something that felt impossible?

Little did I know down the line, this would not only be very possible, but I would accomplish this task multiple times for different clients.

The reality is, guys, we all have self limiting beliefs.

This is just as relevant for each and every one of us, even if we are can do people.

Because likely at one project, at one client, at one time or another, we held a can't do attitude.

And we have to remember, guys, this happens to each and every one of us.

This could be just as much for you as it could be for any one of your teammates.

And remember, there are certain situations where maybe it isn't possible.

There are certain things that maybe are out of the realm of possibility.

But I will still try.

I will still give it a try.

Because you're better off to try and maybe succeed in a lot of things than you are to not try at all and always wonder whether or not you could have.

I find that so many of the times that I had a can't do attitude, that I had a self limiting belief when I actually challenged that self limiting beliefs.

Magical things happen, guys.

Magical things happen.

Maybe I actually accomplished the thing that I didn't think I could.

And, you know, those oil and gas companies are a big example of that.

Heck, me starting a business was a big example of that.

I was afraid to start the business, but I didn't let it stop me.

I tried anyway, and we succeeded.

Guys, I was really afraid to start this podcast.

Episode three was nearly the end of this show.

We are recording episode 179 right now.

This is absolutely incredible.

Episode three was nearly the end because I thought, oh, my gosh, like, I'm sitting, I'm talking to my wall.

Who is even listening to this show?

Well, guys, you know what?

If you're listening to the show, a lot of people listened to this show, and you, too can have success if you are willing to take a risk.

If you are willing to turn a can't do attitude into a can do attitude, I think you can surprise yourself.

So if we are struggling with a teammate or we are struggling internally, or maybe we're struggling with somebody in our organization who is resistant to change, and they are throwing up all the can't do roadblocks like we have seen with many of the companies that we've interviewed on this show.

What are some of the ways that we can address a can't do attitude in a productive way?

I'm going to give seven steps here for us to work to turn a can't do attitude around.

Step number one, recognize and address the negative self talk.

Encourage individuals to become aware of their internal dialogue.

Often a can't do attitude stems from repetitive negative thoughts.

Help them to change these thoughts and replace them with more constructive, positive affirmations.

For example, instead of thinking, I can't do this, encourage reframing to I can figure this out, guys.

This is it.

So many of us are struggling with negative self talk, negative self beliefs.

There's so many things that you are capable of that you are telling yourself you are not capable of.

And a lot of the people who you're refining resistance from are probably feeling the same way.

It comes from an internal resistance because maybe they don't believe they're good enough, maybe they don't believe they can.

But we have to change that internal self talk from I can't do this to I can do this.

I'm going to figure it out.

I'm going to give it my all and see what happens.

Number two, we need to focus on small wins.

Start by setting small, achievable goals to build confidence.

Celebrating small victories helps shift the focus from failures to accomplishments.

Recognizing progress, no matter how small, can boost morale and foster a more optimistic approach.

We talk about this all the time on the show, guys.

We have to celebrate the small wins.

And even me, I'm horrible for this.

I really am.

Like, we just won a w three award.

I haven't yet celebrated yet.

I'm excited, but I haven't yet celebrated but yet this is something that I should be celebrating.

It's a small win that I should be celebrating.

And we have to find the ways to celebrate these little wins along the way because they matter.

They are a win.

And every time that you celebrate ten or 15 small wins, it can really start to negate the big negative effect of that next loss, of that next roadblock.

And remember, guys, no roadblock is a roadblock forever.

It may be a roadblock right now.

Small roadblocks are just that.

They can seem really big in the moment, but when you look back at them after you surpass them, and maybe you're taking on an even larger challenge, an even bigger challenge that can make those small roadblocks look so small.

When you look back at them, everything seems big in the moment.

Remember that.

Everything seems high magnitude in the moment.

That doesn't mean that it is.

It means that in the moment, it feels that way.

Sometimes even large magnitude challenges look small when they're in the rearview mirror.

Remember that you can overcome many, many, many challenges if you just keep at it.

Number three, promote a growth mindset.

Cultivate a culture where failure is seen as an opportunity to learn rather than a setback.

Encourage team members to view challenges as a chance to grow their skills, emphasizing that effort and perseverance lead to improvement over time.

This can help move the focus away from limitations and on to possibilities.

Guys, think about anything.

