PeopleSmart in Business eBook - The Platinum Rule

to stand further away from you, even when shaking hands. Th ey have
a strong sense of personal space and territory, so make sure you don’t
take anything from their desks. At home they might set traps with a
rug or a sofa cushion to see if someone used them when they weren’t
supposed to. You know—the tiny fold in the rug or the perfectly
aligned pillow on the couch. “You sat on that couch today, didn’t you?
I asked you not to go in my room when I’m not there. I have proof that
someone walked on that rug and sat on that couch.”
Guarded people show little facial expression, use controlled or limited
hand and body movement, and adhere to a more time-disciplined
agenda. Th ey push for facts and details, focus on the issues and tasks
at hand, and keep their personal feelings private. Th ey don’t touch,
and they tend to respond coolly if anyone touches them. Unlike their
Open counterparts, they give little non-verbal feedback.
By contrast, Guarded types place higher priority on getting things
done. Th ey prefer working with things or through people—rather
than with or for them. “I can’t talk now, Frank. I have a two o’clock
deadline to meet,” or “I’ll let you know when I have time to do that,”
are characteristic comments of this pattern.
Guarded people like structure, since they expect results within that
structured environment. When negatively motivated, these types of
individuals can be viewed as coercive, restrictive, or overbearing. Th ey
prefer to stick with the agenda, at least their own. As more naturally
independent workers, they need to control the conditions around
their tasks—either in terms of input and output (Directness) or the
process itself (Indirectness). Th ese more self-contained people make
use of either key talent or key procedures to meet their goals. Th us,
they view the planning and supervision processes as ways of reaching
goals. Th e Direct individuals need to control people while the Indirect
types need to control their environment.
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