I Can't Work With You
Oh god, we've all been through this one at some point in our careers. Dealing with a difficult person. Right? It's a challenge, awkward, and it can get better with a little bit of know-how. Here are my ten rules for dealing with difficult people.
- Be calm, and don't overreact. Be aware of your emotions
- Please step back and try to understand where they are coming from
- If need be, get someone else's perspective
- Let the person know how you feel and where you are coming from
- Try to build a rapport with the person
- Always treat the person with respect
- Focus on what be action up the chain of command
- If at all necessary, ignore the person
- If things are not working out, escalate
- As a last resort, confront, but in a factual and diplomatic way
Take a listen to the podcast, and you'll get some great examples of how I failed before developing these steps.
In the next podcast, I'll tackle how to have difficult conversations.