Take No Prisoners is a free weekly memo from Scott Wintrip that explores how Radical Accountability prospers companies and changes lives. Instead of taking people hostage with outdated, heavy-handed, and ineffective methods of management, measurement, and motivation, Radical Accountability focuses on creating an unwavering responsibility for getting what matters most done.

Those who claim attitude is everything are most likely struggling with attitudinal challenges from others or even themselves. Truth is, too much focus on attitude is the wrong focus. The moment we give one particular human attribute too much attention is the very moment it becomes harder to manage.

Attitude isn’t everything; it’s just something that can be changed through a shift in thinking. This is the aspect many people find challenging – changing their thoughts.

Thoughts have momentum. The more a thought persists, the stronger it gets. Melinda, a CFO I coached, learned this the hard way. She was on the cusp off losing her job because of her negative attitude and sought my help to change momentum.

Melinda had been trying to think her way into a new way of acting and got nowhere. In our coaching, I showed her how to act her way into a new way of thinking (the Action Cure). Within a few weeks, her attitude transformed as did her leadership. She not only kept her job, she enhanced her credibility and improved the results of those around her.

Radical Accountability is important as it right-sizes our responses to ensure we are always doing what matters most. Attitudes matter, but not so much so that you need an entire self-help book to change them. Applying the Action Cure right-sizes attitudes simply and swiftly.

This Week’s Radical Accountability Activating Action: Help those you manage to apply the Action Cure when their thinking and attitudes could benefit from transformational action.