PeopleSmart in Business eBook - The Platinum Rule

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Four: Creating Personal Power Through Behavioral Adaptability
Lower versatility is characterized by a tendency to be responsive
only to one’s personal preferences or expectations, discounting the
reality of other factors that require consideration. As a result, these
people tend to be more one-dimensional in their behavior. If they
are Open and Direct, for instance, they have diffi culty demonstrating
other behaviors, even when diff erent actions are more appropriate
in a specifi c situation. Additionally, while they tend to be very
adept at fi nding problems and passing them off to other people, they
lack the same skillfulness when it comes to contributing to the solution
of such problems.
Higher versatility individuals
Employee: “One of the things I really like about my job is that every
day is diff erent. I’m always learning something new and have the opportunity
to respond to many types of situations where I can use my
talents as well as develop other ones. In fact, our company gives us
the chance to take a variety of training programs—both in-house and
through continuing education programs—and they reimburse us for
part of the cost. I’m always on the lookout for ones that fi ll in the gaps
for my job and areas where I’d like to get better.”
Homemaker: “I used to work before I had children, but now I really
enjoy being at home. Th ere are a wide variety of tasks and challenges
I face in the job my husband calls chief executive offi cer of our
home. We have three children, and as you might guess, each of them is
quite diff erent. My husband is, too. Th at signifi cantly impacts the way
I organize schedules, and respond to the many little stresses each one
faces, from their own point of view. I also keep an eye on the bigger
picture involving where we were, are, and want to go individually and
as a family. Th at’s sure a full-time job, requiring a lot of diff erent skills
to understand and manage the range of situations which arise.”