Dealing with Difficult People-Bad Bosses
For more on this subject and other great articles in this issue:
Leading Edge – Volume 43 – Difficult People: Bad Bosses
Tag: difficult people
Leading Edge – Volume 42 – Difficult People: Customers and Team Members
Dealing with Difficult People-Customers and Team Members
For more on this subject and other great articles in this issue:
Leading Edge – Volume 41 – Difficult People: Responding
Dealing with Difficult People-Responding
For more on this subject and other great articles in this issue:
Leading Edge – Volume 39 – Difficult People: Apologies
Dealing with Difficult People-Apologies
A sincere apology offered to a difficult person can go a long way in helping ease the situation and win them over. At a minimum we need to apologize for what they are feeling and an apology is not an admission of wrongdoing.
- Offering an apology does not imply wrongdoing or error
- An apology is a powerful statement of empathy
- At a minimum, offer an apology for the emotion of the difficult person
- Own the situation by using first person pronouns
- Remember, this is not about you but about diffusing the difficult person
Leading Edge – Volume 38 – Difficult People: Empathy
Dealing with Difficult People-Empathy
Genuine and sincere empathy, either situational or emotional, will go a great way to diffuse a difficult person. Always listen for queues in which you can provide empathy and never compare to any situation you have experienced. Also add the use of the person’s name during this step.
- After Listening, We Must Apply Empathy and Understanding to Difficult People
- Empathy is Relating to People Either Situationally or Emotionally
- Situational Empathy is You Have Experienced the Same Thing
- Emotional Empathy is You Have Experienced the Emotion
And never, ever, use comparative empathy when you directly compare someone’s experience to yours. A real empathy killer.
Leading Edge – Volume 37 – Difficult People: Listening
Dealing with Difficult People-Listening
The first, and most important step, in dealing with difficult people is to listen to them. Complete and uninterrupted listening is needed to remove the emotionalism and allow you the space to provide solutions later. Creating boundaries is also needed to keep the interactions civil and acceptable.
- Listening is a Critical Element of Dealing with Difficult People
- Listening Must be Focused and Uninterrupted
- Avoid Jumping In to Fix
- Keep Boundaries and Don’t Accept Abuse in Listening
- Sometimes Listening is All That is Required