Making the Platinum Rule Work for You
April 26, 2019
We’ve all heard of the Golden Rule; but in business, The Platinum Rule is even more important.
Dr. Tony Alessandra asserts that The Platinum Rule, “Treat others the way they want to be treated,” recognizes what drives people is varied. You can’t control others, but you can control your actions. By shifting your behavior, you can have more productive relationships with different people.
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Most employees fall into one of four behavioral stereotypes, and your approach for communicating with each of them should be different. Let’s take a look.
Dealing With The Director
Their Primary Focus: Results
Your Goal: Demonstrate Competence and Efficiency
When communicating with someone who is fast paced, decisive, dominant, strong-willed, goal-oriented, and ambitious:
- Prepare your points in advance
- Be brief and to the point
- Stick to business
Avoid:
- Getting into conversational or personal tangents
- Being abstract in requests
Dealing With The Socializer
Their Primary Focus: Interactions
Your Goal: Demonstrate an Interest In What’s Important to Them
When communicating with someone who is charming, enthusiastic, persuasive, magnetic, optimistic, talkative, and political:
- Be friendly and build rapport
- Talk about the big picture more than details
- Keep them focused—they’re easily distracted
Avoid:
- Being all business
- Being curt or cold
Dealing With The Thinker
Their Primary Focus: Data
Your Goal: Demonstrate Preparedness and Thoroughness
When communicating with someone who is neat, compliant, thoughtful, introverted, reserved, and self-controlled:
- Be non-threatening and soft spoken
- Draw out their ideas and opinions—they won’t offer
- Be personable and patient
Avoid:
- Rushing into business and making demands
- Pushing them to move too quickly
Dealing With The Relater
Their Primary Focus: Nurturing Relationships
Your Goal: Demonstrate Warmth and Sincerity
When communicating with someone who is slower-paced, warm, feeling-oriented, steady, modest, and patient:
- Be non-threatening and soft spoken
- Draw out their ideas and opinions—they won’t offer
- Be personable and patient
Avoid:
- Rushing into business and making demands
- Pushing them to move too quickly
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