Managing Difficult People

Do you still remember the last time you had to manage a difficult person? Were you satisfied with how you acted on it? Did the situation turn out to benefit the team or the company, or did it result to resentment and reduced productivity? Learn how to handle difficult staff today, because no matter where you go and in all Singapore jobs, there will be a couple of them tough cookies.

• Immediately forgive. Be aware of the inner good in yourself and choose to forgive instead of acting on the issue out of anger and frustration. Angry people have clouded judgments, just like drunk people. So if you want to preserve your reputation as an executive, it’s best to simply forgive. Remember that you are not in the losing end when you back away from conflict.
• But wait for a time to settle the situation. It is not enough to just let the situation be forgotten through time. However, before you go and send an emotional email, wait it out a while. Assess yourself and wait for the perfect time to settle the situation.
• Evaluate your goals in settling the issue. Remember that as the boss, you should be on the understanding side, acting maturely on all situations even if you are the one who received the offense. That said, you should carefully think of your purpose of settling the issue. Is it to simply make the point that you are right? To start with, you don’t have to be right. You won’t gain anything other than a bloated ego and a shrunken reputation.

• Hold your horses. If the person in conflict with you initiates a fight or an argument, don’t react in anger. When you react, they will get what they want from you, and that is a kind of reaction that will backfire. Cease the negativity as soon as possible.

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