PeopleSmart in Business eBook - The Platinum Rule

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Five: On the Job
others, following tried and true procedures, or a combination of the
two. If these tactics fail, they may quietly do nothing. Doing nothing
may include higher absenteeism; when confl ict and stress increase,
Steady Relater tolerance may decrease.
“Are we ready yet?”
As with any trait, the Steady Relater’s propensity for studying procedures
and doing repetitious tasks can sometimes be taken to an extreme.
For instance, the following anecdote about the Steady Relater
type illustrates this point. Aft er Michelangelo (a Cautious Th inker, our
next type) completed the frescoes on the ceilings of the Sistine Chapel,
the Pope asked him to draw up architectural plans for St. Peter’s Cathedral.
Since Michelangelo had passed his 80th birthday, he drew up
the massive and complex plans in less than two years and then turned
them over to his most promising apprentice—a Steady Relater. Th is
slower moving cohort’s approach to implementing these plans was to
study them step by step, day aft er day, year aft er year, time and again.
Finally—aft er 23 years—he was ready to direct his eff orts to the actual
building of this world famous cathedral.
Service is their business
Steady Relaters tend to gravitate toward relationships that provide
them with security, stability, and large doses of routine; these positions
satisfy some of their rather maternal or paternal needs. While
we know that not all elementary school teachers are Steady Relaters,
this behavioral type is inclined to pursue careers that fi t their natural
desire for repeated group and one-to-one people contact, preference
for sameness, and the opportunity to help or support others. Personally,
we’ve observed many Steady Relater preschool, elementary, and
middle school teachers—especially among those employees reporting
higher levels of job satisfaction.