You've been incredible at.

Did you start out incredible at it?

I can tell you I didn't.

I'm going to give you an example.

When I was 17, 1617.

I don't know, one of those things.

I got a remote model plane for my birthday.

And if you guys have been listening to this show for any length of time, you guys know I'm an airplane nerd.

I absolutely love airplanes.

I've been flying model airplanes, like I said, since I was about 16 or 17 years old.

If you know anything about flying model airplanes, you know it's flipping hard and it has a massive learning curve.

And back then, we didn't have, like, RC simulators.

I'm dating myself.

We probably did, but I didn't have one.

But I didn't have an RC simulator to crash endlessly on while learning.

So I was crashing real planes.

And, guys, I was so frustrated because if you know anything about flying model planes, when the plane is flying at you, all of the controls are reversed.

And so I had multiple crashes.

Guys, I think the lifespan for my planes was, if I was lucky, five flights in the beginning.

And eventually I got to a point where I just never crashed anymore and I can keep a plane going for damn near ever.

I could run out of battery power and still damn near bring that thing down.

The point is, is that it took me multiple, multiple tries to get great at that skill.

I probably suck at it now because it's been a long time, but point is, we all have failure on the road to success.

Whether you have failure in the beginning of your podcast, whether you have failure in the beginning your business, whether you don't close the client you really wanted in that moment, if you keep at it, you are going to get great at it.

You are going to have podcast success, you are going to have business success, you are going to close that incredible client.

Because persistence over time breeds success.

Persistence, consistency over time breeds success.

Don't be afraid to fail.

We all fail in the beginning.

We all have small setbacks.

We all do.

But if we take that mindset that we can learn from each and every one of those setbacks, my gosh, you are going to learn, you are going to achieve and you are going to overcome.

We need to provide constructive feedback.

When giving feedback, focus on strengths and opportunities for growth rather than solely on weaknesses.

Help individuals understand that setbacks are part of the process and guide them towards finding solutions rather than dwelling on problems.

Guys, it doesn't matter what it is.

There's likely something great in every failure.

There's likely something positive that you or an employee is doing incredibly well, that you can focus on, that you can motivate them with that.

You can say, hey, you absolutely killed it on here, and we're going to work on this part, but you keep it up because this particular thing you're doing, it's incredible.

There's ways to motivate people and build people up while also helping them with their challenges.

At the same time, if we can focus on, yeah, maybe there's something that you didn't do great at, maybe there is.

Whatever.

Let's not dwell on that.

Let's look at the things you do do great, and we can improve that other thing.

But the reality is, for everything that I suck at, there's something that I am absolutely incredible at, and you, too.

And so it's important that even though we're a work in progress, every one of us, like I say it all the time, I'm an expert until yesterday.

You're an expert until yesterday.

Tomorrow's a new day.

There's a new technology there's a new something that's coming to knock you off your podium tomorrow.

So it's important that we are constantly learning, that we are constantly working to improve ourselves, which means that there are things that I'm working on right now that I still suck at, that I'm still learning.

AI is a big one of those things.

You guys know I don't do a ton of shows on AI.

Why?

Because I'm still learning it.

I'm still learning it.

We all are.

We're all in this AI playground together, and I need to figure out how to use it effectively before I can teach you guys how to use it effectively.

So we're all a work in progress.

But you know what?

I'm pretty great at podcasting.

I'm pretty great at business development.

I do have a lot of things that I am great at, and that's awesome.

And it's important that we focus on those things, too.

Number five, we need to encourage collaboration and support.

We need to build a supportive team environment where members uplift each other.

Encourage team members to share their skills and knowledge.

Helping those who feel stuck or overwhelmed working together on problem solving fosters a can do attitude within the group.

Guys, great teams are incredible.

Some of the people that I've met on LinkedIn have been incredible.

In the same way.

LinkedIn kind of operates as a cool team of people.

LinkedIn has like a community of incredible people who uplift me, who uplift each other, who are constantly motivating and supporting or whatever else.

And this can be like, I'm talking a virtual team, but like, this can be an in house team.

This can be your office, but surround yourself with people who build you up instead of tear you down.

Try to surround yourself with can do attitude, people.

It can absolutely, absolutely change your life and change your business.

You need people who can see your vision and who can help you achieve it, not people who are going to tear down your vision piece by piece.

