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EDIT 7550
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Working with Difficult People

A mini-lesson for Project Managers

 
Types of People
Different Types of People & How to Deal with Them

From Dealing with People You Can't Stand by Rick Brinkman

The 10 Most UNwanted List
   

Tom Tank

 The tank is confrontational, pointed, and angry, the ultimate in pushy and aggressive behavior.

Your Goal: Command Respect

Action Plan:

  1. Hold your ground.
  2. Interrupt the attack.
  3. Quickly backtrack the main point.
  4. Aim for the bottom line and fire!
  5. Peace with honor.
   

Sally Sniper

 Whether through rude comments, biting sarcasm, or a well-timed roll of the eyes, making you look foolish is the Sniper's specialty.

Your Goal: Bring the Sniper Out of Hiding

Action Plan:

  1. Stop, look, backtrack.
  2. Use searchlight questions.
  3. Use tank strategy if needed.
  4. Go on a grievance patrol.
  5. Suggest a civil future.
   

Gary Grenade

 After a brief period of calm, the Grenade explodes into unfocused ranting anf raving about things that have nothing to do with the present circumstances.

Your Goal: Take Control of the Situation

Action Plan:

  1. Get the person's attention.
  2. Aim for the heart.
  3. Reduce intensity.
  4. Time off for good behavior.
  5. Grenade prevention.
 

Eddie Expert

 Seldom in doubt, the Know-It-All has a low tolerance for correction and contradiction. If something goes wrong, however, the Know-It-All will speak with the same authority about who's to blam - you!

Your Goal: Open the Person's Mind to New Ideas

Action Plan:

  1. Be prepared and know your stuff.
  2. Backtrack respectfully.
  3. Blend with doubts and desires.
  4. Present your views indirectly.
  5. Turn the Know-It-All into a mentor.
 

Alice Attention-Wanter

 Think-They-Know-It-Alls can't fool all the people all of the time, but they can fool some of the people enough of the time, and enough of the people all of the time - all for the sake of some attention.

Your Goal: Give the Person's Bad Ideas the Hook

Action Plan:

  1. Give the person little attention.
  2. Clarify for specifications.
  3. Tell it like it is.
  4. Give the person a break.
  5. Break the cycle.
 

Annie Agreeable

 In an effort to please people and avoid confrontation, Yes People say "yes" without thinking things through. They react to the latest demands on their time by forgetting prior commitments, and overcommit until they have no time for themselves. Then they become resentful.

Your Goal: Get Commitments You Can Count On

Action Plan:

  1. Make it safe to be honest.
  2. Talk honestly.
  3. Help the person learn to plan.
  4. Ensure commitment.
  5. Stengthen the relationship.
 

Matt Maybe

 In a moment of decision, the Maybe Person procrastinates in the hope that a better choice will present itself. Sadly, with most decisions, there comes a point when it is too little, too late, and the decision makes itself.

Your Goal: Help the Person Learn to Think

Action Plan:

  1. Establish a comfort zone.
  2. Surface conflicts, clarify options.
  3. Use a decision-making system.
  4. Reassure, then ensure follow-through.
  5. Strengthen relationship.
 

Suzie Silent

 No verbal feedback, no nonverbal feedback. Nothing. What else could you expect from . . . the Nothing Person.

Your Goal: Persuade the Nothing Person to Talk

Action Plan:

  1. Plan enough time.
  2. Ask open-ended questions expectantly.
  3. Lighten it up.
  4. Guess.
  5. Show the future.
 

Nate Negative

 More deadly to morale than a speeding bullet, more powerful than hope, able to defeat big ideas with a single syllable. Disguised as a mild mannered normal person, the No Person fights a never ending battle for futility, hoplessness, and despair.

Your Goal: Transition to Problem Solving

Action Plan:

  1. Go with the flow.
  2. Use the person as a resource.
  3. Leave the door open.
  4. Go for the polarity response.
  5. Acknowledge the person's good intent.
 

Wilson Whiner

 Whiners feel helpless and overwhelmed by an unfaor world. Their standard is perfection, and no one and nothing measures up to it. But misery loves company, so they bring their problems to you. Offering solutions makes you bad company, so their whining escalates.

Your Goal: Form a Problem-Solving Alliance

Action Plan:

  1. Listen for the main points.
  2. Interrupt and get specific.
  3. Shift the focus to solutions.
  4. Show the Whiner the future.
  5. Draw the line.