PeopleSmart in Business eBook - The Platinum Rule

direct action for fast results. When under stress, they lashed out and
forcefully took charge in diff ering ways. All can be described as either
strong, hard to budge, or both.
Generals George Patton and Napoleon Bonaparte, two Dominant
Director military leaders, depict this “Go for the gusto!” “No guts, no
glory!” perspective of their type. In battle, Dominant Director mottos
translate to Charge! or Follow me! but not necessarily in that order.
When taken to the extreme, Dominant Directors may, at times, seem
to live by the watchwords, “Ready! Fire! Aim!” because they tend to
naturally plunge in without a lot of risk-assessing forethought.
They may not be too busy for that, after all
Sometimes others may interpret the Dominant Director’s hustle and
impatience as, “Don’t interrupt me. I’m busy.” Ironically, when this
happens, the Dominant Director may sabotage the very control that
he desires. If co-workers and employees perceive him as swamped
with too much work, they may hesitate to disturb or delay him. So the
Dominant Director may know less about what’s happening than he
would if he had made himself more accessible.
Risk-taking excites Dominant Directors.
Dominant Directors don’t feel as bound by conventional practices as
the other types. “Th at’s for other people, not me.” Th e higher authority
they prefer to answer to is themselves; they sense a need to be their
own boss so they can have control over the results they want. Opportunities
for change are sought or created just to satisfy their need for
results. Th ey gravitate toward high-risk situations because the excitement
of challenges fuels their actions.
They may combine pleasure with business
Dominant Director Dan decided to give his employees a special surprise
for Christmas—a combined business/pleasure trip to Honolulu.
97