More on Difficult People at Work
Leaders must guide everyone in their group. But, not every member needs the same type of leadership.
About 20% of the individuals you lead will require 80% of your attention. That 20% falls into about 7 major groupings. In this series I want to provide you with some easy to employ nudges that will help keep your group working together smoothly.
Let’s take a look at who the “difficult people” are.
The difficult person is…
- different than me
- in need of my guidance
- getting their own way
- not impressed by me
- in disagreement with or doesn’t listen to me
- in disagreement with someone I agree with
- unable to see themselves as difficult
- less difficult when the group has momentum
- less difficult when in smaller less formal groups
- less difficult when issue are not personalized
- less difficult when levity is introduced
- less difficult when clear authority boundaries are well known
- often receptive to guiding touches
- effective when provided clarity of tasks
- effective when given good lead time
- less difficult when team members don’t create obstructions
- responsive to encouragement
- productive when healthy and calm
- less difficult once a relationship is established
- less difficult when time has created a personal connection
Rather eye opening, don’t you think?
Still, there are circumstances in which people seek to meet their needs in ways that detract from the success of the group. Throughout this series I will provide you some nudges to shepard these folks back on to their path.
The difficult postures people usually assume fall into the following categories: showing off, hiding from challenges, temper outbursts, micro-managing, lack of focus, lack of active interest and irresponsible interaction.