Everyone has a bad day now and then. If you are not careful, those bad days can become the norm rather than the exception for your small business. Without a positive attitude among everyone involved - including your own - a business can suffer.

Employees with poor attitudes can affect customers and discourage other workers from doing their best. Customers can sense when a person helping them is indifferent about his work and may wonder if it extends throughout the company.

When examining employee attitudes, start with your own. Respect your employees' dignity. Let them know they are important to you and your business and that high performance will be rewarded.

Help employees identify realistic approaches, which will make them fulfilled by their jobs. When an employee does not perform up to standards or makes a mistake, meet with him in private and discuss the issue.

Include your employees as team members. Ask for their suggestions and respect their ideas, even if you do not always agree with them. When you implement one of their ideas, remember to give the employee credit.

Stephen L. Rosenstein is co-chairman of Greater Baltimore, SCORE Chapter No. 3. Call 410-962-2233 to speak to a SCORE counselor or visit www.scorebaltimore.org To send a question to SCORE representatives, e-mail smallbiz@baltsun.com