Have you seen the movie Remember the Titans? In one powerful interaction between a football player and his captain, this player sums up team leadership dynamics in just three simple words: “Attitude reflects leadership.”

If you’re not familiar with the movie, let me set the scene. The team captain is chastising one of his players—Big Ju—for his lack of team spirit. This captain just can’t understand why his player has such a poor attitude toward the rest of his teammates.

Big Ju’s terse retort doesn’t just explain how attitudes trickle down from the top; it’s a demonstration of the principle. He feels disrespected by his teammates and captain, so he lacks respect for them in turn.

This is no surprise to any of us; we all know that leadership is a top-down process, and the culture of every company starts with its leaders. But here’s something you may not realize: regardless of your position, your attitude and interactions with others have the power to impact those around you.

The Truth

Let’s face it: life can be challenging. Even when we tell ourselves to stay positive, a positive attitude isn’t always easy to maintain in the face of life’s greatest challenges. But you don’t have to be a CEO to cultivate an attitude of leadership, base your daily interactions on mutual respect, and start to change the culture for the better.

What’s the difference between a thermistor vs a thermostat? One indicates the temperature and one sets it. Which do you want to be?

We make choices every day: what to eat, what to wear, and who to spend our free time with. Shouldn’t we also choose to do business with good people whenever we can?

How to Do Business With Good People

It can be a jungle out there, but in most cases, it doesn’t take long to figure out if someone has your best interest at heart or if they’re just trying to get what they can from you.

If you’re having difficult judging the character of a potential business acquaintance, ask yourself these questions:

1. Are they helping you reach your goals, or are they only focused on their own bottom line?
2. Are they focused on helping others or only themselves?
3. Have they spent time understanding your goals or what you are trying to achieve?
4. Do you have a genuinely good impression of the person based on your interactions, or are there red flags you’re not addressing?

If you know it isn’t right, don’t make the deal—and if you’re regretting a previous partnership or agreement, look for opportunities to form more meaningful connections elsewhere, and move on when you can.

Good People Do Honest Work for Honest Pay

Just because someone makes a commission or fee, that doesn’t mean they don’t have your best interest at heart. Anyone providing exceptional service deserves compensation. I don’t run my business without compensation, nor do I expect others to do so.

When you do business with good people, you’re happy to pay for quality. You have a clear understanding of what to expect, when to expect it, and what to do if you’re unsatisfied. The sands won’t keep shifting under your feet. And while you don’t have to be best friends with everyone you conduct your business with, you should at the very least respect one another during all your interactions.

Let’s face it: life is just too short to deal with people with unsavory business practices or ulterior motives.