PeopleSmart in Business eBook - The Platinum Rule

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Five: On the Job
In business, Cautious Th inkers are practical and realistic. Th ey seek
neither utopias nor quick fi xes. Because of their low risk-taking tendencies,
they may overplan when change becomes inevitable. Th ey
like working in those existing circumstances which promote quality
in products or services. When possible, they prepare ahead of time
for their projects and then work diligently to perfect them to the
nth degree. Th eir thorough preparation is designed to minimize the
probability of errors. Th ey prefer fi nishing tasks before or on schedule
without mistakes caused by last minute rushing and inadequate
checking or review.
Cautious Th inkers rank second only to Steady Relaters in their pursuit
of logic. Th ey rely on reasoning to avoid mistakes, so they tend to
check, recheck, and check again. But they may become mired down
with data collection. Amassing facts and specifi cs, they are uncomfortable
with giving opinions or partial information until they’ve
exhausted all their resources. Th is can frustrate people who want to
know what’s going on now, the types with faster paces. Additionally,
all that checking can result in a disruption of the workfl ow.
Th ey can benefi t from checking only the critical things rather than
everything. Th is procedure allows them to sort out and control the
important details, and still get things done well. Th ey can hold onto
their high standards without becoming bogged down in relatively
trivial business details. Cautious Th inkers need to learn to accept that
perfection is an impossible quest, worth the eff ort in some instances,
but not in others.
Cautious Thinkers prefer the “right” way
When airline pilots prepare to fl y a commercial plane, they have a
checklist of safety points before take-off . Cautious Th inker pilots have
been found to focus far more on the most critical factors, using the remaining
time to review the less crucial ones. In their typical Cautious