9 useful strategies to dealing with difficult people at work
Parent Post
Ever encountered someone who
Ever encountered someone who frustrates you so much that you feel like you want to pull your hair, jump around the room and just scream out loud?
Rather than turning to some drastic decisions each time, equip yourself with the skills to deal with them.
Here are 9 tips for dealing with such people.
Treat the person with
Treat the person with respect
No one likes to be treated as if they are stupid/incapable/incompetent. If you are going to treat the person with disrespect, they’ll treat you the same.
As the golden rule says, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
IgnoreIf you have already
Ignore
If you have already tried everything and the person is still not being receptive, the best way might be to just ignore it.
Get on your daily tasks and interface with the person only where needed. Of course, this isn’t feasible in cases where the person plays a critical role in your work.
Escalate to a higher
Escalate to a higher authority for resolution
When all else fails, escalate to your manager. This is considered the trump card and shouldn’t be used unless you’ve completely exhausted your means.
Be careful not to exercise this option all the time as you wouldn’t want your manager to think that you are incapable of handling your own problems.This is most effective in moving people who just refuse to cooperate otherwise.
Let the person know
Let the person know where you are coming from
Let the person know the intentions behind what you are doing. Sometimes, they are being resistant because they think that you are just being difficult with them.
Letting them in on the reason behind your actions and the full background of what is happening will enable them to empathize with your situation. This lets them get them on board much easier.
Be calmLosing your temper
Be calm
Losing your temper and flaring out at the other person typically isn’t the best way to get him/her to collaborate with you.
Someone who is calm is seen as being in control, centered, and more respectable. When the person you are dealing with sees that you are calm despite whatever he/she is doing, you will start getting their attention.
Build a rapportWith all
Build a rapport
With all the computers, emails and messaging systems, work sometimes turns into a mechanical process.
Re-instil the human touch by connecting with your colleagues on a personal level.
Go out with them for lunch or dinner. Get to know them as people, and not colleagues. Learn more about their hobbies, their family, their lives. Foster strong connections.
Focus on what can
Focus on what can be actioned upon
Sometimes, you may be put into hot soup by your difficult colleagues, such as not receiving a piece of work they promised to give or being wrongly held responsible for something you didn’t do.
Acknowledge that the situation has already occurred. Rather than harping on what you cannot change, focus on the actionable steps you can take to forward yourself in the situation.
Understand the person’s intentionsNo
Understand the person’s intentions
No one is difficult for the sake of being difficult.
Identify the person’s trigger: What is making him/her act in this manner? What is stopping him/her from cooperating with you? How can you help to meet his/her needs and resolve the situation?
Get some perspective from
Get some perspective from others
Your peers must have experienced similar situations in some way or another. They will be able to see things from a different angle and offer a different take on the situation.
Seek them out, share your story and listen to what they have to say. You might find some golden advice amidst the conversation.