“I can’t work with someone like that!”
How many times have we heard ourselves or others say this?
I heard it again just yesterday. And guess who’s the one who’s miserable in the relationship? (hint it’s not ‘them’)
As managers, we have to work with all types of professionals.
Stubborn ones.
Negative ones.
Self-focused ones.
Arrogant ones.
Passive aggressive ones.
When we say ‘yes’ to becoming a leader, we say ‘yes’ to working with all types.
Who says that certain types of people and/or behaviors are not included on the list?
When we say ‘no’ to one type of person, we remove ourselves from managing, coaching and leading them.
When we remove ourselves. We aren’t effective.
I’ve always believed that the reason we have managers is to ensure the success of the organization’s goals, through the maximization of human resources.
Our job, isn’t to change WHO people are, but to hold ourselves and others accountable for WHAT we produce and HOW we produce it.
The next time you (or someone you work with) entertains “I can’t work with someone like that!” consider the following questions:
- Why not?
- Who says you shouldn’t have to?
- Why do you care how THEY show up in the world?
- What do you make their behavior mean?
- What if their behavior had nothing to do with you?
- How does believing you can’t work with them, impact HOW you work with them?
Our beliefs about other people CHANGE WHO WE ARE, not the other way around.
You CAN work with anyone. You CAN hold anyone accountable for their behavior and performance. But if you’re too busy concerned with who they should or shouldn’t be, you aren’t focused on the very thing you actually are there to manage. Results.
Have you signed up for How to Deal with a Difficult Person at Work yet? It’s a GREAT program for individuals and teams to go through. We all deal with difficult people and most of us don’t do so very effectively. If you know this could benefit your team members, talk to me about a group pricing option to put several of your colleagues or employees at the same time!
When we focus on difficult people and how we wish they would change, we actually thwart performance and our own success. Learn how to stay focused on your own goals and performance so you (and your team) get exceptional results!