Tear you down piece by piece.

We have enough challenges in life than to surround ourselves by people who are going to tear us down.

And it's so funny because, you know, I had an interview with Ross Huert from NBC Group.

He was talking about how one of the most challenging things that he had to do was let go of some team members who he realized were not contributing to his vision, to his future growth of the company.

And sometimes that absolutely has to happen in order to surround yourself with the right people, not the people who are going to tear you down and get in the way.

Number six, we have to reframe challenges as opportunities.

Help the team reframe their thinking around difficulties.

Instead of seeing challenges as roadblocks, guide them to view these moments as opportunities for innovation and learning.

This shift in perspective can empower individuals to tackle problems more proactively.

A lot of our fear is strictly of the unknown, right?

New tasks, new programs, whatever it is, shifts in the business, pivots in the business.

These are scary things.

We should be positive that we're going to anticipate some level of resistance.

Why?

Because change is scary.

Right?

Change is scary.

We know if we've been in business any length of time, it's not just scary, it's absolutely mandatory for our long term success.

But that doesn't mean that everybody handles change the same way.

And so if we can reframe the changes, hey, this is an opportunity to learn this life changing skill.

Hey, AI is going to change the world.

Don't you want to be a part of that?

Yeah, I get it.

We don't have all the answers right now, but we're going to figure them out along the way.

Yeah, our business is going to do something a little different than we've ever done before.

But isn't that exciting?

There's a different way to phrase things, to motivate people instead of scare them.

And so it's important that if we are implementing some level of change, some level of major change within a business, that we also contrast it with an incredible opportunity to grow and learn.

Because guess what?

The currency of the future is the ability to grow and learn with these quickly advancing technologies, with these insanely fast pivoting companies.

Okay?

Adaptability is the way of the future.

And so we have to encourage our teams and ourselves to embrace it.

To embrace it with enthusiasm and excitement and be excited about the opportunity to learn these new, crucial skills to our future.

And number seven, we have to lead by example.

As a leader or a team member, we have to embody a positive, solution oriented mindset.

Demonstrate how a can do attitude benefits both personal growth and team success.

When leaders and peers model resilience and optimism, it influences others to adopt similar behaviors.

Guys, we have to lead by example.

If we want our teams to feel excited about the future, we have to be excited about the future.

If we want our teams to buy into our vision, we have to buy into our own vision.

If we want people to be can do attitude thinkers, we have to be can do attitude thinkers.

Guys, we have to change ourselves first before we can lead our teams to success.

But each and every one of us has that in us.

Each and every one of us can do it.

I have belief in each and every one of you.

Now, what happens if we've tried to take these steps with a person on our team and we are unfortunately not making headway?

What are some of the signs that maybe we have to part ways with this teammate, with this partner, with this employee, maybe with somebody who is high level in our organization, but what are some of the signs that we're working with a team that is not going to help us achieve the next possible step?

And guys, I've interviewed multiple, multiple leaders on this show who have had to remove major, major partners, major teammates, maybe long term employees who've been with the company a long time, but they are no longer supporting the mission, the vision, the values of the company.

There can't do attitude is literally killing the organization and the ability to move forward.

What are some of the scenarios that we need to consider that it might be time to part ways with somebody who's part of our team?

Number one, consistent negative impact on morale.

When an employee's can't do attitude is bringing down the rest of the team, leading to reduced motivation, collaboration or morale, it's a major red flag.

This negativity can be contagious, making all the other team members less enthusiastic or confident about their work.

Guys can't do attitudes are contagious, so our can do attitudes, we need to surround ourselves with can do people.

Number two, failure to improve despite feedback.

Let's say that we've used all the steps that we just discussed to try to frame shift from a can't do attitude to a can do attitude.

If you've provided regular feedback, coaching and opportunities for improvement, and yet the teammate still displays the same attitude without making any effort to change it, it could signal an inability or unwillingness to grow.

When employees fail to address performance or mindset issues despite being given support, it's a sign that they may not be a good fit if they are failing to improve.

Guys despite opportunities for improvement.

Number three, repeatedly misses targets or deadlines.

A can't do mindset often leads to missed goals, reduced productivity, or a consistent inability to meet deadlines.

If this becomes a pattern and affects the team or company performance, it may be necessary to let an employee go.

