Big Boss a Tool? Pull a Pelosi
Seventeen staffers have left the Trump administration so far. The New York Times reports that “As of Jan. 1, 2019, staff turnover for senior White House aides was at 65 percent, higher than what it was at the same time in previous administrations, according to the Brookings Institution.”
Now, America must bounce back from a shutdown that burdened government employees with debt, grounded flights, and made America appear to the world like it is a country run by unwieldy preschoolers.
In many organizations, a culture of confusion, division and chaos starts at the top. Difficult, complicated personalities in the workplace (and government) do the most damage when they are seated in the top-tier of management.
So, what can mid-level managers do when stuck working with a senior staffer that is out of control? According to a recent Forbes.com article by Stephanie Sarkis PhD, Nancy Pelosi’s handling of Trump’s recent tantrum (shutdown) offers important lessons for handling difficult people who have somehow risen to the upper echelon.
A few tactics Sarkis offers to help you ‘Pelosi’ a problem manager include:
- Know how to do your job better than the problem manager knows how to do his/hers.
- Communicate using the right media. “Pelosi didn't tweet a comment - she wrote a letter and signed it. This has more weight to it than a quick missive on social media.”
- When addressing specific behavior, always give the senior manager credit for already knowing the situation. “If you imply it, the gaslighter/narcissist knows full well what you are saying - but he is less likely to call it out as a personal attack, for doing so makes him take responsibility.”
- Stick to the facts. Skip the emotion. A difficult manager will take your emotion and turns it against you.
- When a problem arises, state the boundaries of any possible solution.
- Bring up precedent. “This can be anything from the history of your company, the guidelines set forth in your employee manual, or the past documented behavior of the gaslighter/narcissist.”
- Keep your communications brief and always end with a call to action.
Learn more tips and methods for handling difficult people in the on-demand webinar ‘Difficult People at Work: Powerful Tools for Effectively Dealing with Impossible Behavior’.