PeopleSmart in Business eBook - The Platinum Rule

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Four: Creating Personal Power Through Behavioral Adaptability
Interacting Socializers
Show your energy and liveliness while focusing on the give-and-take
interaction. Make your encounter fun, upbeat and enjoyable!
Creating Personal Power Through Increased Adaptability
A wise person once commented, “A little knowledge can be a dangerous
thing.” In the fi eld of formal education, this quote is sometimes
called the sophomoric syndrome. Th at is, as people begin to
learn about a new topic, they tend to jump to oversimplifi ed and incomplete
conclusions. When that happens, they are oft en less successful
than is possible. But with continuing eff ort, thought, and increased
study, they eventually graduate to a higher level of excellence.
In terms of adaptability, this means it is essential for us to understand
the following principles:
1. Adaptability is not a goal in and of itself, but a means to the end of
increased personal eff ectiveness and success.
2. A key to eff ectiveness is to realize what level and type of adaptability
component(s) are the critical factors in achieving a targeted goal.
Examples:
“Th e key to getting this sale is to be a lot more fl exible than I am
naturally with this type of strong-willed person.”
“If I don’t lower my already high tendency to be overly fl exible and
accommodating, I’m likely to continue giving away the store. Conditions
have changed and I can’t aff ord to do that any longer because it
confl icts with the results I’m looking for.”
3. Being adaptable also means assessing the other available resources
that can allow you to get your desired outcomes by acting smarter.