In almost any workplace, there will be individuals whose personality, behavior, attitude or work habits pose an occasional or frequent challenge to those around them.
Learning how to manage difficult people is an essential soft skills asset for leaders and managers. This workshop equips participants with the techniques to identify problem behaviors, reduce stress, boost morale, and boost productivity.
1. Remain Calm
When dealing with someone who is consistently difficult, remember that they may not mean to hurt or anger you. They could just be going through a tough time or have an underlying issue they need help addressing.
In such circumstances, it’s often better to remain calm than act out or become defensive. Doing so will help you solve the issue faster and prevent it from getting worse in the future.
One of the best ways to stay calm is to think before you speak. Even taking 10 seconds extra to consider what you want to say can make a huge difference in how you respond in certain circumstances.
Another helpful tip is to visualize something positive before responding. Doing this will help you remain confident and strong when communicating with the person causing you stress when communicating.
Maintaining calm can make it easier to manage your emotions. This is particularly beneficial if someone in your life consistently causes you stress and disrupts your wellbeing.
Next time you find yourself in a stressful situation, try counting to ten or visualizing something calm. Doing this can help keep your cool, reduce tension and be more productive.
Many people with difficult personalities are unaware that their behaviors cause problems. They may have mental health issues, substance abuse issues or other emotional difficulties but are unaware of the detrimental effects it has on them.
If you struggle to remain calm, try spending more time with positive people. This will help build up your energy reserves and make dealing with difficult people in life who drain you of vitality much easier.
When dealing with a difficult boss, family member or friend, it is essential to remain calm and controlled in order to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control. By following the tips in this article, you will be able to manage these people more effectively and develop healthier relationships in the future.
2. Let Them Know How You Feel
When dealing with difficult people, it’s essential to let them know your feelings. Doing this will enable them to understand why your response to their behavior may differ than expected.
Additionally, this will encourage them to listen more attentively, making the situation simpler to manage. Furthermore, it prevents you from getting too angry and allowing things to escalate out of hand.
In addition to conveying your emotions, it’s wise to also let them know your limits. Difficult people often think they can get away with more than they should, so setting boundaries on their behavior will help maintain control.
Establish boundaries early in the conversation and be willing to enforce them if someone attempts to violate them. Doing this can help reduce conflict between you and a difficult friend or coworker.
Though you may feel the urge to agree with everything they say, do not waste your time or energy doing so. Difficult people often are unwilling to see things from another point of view so it’s best to give them facts and explain why your situation differs from theirs.
After explaining your feelings, it may be beneficial to take a break and walk away. Doing this will give you time to cool off and collect your thoughts before continuing the conversation.
Many people mistakenly assume that smiling when dealing with difficult people is the best approach, but this approach doesn’t always work in the long run. Smiling can be draining and mentally exhausting, which isn’t beneficial for your health or relationships with others.
No one else can change other people’s behaviour, but you can always influence your own. By paying attention to how you react when faced with challenging people, you will gain insight into what triggers your emotions and how best to manage them. With this knowledge, you will be better able to make informed decisions and manage your feelings more efficiently.
3. Don’t React
Reacting when someone triggers you is not the best approach when managing difficult personalities. Instead, take a deep breath, pause or practice mindfulness before responding.
Reacting without thinking can often lead us to strike out at others without realizing it. Unfortunately, this approach may be emotionally draining and detrimental to both of your health and well-being in the long run.
Many people mistakenly think they need to yell at someone in order for them to understand how they feel. However, this is not always the case.
It can be beneficial to examine someone’s behavior from different perspectives. There may be something about their personality or history that is contributing to this behavior.
If you can understand their perspective, this can help to diffuse the situation. For instance, if they’re being critical of you, ask them what the issue is and why. Doing this may disorient them enough that you can find a resolution together.
You can try to put yourself in their shoes for a moment and empathize with what they are feeling. Doing this may help you remain calm and confident even in the face of challenging behaviors from others.
Practice makes perfect, and responding instead of reacting is one of the most successful strategies for dealing with difficult people. Despite its complexity, responding is one of the most useful techniques when managing difficult individuals.
Exercising not reacting is especially useful when dealing with people who tend to be emotionally volatile or irrational. It gives you more control over your feelings and thoughts, enabling you to respond in a proactive way rather than allowing them to dictate your actions.
Though it can be challenging to suppress your reaction reflex, the effort pays off in the long run. By delaying your reactions, you give yourself time to thoughtfully craft an appropriate response that is both more successful and less damaging for those involved.
4. Find a Solution
Though dealing with a difficult employee may be tedious at times, it is essential to find an amicable solution that benefits both parties. Left unresolved, conflicts between people can cost billions of dollars in time and productivity losses as well as significantly reduce morale.
Many times, difficult people have an underlying cause behind their behaviour. You can usually identify this by trying to comprehend their perspective and put yourself in their shoes.
For instance, if your colleague consistently criticizes other people, there may have been a traumatic event in their life that caused them to view the world with a critical eye. Empathy for them will allow you to recognize this and respond in a way that makes them feel better.
An employee who is often gruff and aggressive with coworkers, even when not feeling particularly productive, should be addressed. You can point out how their attitude is interfering with your team’s ability to work well together and attempt to find a resolution that pleases both parties.
Once you’ve identified a solution, it’s essential to follow through with it. This may be difficult if the person with whom you’re struggling is someone you trust and love, but it is necessary in order for both parties to remain healthy and content with each other.
A common strategy is to provide regular feedback, particularly when difficult person’s behaviour causes issues. This should be done in a constructive yet supportive manner so both of you can learn from one another and progress together.
Coaching employees on their strengths and how they can best utilize them in the workplace will make them much more efficient, helping them reach their career objectives faster.
When managing difficult personalities, there are various coaching strategies that will work in different situations and should always be used with the correct intentions. By following these steps, you’ll be able to manage difficult people in a positive and beneficial manner for all parties involved.
