Manipulative behaviors include threatening you, flattering you, making you feel guilty, or putting you down. Some manipulators display confusing behavior by alternating between being overly affectionate and charming and then being cold or angry. Manipulators thrive on getting others to unknowingly act out the manipulators’ agenda. Being able to recognize manipulators in the workplace is vital to your career and your reputation.
Manipulative people are generally subtle. When behaviors are hidden — as they are with most manipulators — you know something is wrong, but you can’t pinpoint it. And, if you don’t know what’s really going on, it can…
You’ll often just have to put up with difficult people. But it’s appropriate and imperative to deal with winners, complainers, and blamers when their behavior is negatively affecting your work or the productivity of your team.
Your most important resources are the people you work with. So when the negative behavior of difficult coworkers impacts your productivity, you’ll have to take action. Difficult people don’t change their behavior overnight. They don’t change because you’ve confronted or shunned them, or just because you’ve told them to. …
Everyone makes mistakes. In fact, human error can occur in an almost infinite number of ways. But at work, individuals who are experienced and knowledgeable are expected to anticipate negative outcomes and avoid them. When workplace errors inevitably occur, employees have two choices: accept responsibility or play the “blame game.”
Blamers share a common characteristic — they find it easier to attack a person or situation than to tackle a problem. But there isn’t just one type of person who becomes a blamer.
A number of different causes can cause blaming behavior. Some people consider it a sign of weakness…
People with passive-aggressive personalities typically come across as quiet and shy. Additionally, you’ll notice they’re always nice, never defend themselves, and don’t assert themselves.
You can also recognize passive-aggressive people by other common behaviors:
Passive-aggressive personality types want to be understood as nice, agreeable, and helpful, and they work very hard to project this image. The key to the behavior of passive-aggressive people is their…
It’s important to remember that everyone — even you — can be negative from time to time. But when negative behaviors begin to cause harm to others or derail productivity, it’s time to take action.
Negativity can have a detrimental effect on individuals, teams, and organizations. It reduces productivity damages relationships affects morale
Difficult people often have specific behavioral traits that make them identifiable and, in some ways, predictable. By recognizing and categorizing negative behavior, you can take steps to deal with it. Three very common behavior types express negativity in the workplace: whiners, complainers, and blamers.
The first common…
You will likely face hostile-aggressive behavior at work. You may think ignoring it is a viable option, but this is unrealistic. Also, dealing with hostile-aggressive behavior provides benefits you’ll want to take advantage of:
It would be great if there was one easy answer when it comes to dealing with difficult people. But there isn’t. You’ll need to deal with each difficult person you encounter individually.
Sometimes, a difficult person has traits from multiple types of difficult behavior. For example, someone may exhibit traits of a negative person, but at times also be aggressive or manipulative. But you don’t need to feel overwhelmed by all the combinations of behavior you might encounter. Even though the answers for each difficult person’s behavior are different, the methods of finding those answers are the same.
One thing…
When a person acts disruptively in the workplace, coworkers are often quick to label that person as difficult.
But in most cases, it’s not people that are difficult, but rather their behavior. People will often use difficult behavior if, in the past, it’s helped them get what they want or need. It’s easier to understand difficult people if you can identify the reasons behind their behavior.
The difficult people in your office probably don’t think they’re difficult. In fact, they probably think you’re the difficult one. After all, you’re what’s standing between them and what they want. But if you…
What is it that makes “right” right? Over the centuries, civilization’s greatest thinkers have tried to answer this question. None have come up with an explanation that satisfies everyone. People’s ideas about what the right solution to an ethical problem often depends on their perspectives.
You may have responded with one or more of the common perspectives most people use to decide what’s right or wrong. These four commonly used perspectives are utility, rights, fairness, and relationships.
The first way to judge whether an action is right or wrong is to examine its utility, or usefulness. …
Difficult people cause all kinds of problems in the workplace and make life miserable for their coworkers. For example, a person who misses deadlines can cause coworkers who are forced to pick up the slack to become resentful. A person who constantly complains can lower morale in the workplace. Being able to deal with a difficult person is a skill that can serve you well in the workplace and can help you avoid or overcome awkward situations.
If you can identify what types of difficult people you’re dealing with, you can better determine what motivates them to behave the way…
A consultant, trainer and author specialized in management, corrections and industrial relations