A fact of life:
There are times when you have to work with argumentative, un-cooperative and downright difficult people. The sort of people who grind your gears and get your blood boiling.
And in a lot of cases you just have to get on with it.
How to do this?
Well, there’s one world in particular which could point us in the right direction. A world full of preeners, primadonnas and prickly personalities where the stakes are sky-high and the only thing that matters is getting results.
That’s right.
I talk of the world of football.
Filled with players like Paul Merson. Who,
during the 2002-03 Premier League season, told his boss Harry Redknapp that he was checking into a recovery clinic and then flew to Barbados on a jolly and came back sporting a tan so caramelised and glowing that even the three blind mice might’ve suspected that “Mers” had not spent his week on the dull and dreary south coast of England.
Redknapp’s reaction?
He said nothing. Merson scored 12 goals that season and his team was promoted to the Premier League.
I call this the “turn a blind eye” approach.
Other approaches are available.
Take manager Tony Adams. During team talks, he’d motivate his strikers by telling them they’d need to score at least four goals because “you can’t rely on our defenders not to concede”.
I daresay this pep talk had an impact on his defenders too.
I call this the “wind ‘em up and watch ‘em go” approach.
You could fill a medium-sized book with similar techniques from
other managers.
Like the “un-thawable snowman” approach of Rafael Benítez to the “huggy and
handsy” approach of Jürgen Klopp.
Of course, the very best managers will combine all these approaches, and many more.
And therein lies the secret to working with difficult people.
It’s not about feeling down in the dumps because you’ve been lumbered with a wally. It’s not about whinging “Why do I have to work with this chump” or wailing “this isn’t fair”.
That’s not
going to help.
Instead, take your ego out of it and look at your situation as objectively as you’d look at the sudoku in your Sunday paper.
Like a puzzle or a game,
it’s a chance to be creative, try things and have some fun.
A chance to adapt and change your approach based on the person you’re working with, your relationship with them and the situation you’re facing.
Perhaps even a chance to learn something new.
Okay. Enough said for today.
If you have a challenge at work, 1 on 1 coaching could help.
Here’s the link if you want to find the back of the net for yourself:
https://calendly.com/followingfulfilment
- Tom