Tip Tuesday

10 Tips for Dealing With Difficult People at Work

Difficult coworkers. In every workplace, you will have difficult coworkers. Dealing with difficult coworkers, bosses, customers, clients, and friends is an art worth perfecting. Dealing with difficult situations at work is challenging, yet rewarding. You can increase your skill at dealing with the difficult people who surround you in your work world. These tips will help you in dealing with difficult people at work.

 

1. Rise Above the Fray: Dealing With Difficult People at Work

Difficult people do exist at work. Difficult people come in every variety and no workplace is without them. How difficult a person is for you to deal with depends on your self-esteem, your self-confidence and your professional courage. Dealing with difficult people is easier when the person is just generally obnoxious or when the behavior affects more than one person. Dealing with difficult people is much tougher when they are attacking you or undermining your professional contribution.

2. How to Deal With a Bully at Work

Think you work with a bully? Do you regularly feel intimidated, dread to work anywhere near a particular coworker, or you’re yelled at, insulted, and put down? Does a coworker talk over you at meetings, criticize your performance, or steal credit for your work? If you answer yes to these questions, chances are good that you’re one of 54 million Americans, who have been attacked by a bully at work. Learn about dealing with difficult people at work.

 

3. How to Deal With a Negative Coworker

Some people exude negativity. They don’t like their jobs or they don’t like their company. Their bosses are always jerks and they are always treated unfairly. The company is always going down the tube and customers are worthless. You know these negative Neds and Nellies – every organization has some. Here are tips for dealing with difficult, negative coworkers.

 

4. Overcome Your Fear of Confrontation and Conflict

Meaningful confrontation is never easy but conflict is often necessary if you want to stick up for your rights at work. Whether the confrontation is over shared credit, irritating coworker habits and approaches, or about how to keep a project on track, sometimes you need to hold a confrontation with a coworker. The good news is that while confrontation is almost never your first choice, you can become better and more comfortable with necessary conflict. Find out how dealing with difficult conflicts at work is easier and more positive with these steps.

 

5. Play Well With Others: Develop Effective Work Relationships

You can submarine your job and career by the relationships you form at work. No matter your education, experience, or title, if you can't play well with others, you won't succeed. Effective relationships create success and satisfaction on the job. Learn more about seven effective work relationship musts. Combat dealing with difficult people with these work relationship musts.

 

6. How to Hold a Difficult Conversation 

Have you encountered any of these examples of dealing with difficult people at work? They're just samples of the types of behavior that cry out for responsible feedback. These steps will help you hold difficult conversations when people need professional feedback. Dealing with a difficult conversation can have positive outcomes.

 

7. What Coworker Behavior Drives You Crazy?

Most people have pet peeves about their coworkers. And, why not? Even relatively sane and likeable people do things that can drive their coworkers to distraction. Vote in my poll about what coworker behavior drives you crazy. Share your tips for dealing with difficult coworkers. Or, share your coworker's behavior that lights your fuse.

 

8. Dealing With Difficult Bosses

Nothing is more destructive in the workplace than difficult bosses. Every employee has a series of bosses over their working career. Hopefully, most of your bosses are competent, kind, and even, worthy of your trust and respect. Unfortunately, too often, employees have difficult bosses who impact their desire to engage and contribute at work. Learn how dealing with difficult bosses is a skill you can develop.

9. Team Building With Coworkers

You want to be well known and liked among the people the company regards as super stars, allies who have power and will speak up for you. (In fact, you can achieve job security if you are viewed as a super star.) Building alliances at work is smart, effective for developing positive coworker relationships, and crucial for dealing with difficult or destructive coworker behavior in the workplace.

 

10. How to Manage Gossip

Gossip is rampant in most workplaces. Sometimes, it seems as if people have nothing better to do than gossip about each other. They gossip about the company, their coworkers, and their managers. They frequently take a partial truth and turn it into a whole speculative truth. Dealing with difficult situations involving gossip occurs in every workplace. Find out how dealing with difficult gossip is a must-do and a can-do. Obliterate gossip from your work place.

