Pincus - Managing Difficult People: a Survival Guide for Handling Any Employee

MANAGING DIFFICULT PEOPLE is challenging, but it can be done!

Some people are a joy to work with and others are not. This is hardly an original observation. As a manager, however, you can't stand idly by and watch as difficult people disrupt your work environment, because it never favors business success. Quite the contrary is true. The antics difficult people pull are often enough to anger even the saints among us. Customers, clients, company executives, coworkers, vendors anyone and everyone is a potential target for abuse. And abuse is not too strong a word.

So what makes problem employees think it's okay to behave in such destructive ways? After all, these people are collecting paychecks from the company, and you would think they would perform admirably, if for no other reason than to ensure their job security and keep those paychecks coming.

Many managers have pondered the motivations of difficult employees, and you'll find some explanations in the pages of this book. More importantly, though, you'll discover tips, strategies, and techniques for coping with difficult people, whether you can figure out their motivations or not.

You might be surprised to discover that some difficult people actually think their managers are the difficult ones. Who, me? you ask. Nonsense. You might not realize you're being difficult, but virtually all the collected wisdom on the subject says this is likely. Remember, angry words and disruptive maneuvers only beget more of the same.

When a difficult person confronts a manager, often, the manager unknowingly becomes defensive. Let's say, for example, that a disgruntled employee storms into his manager's office and shouts, Executives in this company don't care about people, they only care about money.

His manager might respond with something like:We don't run this company for fun, we run it for profit. If we didn't, you and I wouldn't be here. As this exchange continues, voices rise and it's likely that blood pressures rise, too. Tension mounts, and round and round these two go. As the situation escalates, both manager and employee spout comments they'd never think of uttering under normal conditions. Each one considers the other insensitive, inflexible, stubborn, or worse. Voila the manager earns a reputation for being a difficult person!

Now back up for a moment, to the point when the angry employee shouts, Executives in this company don't care about people, they only care about money! Things wouldn't spiral out of control if, instead of getting defensive, you as the manager say in a moderate tone of voice, Jim, let's step into my office. We'll sit down together and you can tell me what makes you think so.

When you respond in such a manner, you're the one in control. You're a skilled communicator who knows how to deal with an employee like Jim. The customers listening to this exchange admire your response. Your response now stands in strong contrast to Jim's angry outburst and eviscerates his credibility.

This little book combines the best of what is already known about managing difficult people with practical, do-it-now strategies you'll use to get desired results. Practical strategies exist because people have basic needs and their responses to perceived challenges are predictable.

You'll need to customize some of your actions and responses to address the specific idiosyncrasies of particular employees. To help you zero in on particular issues and determine appropriate solutions, ten different types of difficult people are scrutinized in this book. These include:

1. The Bully
2. The Complainer or Whiner
3. The Procrastinator
4. The Know-It-All
5. The Silent Type
6. The Social Butterfly
7. The No People Skills Person
8. The Rookie
9. The Overly Sensitive Person
10. The Manipulator

Right now, you might be wrestling with challenges that one or more of these employee types presents. Entire chapters are devoted to each one, so if you recognize any of your employees in these descriptions, turn to the appropriate chapter to confirm your suspicions. If, for instance, you think that Jim is a complainer and whiner, then read that section and discover how to deal with him.

Have you considered that maybe Jim isn't a go to person? Or did you know that any expertise he possesses (computer operations, for instance) might be underutilized because coworkers and colleagues typically give a whiner a wide berth?

In addition to honing razor-sharp communication skills that will enable you to prevent or manage Jim's outbursts, you'll know more about what to expect and not expect from this sort of employee. It's a little like having a crystal ball at your disposal: You can see into the future. Consider the possibilities!

This is just one example of the valuable insights you'll gain by examining the various types of difficult employees and the problems they present. Managing Difficult People is laced with so much valuable information, it might be the last managing difficult people book you'll ever need to read.