Approaching solutions for difficult people

Approaching solutions for difficult people

Identifying difficult people in the workplace is often quite straightforward, but working to transform a struggling team member may take an inspired approach.

The first instinct of many professionals may be to simply let these individuals go, cutting dead weight to create room for new up-and-comers. While this can be and often is an effective strategy, a better approach is to create an environment where people can flourish. That is because, while some difficult employees are born that way, many others are created by a work environment that stifles employee enthusiasm and creativity and frustrates them along the way, making them feel they are simply not valued by the organization.

The ideal scenario is to build teams of leaders where everyone is involved, engaged, committed, well developed and valued. Under this design, difficult people are not created; rather, they are elevated and often become productive employees who are leaders, because of the design under which they operate.

As a result, instead of devoting resources to get rid of them, the organization is working as an integrated unit to pull them up. Meanwhile, for the few remaining employees, if any, who remain difficult, they will become the responsibility of the team to deal with. It will no longer be management versus the employees.

 Everyone will be in it together to deal with a problem person.