Number four, lack of accountability.

When an employee consistently avoids responsibility, blames external factors, or refuses to take ownership of their role, it becomes problematic.

Team success depends on accountability, and an employee with a can't do attitude can and will hinder progress.

Number five, disruptive behavior and resistance to change.

If the employee resists changes or refuses to adopt new strategies or processes that could improve their performance, this can stifle innovation and growth.

Consistent resistance to feedback or change can harm the team's ability to adapt and move forward.

Once again, guys, it is is contagious and it can eat away at your team's morale.

Number six, toxic influence on team dynamics.

If the employees negativity creates a toxic environment that affects communication, collaboration or trust within a team, it is time to make a change.

The team's overall cohesion and effectiveness should not be compromised by one individual.

And yet, if you look at nearly every organization they have, one or two can't do attitude.

Individuals who are ultimately holding back the entire team.

And this is what we've seen, guys.

Like I said, if you guys want to reference back, check out the interview that I had with Ross who were at NBC Group, and check out the interview I did with Jory Evans.

And both of them talked about hard decisions where they had to let go of team members because it was holding back the vision and values and the entire company.

Number seven, you've exhausted all other options before making the decision to terminate.

It's always important to exhaust all other options, such as coaching, training, mentorship, or role adjustment.

If none of these interventions lead to meaningful improvements, then it is probably time to let the employee go.

Letting go of a can't do employee becomes necessary when their attitude consistently hinders their own performance, the team team's morale, and the company's progress, despite efforts to help them improve.

So, guys, we all hate it.

We hate partying with our teams.

We love our teams.

You know, teams are incredible, and every individual has a role to play.

But if you have somebody who is constantly abrasive, who is constantly turning down ideas or hindering your performance, your company's performance, your ability to move forward, to take on new tasks, to acquire new clients, whatever it may be, it might be time to evaluate that employee's role on your team and whether or not they even should have a role on the team.

Guys, I didn't want to go here, but I didn't think that it was possible to do this episode without also discussing the alternative, which is if you cannot change the behavior, there are some people, guys that are just, they're not willing to do the work.

And a lot of the stuff we talk about on the show, it involves work.

It involves some personal reflection, some personal work.

I've had a lot of personal reflection and personal work.

And you guys know, I'm not afraid to share my shortfalls with you, which I have plenty, and I'm working on them.

But that's the key.

I'm working on them and I'm willing to recognize them.

There are people who are not willing to work on them, who are not willing to recognize them, who maybe they don't even believe they have a shortfall.

Maybe they're so pessimistic that's just the way they are.

And that's they're proud of it.

That they're proud of that.

And that's fine.

But it may not be fine for the dynamic of the team.

It may not be fine for you and your company and your forward progress.

And so you may have hard decisions.

But I'll tell you what, in those conversations that I had with Ross, in that conversation that I have with Jory, the outcome was massive.

The change in their companies for the better was palpable.

And so it is important to recognize that even though hard decisions have to be made, they can be followed with incredible, incredible upticks in the performance of your company, in the performance of your team, in the well being of your team.

And I think, guys, that might just be worth a struggle.

Remember, belief is everything, and whether you think you can or you think you can't, you are right.

References for today's show guys, was from attorney Aaron hall, cubicle therapy and success.com.

that is where I found most of the information for today's episode, and I wanted to thank all of them for their contribution.

Shoutouts this week Gary N.

Brian Hayes, Deanna Keen, Javier Azam, Zachary Annie Shereen Fatima Susan, Paseka Q.

Harrison, Terry Yan Hanat, Zakir Hussein, Ace Qureshi, Fritz Frandorf, Ricardo Flores, Jacob Goodman, Vijayan Swami Nathan Lauren Graff, Lucas Benjamin Schmidt, Colin Harms, Gabriel Puella, Amirabas Mira Korleu, Kevin Desjardins, and Brian Muccieri until next time, this has been the business development podcast and we will catch you on the flip side.

This has been the business development podcast with Kelly Kennedy.

Kelly has 15 years in sales and business development experience within the Alberta oil and gas industry and founded his own business development firm in 2020.

His passion and his specialization is in customer relationship generation and business development.

The show is brought to you by capital business development, your business development specialists.

For more we invite you to the website at www.

Dot Capitalbd dot ca.

See you next time on the Business Development podcast.