| Dealing
with Difficult People…
Every
office has that one difficult person to work with, who
affects productivity due to a bad attitude, chronic
tardiness, or simply drives everyone else up the wall.
Below are a few suggestions for dealing with negative
behavior, whether at work or at home.
Focus
on the facts….Figure out what the heart of the matter
is:
- What
is the primary problem? How does it affect productivity?
- What
have you done about your problem so far?
- List
all the issues affecting you.
- Decide
which issue or who in particular is bothering you
the most.
- Circle
the issue or person's name on your list.
- Focus
on what you circled. List all the things that bother
you.
- Now
pick the problem... If you could only fix one item
on the list, what would you choose?
- Who
is doing what to whom, and how is this behavior a
problem?
Conflict
Management Techniques:
- Do
not offer reasons why someone should change. Simply
tell them what needs to be done. The more you rationalize
the more they will resist. You will be wasting time
and energy.
- In
the face of criticism, take note of what is being
said, read the notes back – instead of actively defending
each point.
- Give
a specific compliment to the other party in a conflict.
("I like the way you presented your report –
your lineup of facts made it easy to follow")
It catches them off-guard and makes him/her less defensive.
- Excuse
yourself for a minute in the midst of a heated discussion
to go to the toilet instead of escalating the argument.
- Hold
back for thirty minutes instead of rushing to fix
a problem for someone else.
Other
tips:
- Keep
an open mind about why the person behaves in such
a manner.
- Be
very specific when analyzing the problem. Make a mental
videotape of the behavior.
- Notice
when it isn't happening. Understand why?
- Time
is valuable…if the problem continues, remove the person.
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