When describing human behavior, we advise you to stick with the clarity of skills, knowledge and talents. Tread carefully when using habits or competencies. They lump too much together rather haphazardly. Likewise, if you feel a need to use attitude or drive, be cautious. Remember that a person’s drive and her prevailing attitudes are reflective of talents, and as such, they are very hard to change. When you hear yourself telling someone to “get a better attitude,” watch out. You might be asking her to tackle the impossible.
This is interesting because I happen to think the opposite, not out of optimism, but because I’ve seen people turn a corner and develop completely new talents much later in life with the right motivations.
It’s safe to say some people have a higher capacity for this than others, but I also see how it’s wise for a manager not to expect that a person will be motivated enough to change their prevailing talents or attitude for their company unless there's a strong emotional attachment. Best to just work with what you’ve got.
