PeopleSmart in Business eBook - The Platinum Rule

Lower versatility individuals
Teenager: “I hate school. It’s always the same old thing, day aft er day
and year aft er year. About the only really good thing about it is I get a
chance to meet a lot of people and get invited to a lot of great parties
and things. In that way it’s a lot better than just sitting around. But I
don’t really see how a lot of the stuff they try to teach us is really going
to apply to what I do. Aft er all, I have a part-time job at a local store
and I don’t really need hardly anything they teach me to get the things
done that they expect of me. So, what’s the point?”
Manager: “You know, one of the problems with people nowadays is
that they expect a lot more than people did in the good old days. Back
then, people just came to work and did what they were told. Even customers
were satisfi ed with what they got as long as it worked and the
price was fair. But now the whole world seems to have turned upside
down. As a manager, I’ve got to also deal with a lot of other things that
I didn’t before. One of the most diffi cult is knowing how to deal with
all of these diff erent expectations which have dramatically changed
the nature of the business we’re in and how I have to do my job—handling
all these people and their concerns. I just do the best I can at this
point and try not to make too many waves, but it’s confusing. I can’t
say I’m real clear as to what’s expected of me nowadays, let alone how
to do these things.”
Th ese comparisons indicate that you do not have to be a prisoner of
your own behavioral tendencies and patterns. Instead, by increasing
your personal fl exibility and versatility, you can gain personal success
and eff ectiveness by managing yourself, your relationships, and the
situations you encounter. You are in charge of whether you choose to
be a person with higher or lower fl exibility and versatility.
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