Many years ago when I was working in retail I had a boss who was a real sarcastic guy. Whenever we had a problem with a customer or an employee he would say, "If it weren't for people it would be the easiest job in the world." He was absolutely correct in this assessment. People can be a pain in the butt.
Dealing with people can be difficult. Everyone handles the day-to-day problems they have differently. Some get stressed out while others are like those non-stick pans with their problems just sliding off of them. There is no "one size fits all" approach to people, especially when it comes to your clients, customers and co-workers.
I once worked with a very abrasive young man. He had a thick New York accent, which in South Carolina went over like a lead balloon. In a lot of ways he sounded like the cartoon aardvark that was always trying to eat the ant. So when he would make his morning calls to set appointments, he didn't have much success.
"I do not understand why you will not let me talk to you! I just want to introduce myself!" he would say in a low scream. My thoughts and prayers went out to the person on the other end of that call.
The rest of us would be listening throughout the office. His tone and demeanor on the phone were horrible, so you can only imagine what he was like in person. His charming personality insured he wouldn't last long, and he didn't. Within six months he was gone.
There have been many other co-workers over the years that were difficult. When I managed a retail store I once asked an employee to complete a small task that was on our daily punch list. Out of nowhere she copped a nasty attitude about how menial the job was. If you didn't know any better you would have thought I was asking a brain surgeon to scrub toilets by her response. After advising her to get over herself she made the decision to give me the silent treatment for the next two weeks.
(Side note: The silent treatment never works, especially on me, as I believe people talk too much to begin with. A respite from the idiocy that flows from the mouths of others is a gift from on high.)
How did I respond to not being talked to? With more meaningless work for her. What was she going to do, complain? Her vow of silence became more of a punchline than a cause, as most of the other members of the staff didn't like her anyway. They also enjoyed her lack of communication. I'm sure our customers felt the same.
This employee's lack of team spirit had caused a major rift in the staff, with nearly all of them wanting her gone, while one lone holdout decided to form an alliance with her. As the manager, I had to play referee in a game I wasn't interested in. The situation got so out of hand that some of the other employees were leaving her want ads (this was pre-internet when people read newspapers) with prospective jobs circled and placed in her locker.
When she did find a new job I got a phone call from her perspective employer wanting a job reference. Our company had a strict rule against giving opinions when others called for a job reference, but this time I made an exception.
"She's the best and hardest working member of our team. I sure am going to miss her," I said. I wanted her gone more than she wanted to be gone and my glowing review meant that she would be someone else's problem. Not long after I heard she had lasted about three weeks at her new job.
Stay tuned for more on dealing with problem people in the next post. In the meantime, stay healthy!
Chris Castanes is a professional speaker who helps sales people succeed through workshops and humorous presentations. He's also the author of "You're Going To Be Great At This!", a humorous look at sales. For booking information, click here. He's also the president of Surf Financial Brokers selling life and disability insurance in several states.
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