Sorry for the delay in this next post but I’ve been in Paris on holidays and have just returned. Before I launch into the information promised on assertiveness – one of my favourite topics – I’d like to share an experience related to this that I had when in Paris.

I was having dinner with a small group of fellow travellers when one of them told us about the difficulty that he had on aeroplanes because of his ears. He had a problem that led to deafness for several days after flying so had been to a specialist for an expensive operation to fix the problem. Not only was it expensive, it was quite painful. Furthermore, to his distress it didn’t work.

‘What will I do?’ he said. ‘I can’t go back to the doctor and tell him it was a failure.’

Now this man was not quiet and timid. He was a successful businessman, told great stories and generally enjoyed being the centre of attention. He was also considerate of others and had excellent social skills. Continue Reading

We’ve explored dealing with difficult managers. The shoe is now on the other foot. It’s time to look at how managers and bosses deal with difficult employees.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a small, medium or large business. The approaches are very similar although larger businesses have the advantage of a HR department.

There are 3 steps that, if taken, will be the most effective.

1. Try to find out why the employee is making life difficult at work
2. Work out a possible solution with the employee
3. Follow-up, follow-up and follow-up. Continue Reading

There are two more difficult managers to deal with.

The Micro Manager

Have you ever had someone look over your shoulder, commenting on your work as you do it and making ‘helpful’ suggestions? The Micro Manager may not be looking physically over your shoulder but they’re standing there just the same. What is it that makes some people unable to delegate and get on with their own work?

Trust has a lot to do with it. Sometimes these managers find it very difficult to believe that anyone else could attend to the detail that the job requires. You may find a streak of perfectionism in there too. Remembering back to the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, another useful personality type to understand in addition to the MBTI is the preference for some people to think globally and others to prefer the detail. Continue Reading