Leading difficult people is a challenge which is often faced by managers at some point in their careers. Supervising difficult people and managing difficult people is an important skill for every manager to learn. When we say “difficult” people we usually mean people whose behavior or attitude causes difficulties. The person themselves may not be difficult but their behavior is.

Firstly, let us be clear about the sort of person we consider to be “difficult”. The person we are NOT considering is the person who has a real and genuine grievance because they have  been badly treated and who is complaining today because they are right to complain. Those people are completely justified in their complaint. They may not be dealing with the complaint very well but that does not make them a difficult person. Be careful that the person you’ve been asked to “sort out” is not this sort of person.

Do some research before agreeing to take on the task. “Difficult” people are those who are usually, always, continually, habitually and persistently difficult. Why you must deal with difficult people: If there are issues with difficult co-workers, you must address the issues. If left, the situation will not get better and it usually gets much worse. If allowed to continue, the conflict simmers, colleagues become angry and the anger often erupts in a storm. Resolving conflict with employees is very important. Deciding to live with the situation long term is rarely an option. Some behaviors which are considered “difficult” are:

• Bullying
• Negativity
• Hurtful remarks
• Aggressive remarks
• Continual complaining
• Trying to intimidate
• Verbal put-downs
• Dishonesty
• No respect conventional boundaries, 
• Pushy
• Super-critical

Openly ignoring company rules gets immediate attention but you cannot fire somebody for being “difficult” or for having permanent bad hair days. Dealing with Difficult People at work. Some behaviors you may encounter are: People who have a negative attitude, complain constantly, who blame others and don’t take responsibility. People who get too close and seem not to know the accepted social boundaries. They assume you want their advice, even if you have not asked for it or they try to fix people without checking to see if the person thinks they need to be fixed. People who take a contrary view all the time. They oppose new ideas or outside influences without listening, they do not want to consider the facts or other people’s opinions. Angry people who are moody, edgy, hostile, or aggressive (even when they are not really upset about anything in particular). Often this is in conjunction with aloofness (passive-aggressive).

People who are critical in a harsh, tactless or nit-picky ways. Someone who is a perfectionist and makes co-workers feel that nothing is adequate and nobody can do enough. Overly talkative people who want to talk for hours, when colleagues just want to get on with the task. People who seem to go out of their way to avoid confrontation, who prefer to keep things vague. They refuse to make a commitment. People who say “yes” to keep the peace or who do not speak their honest views but actually, they do not agree at all. Bullies who are condescending and treat others like children. It’s more helpful to you and it’s easier to deal with if you think about the unproductive or unacceptable behaviour rather than the “difficult person”. Next, you’ll want to take a look at my article Tips for Managing Difficult People.

Elizabeth Best works internationally. She is a management consultant and trainer with a Master of Science degree in Management and over twenty years practical experience in managing in a variety of business settings.

In Elizabeth’s early career, she personally experienced the challenges faced by today’s new managers and more importantly, she developed the strategies to meet them.

Elizabeth has held senior management positions in business development, training, insurance, retail, health, leisure and education.

She has acted as a mentor and coach to many new managers of all ages. Elizabeth’s articles are used by major websites in areas such as recruitment, career development and public speaking.

Her consultancy work has included assignments in the US, UK, Western Europe, Canada and Australia.

Elizabeth has written more than 45 articles on management topics and she is the author of two e-books - “The Great Start Guide” and “Real Questions Managers Ask”.

Elizabeth and Jack Francis co-founded The New Managers Club which offers managers practical, concise, “how to” information and 5 minute guides called “Need it Now” guides - all based on sound management theory which you can implement NOW.