 

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Tip Tuesday

How to Deal With Favoritism at Work

 

Favoritism at work, whether real or perceived, can throw a wrench in team development and damage team and company morale. In most instances, favoritism results from poor management skills, such as the inability to relate to employees or a lack of interaction with all team members. Learning how to deal with favoritism in the workplace can help you deal with adversity and meet challenges head-on along your career path.

Instructions

1 - Take note of the situation. Consider if the favoritism is perceived or real. For instance, some workers may appear to receive preferential treatment at work; however, those in charge may simply see them as weak in certain areas and in need of additional help or guidance.

 

2 - Try to relate to the parties involved in the favoritism. If possible, get close to the situation, observe the relationship and find a way to connect to those involved. This will help reduce any feelings related to being on the outside of the relationship and will also help bring your skills and talents to management's attention.

3 - Build relationships with a diverse group of people, including employees and supervisors in other departments. Take part in company outings and attend company-sponsored trainings and team-building programs. Making your work and dedication known to others within the organization is the goal of branching out and networking within the company.

4 - Strive for excellence. Set your own goals and consistently challenge yourself to meet, or even exceed, them. Keep working toward your goals and eliminate the need to rely on your supervisor's friendship. Let your behavior, actions and habits related to your job performance speak for themselves and help propel you forward in the organization.

5 - Speak with human resources or a trusted manager when blatant favoritism occurs. Voice your concerns and provide any information relevant to the situation, such as a personal account of specific events. When voicing a complaint or concern, keep the conversation focused on specific examples and refrain from attacking anyone. Ask for advice on handling the situation while human resources personnel or management investigate the claims.

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Making It Big Monday

How to Deal with a Difficult or Bullying Boss

We've all had bosses who are difficult to deal with. Bosses who are inconsistent or unprofessional, bosses who put you in a no-win situation, backstabbing bosses, or bosses who are downright bullies. Here are four strategies to use to deal with your difficult boss.

1. Be Proactive. In all likelihood, you are frustrated with your difficult boss because he or she consistently displays bad behavior. It is the pattern of bad behavior that drives you crazy (or in some cases, the boss's inconsistent behavior, as in you-never-know-what-you're-going-to-get). The best way to deal with a difficult boss is to have a plan of action in place.
As one client told me, "When the boss calls an ‘emergency' staff meeting, we usually know that she is going to go off on us. She'll either rant and rave or give us the icy and disgusted treatment. But sometimes she's fine, but we always feel like we are walking into a trap."
The key is to anticipate the boss's bad behavior. Have an action plan ready. If the boss behaves badly, put your plan into action. If the boss is on his/her best behavior, reinforce the good behavior ("Nice meeting." "Thanks!").
Be proactive by approaching the situation with a positive mental attitude. Display confidence and stay poised. If your boss is a bully, this will show that you are not intimidated by the bullying behavior.

2. Be Prepared. You likely know the difficult boss's pattern of bad behavior, so anticipate and prepare your responses beforehand. Write them on index cards, and practice delivering them.
"Boss, when you do that, it isn't motivating me..." or "...it only makes us feel like you don't value our work..." or stronger statements, such as "That kind of behavior is unacceptable."
You also should anticipate the bad boss's comeback, and have your response or action plan in place. If the boss begins to rant and rave, you can leave and say, "I'll come back when you are calmed down and civil." Think of it as a chess match, and be prepared several "moves" in advance.
You will also need to be prepared for the fallout of standing up to a difficult or bullying boss. The boss might single you out for even worse treatment or might sanction or fire you. That is why it is important to think things through beforehand. What are you willing to do? What are your options? Can you deal with the possible worst outcomes?

3. Be Professional. This is critically important. Always take the high road. Follow proper procedures for registering complaints with Human Resources, or higher-level superiors. Maintain a calm and professional demeanor in dealing with your difficult boss, and don't get into a shouting match or let your emotions get out of hand. Don't resort to name-calling or rumor-mongering, but be straightforward and professional.

4. Be Persistent. It isn't likely that your difficult boss situation will change overnight, so be prepared for the long haul. Moreover, be persistent in calling out your boss's bad behavior, and putting your plan into action. Your coworkers might follow your lead and start to stand up to the difficult boss as well (although you should be prepared for the boss to try to turn them against you, or for your coworkers' possible lack of support). The key is to not let your boss get away with continuing his/her bad behavior.

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