It’s impossible to spend much time in the business world without running into difficult personality types, so learning to deal with them effectively can make a big difference in your career and business.
In “Dealing with People You Can’t Stand: How to Bring Out the Best in People at their Worst,” authors Rick Kirschner and Rick Brinkman offer responses that can help make difficult people easier to deal with.
With the personality type they call “The Tank” – loud, pushy people – they recommend standing your ground in a cool, professional manner.
With “The Sniper” – people who undermine others publicly or privately – they suggest not getting sucked in and making the person look petty with responses like “how does this help us?”
With “The Know-It-All,” prepare to answer any objections and know where the holes are in your presentation.
With “Mr. Yes,” who never says no but never delivers, get him to summarize his commitment and commit to a timetable.
And for whiners, they suggest asking them what they want and coming up with action steps to get there.
Adapted from Dealing with Difficult Co-Workers at Baseline Magazine.