Getting along well with others can be your key to success and job security. Even if you are the best skilled person, your inability to get along with others can hurt you.
People, by nature, can be difficult to deal with. If we get annoyed with our friends and loved ones, it’s no shocker that our co-workers can drive us crazy too. However, our ability to be professional and not drawn into the conflict is paramount if we want to keep our jobs.
Several years ago, I worked in a small organization that had one difficult person who derailed all of us with his annoying behavior. For almost 3 years this person’s influence affected our work, morale, and sanity. Productivity declined as we had to work around this person to avoid conflict and annoyance. Eventually, he opted to move on just before the boss got up the nerve to fire him. One person’s difficult behavior can severely hamper an organization’s effectiveness. I wonder how much money this person directly or indirectly costed us?
Let me translate this for you: If you’re an annoying person, (and you should know it if you are), GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER! Either you’re going to ruin your career or take the organization down with you!
Now, for the rest of us. We need to avoid being that difficult person. Take a look at your attitude and work behavior. If people seem to avoid you or if hate and discontent seem to follow you, there’s a good chance you’re that difficult person. FIX YOURSELF NOW!
If you’re having trouble dealing with those difficult people, it might be a good idea to develop a strategy to cope. If not, you may find yourself dragged down with them. Here are your choices:
- Stay, Listen, and Do Nothing – This is where many of us choose to stay. Often, it’s easier to tolerate than confront. If you choose this though, don’t whine about the difficult person.
- Walk Away – If the situation is irresolvable, we may have no choice but to walk away. Realize though that walking away is a temporary solution, and the real problem will resurface eventually.
- Work on Changing OUR Attitudes – If the difficult people seem to be everywhere, maybe WE need to look at OUR own attitudes. It could be that we have some “blind spots” that we don’t notice, but others do.
- Change OUR Behavior – If we change our behavior, the difficult person will have to readjust to our new behavior – it may end the conflict.
I’m really interested in your job security. Having everyone employed is a priority in a tight economy. While you don’t have control over a lot of things, you do have an opportunity to do all in your power to maintain your job security. This week, think about what you can do to solve problems, make or save money in your organization, and avoid being a difficult person.