The adapting / dealing-away orientation

A basic consideration is the desire to have people like and admire you. There is keen interest in being included by others in activities and groups. A person who emphasises this orientation enjoys working with people, finds the challenge of new relationships exciting and knows that once one gets to understand people one can influence them a lot. There is effort spent observing as well as being friendly and sociable. There is the realisation that understanding how a person thinks and feels, what he/she values and what he/she is sensitive to provides important keys to gain acceptance and collaboration. This person has also learned that it is important to keep oneself open to new experiences, to be enthusiastic and willing to experiment, and to be flexible in relating to people. When one approach fails there is the feeling that there are others that can work. Even in failure situations, the belief exists that if one keeps one’s eye open there will be cues that will help to discover more successful ways. There is emphasis on presenting points and ideas with tact and care. Life is viewed as a matter of give and take – this person enjoys negotiating and dealing with people.

He/she believes that it pays to go through life making as many friends as possible – and keeping one’s options open. A friendly and optimistic attitude is valued as a basic asset to achieve success. One tries, whenever possible to communicate positive feelings about others – to be generous in offering compliments and statements of acknowledgement and appreciation for efforts that others have made. Sensitivity to feelings and social amenities is highly valued. Humour and light touches are appreciated and utilised whenever possible.

There is a win-win attitude reflected in conflicts and disagreements. One is attentive to the other person’s viewpoint, acknowledges its value and tries to utilise understanding to provide convincing arguments for one’s own position. Critical and demeaning comments are rarely employed. The major effort is made to be persuasive without antagonising the other person. Humour and other tension-relieving remarks are made to defuse tension and preserve relationships. A willingness to compromise and achieve mutually satisfactory agreements is demonstrated readily. In stress situations there is attentiveness to morale as well as resolving difficulties. Such a person is flexible and open to new ideas, willing to experiment with any approach that could be successful. An optimistic outlook is maintained and communicated to others, both staff and superiors.
 

Typical behaviours:

• expressing appreciation for efforts,
• sensing feelings and acknowledging them,
• expressing empathetic remarks,
• listening to new ideas in a positive way,
• encouraging flexibility and experimentation,
• building harmony and friendly relationships,
• providing information how people are likely to feel if treated in a particular way,
• awareness of customer needs and attitudes,
• willingness to see the other side of the issue,
• negotiating in a positive and win-win way,
• expressing remarks that make people feel good about themselves,
• providing a sense of fun in what is being done,
• expressing and encouraging enthusiasm and optimism,
• willingness to approach changes in a positive manner,
• ability to deal positively with the public and other groups,
• willingness to try something first before accepting or rejecting it, and
• tactful and diplomatic behaviour in dealing with delicate situations.