PeopleSmart in Business eBook - The Platinum Rule

Chapter 1
The Platinum Rule
Personality clash or instant rapport?
In your dealings with others, have you ever experienced a personality
confl ict? (If you haven’t, check to see if you’re still breathing like the rest
of us mortals). No matter how much you may try, your teeth clench and
your adrenaline pumps faster when you’re with this diffi cult character.
Whatever you may want to call the process, you clash. You’re not tuned
in on the same wavelength.
When we clash with someone, we oft en move towards the extreme of
avoiding that person, no matter what. Or the other extreme of telling
him exactly what we think of his unacceptable behavior. Or we may tell
everyone else how distasteful we fi nd him. Or just grit our teeth and tolerate
him. Whatever our initial reaction, we feel uncomfortable because
we have a personality confl ict.
On the other hand, we’ll bet you can think of somebody you liked
immediately. You had instant rapport, immediate chemistry. “Ann is so
down-to-earth, I feel as though I’ve known her for years.” Aft er ten minutes
you felt like you’d known Mr. or Ms. Wonderful for half a lifetime.
Here was a soul mate who clicked with you from word one. Her personality
“felt right” and you also felt good about yourself when you were
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