How do you deal with difficult co-workers or teammates?
Difficult co-workers and teammates can drain one’s energy or the energy of an entire team or department concerned. I feel that there are different ways to deal with the various situations brought about by difficult co-workers or teammates. Firstly, I always endeavor not to pass judgment on my co-workers/teammates. I have realized that a person may be ‘difficult’ or stubborn often because the matter at hand is important for them than the rest of the team may be realizing. Therefore, my initial reaction is to try to view the problem at hand from the point of view of the difficult teammate.
Furthermore, I always make sure that I take my time to understand the issues raised by this difficult colleague. A quick reaction delivered in anger will only serve to worsen an already bad situation. Thus taking time to respond is vital in cooling things down.
Additionally, when dealing with difficult colleagues, I consistently treat each new confrontation as unique. Thus I avoid any preconceived notions arising from previous arguments or confrontations we may have had from clouding current and future engagements with the involved colleagues. In conclusion, I believe that all workers in an organization have professionally earned the positions and roles they play. Thus all confrontations can be sorted out professionally and in ways that retain the dignity of the offending co-worker.
What steps did you take to reach a goal that is important for you?
A few years ago, I was in need of a job, and the only post available was for a tour guide, and the position required that the person be fluent in Spanish.
Throughout my life, I have always desired to learn an additional language, and my inability to qualify for that job due to a prerequisite I had always felt I needed to gain hit me. Since the positions for tour guiding would always be available in the summer, I resolved that by the following year, I would be ready and purposed to learn Spanish. Consequently, I decided to use the little money I had, not in applying for another job, but in starting classes on basic Spanish – to me, this was a long-term investment that I felt I needed to make.
I started the classes soon after, dedicating my days and nights to reading and understanding Spanish; I borrowed money from friends and family to buy Spanish language books and novels. One of my short term targets was to read a Spanish storybook every week, and my daily targets were to converse exclusively in Spanish with my Spanish class colleagues – for practice.
Through hard work, consistency, and practice, by the following year’s summer, not only was I able to get the job but also I always felt I had attained a bigger goal – a lifelong habit of pushing my limits and trying out for new things.