There is probably no simple explanation for why some individuals are challenging to work with. As diverse as the individuals are, so are the causes. We are all unique, so it’s sometimes surprising that we get along so well.
Let’s concentrate on what we can control, which is our responses, rather than trying to understand why some individuals can be so challenging. Let’s examine 10 professional strategies for handling challenging individuals.
Use kindness a lot
See, We understand. The automatic response when interacting with difficult individuals is to be difficult yourself. Your first instinct is to protect yourself if you feel like someone is assaulting you. I’ve been there and, if I don’t calm down and take a break, I still find myself caught up in that.
In almost every challenging circumstance, I have discovered that compassion goes a lot further than being challenging. When two individuals are being difficult to each other, the situation frequently worsens until it becomes impossible to resolve.
On the other hand, when you repeatedly show kindness to a challenging individual, the circumstance becomes less tense and you end up with more of what you want.
Find common ground
Have you ever observed how striking up a conversation with someone for the first time can be facilitated by discovering a point of commonality? We all enjoy having a sense of community and belonging. This is a fantastic professional strategy to use when dealing with challenging individuals, and you should keep it in mind.
Finding out that we attended the same institution as someone always makes us feel more connected. The two of my girls are now teenagers, but when I learned that my daughters attended the same school as their children, I used to sense a connection with them as parents.
Stay calm
Have you ever gotten an email from a coworker that made you instantly angry? More times than I care to recall, this has occurred to me.
It can be frustrating to collaborate on a project with a challenging individual. If you have got an email from a complex individual whose only goal seems to be making things more complex and confusing during my less opportune moments. When I don’t take a moment to think before replying, what typically happens is that I send an email that will only make matters worse.
