It All Starts With You
"Every person you meet highlights a strength or weakness in you." -Mike Murdock
Whether you consider a person difficult or not has a lot to do with your personality and your attitude. A person you may perceive as difficult and hard to work with may be the easiest person to deal with for your co-worker.
For instance, if you have a hard time taking direction or accepting constructive criticism, you may find a micro-manager extremely difficult to deal with. On the other hand, your co-worker who craves, direction, attention, and desires constant feedback may value the guidance of the micro-manager. Your co-worker will learn to use the instruction given by the micro-manager to their advantage.
The next time you are confronted with a difficult person, ask yourself the following:
1. Why do I perceive this person as difficult?
(identify specific behaviors and how they make you feel)
2. What is this experience highlighting about my personality?
(identify the hot buttons this behavior pushes for you)
3. What can I learn from this experience?
(identify if the person is really difficult or if their working style is simply different and, where you can adjust)
