Navigating workplace dynamics: Difficult colleagues

On a trip to one of the farms, we encountered beautiful birds.. parrots, ducks, swans, turkeys. There were two turkeys eager to establish a connection.. I called out oiiiiii and both of them responded with par-par-par-par.. Then again I went oiiii, they opened their feathers and responded par-par-par-par.. Well it was amazing and hilarious at the same time.. :) Some were bored and just relaxed in water and didn't give us any attention. Some ducks were walking together in tandem, while others deliberately taking a different route. Some ducks came to sniff us and some were ready to take a bite. Ouch..

At workplaces we are often grouped into teams working on complex, time bound projects with a broad based outcome defined. To achieve this milestone, teams get together, define and align on various roles and responsibilities and connect from time to time to huddle, tackle challenges, provide support to each other and pivot as needed. You often will encounter large array of people..some bored, some barely in it because they were forced into the project, some very enthusiastic, some display ownership, some are natural leaders, some are good natured and some are difficult ones..

In every workplace, there is that one colleague who exudes an air of superiority, making it challenging for others to work harmoniously. While their work may be commendable, their attitude can often sour the office atmosphere. They rub people the wrong way and often use words that leave colleagues feeling demoralized and disrespected. Navigating such situations requires tact and diplomacy, especially when organizational politics come into play. ?There could be some ways to address this..

#Address the behavior: Confronting a difficult colleague's behavior can be daunting, but it's essential for maintaining a healthy work environment. Choose a private setting and approach the conversation with empathy and professionalism.. You can choose another mode of communication, a WhatsApp conversation later or a 1:1 phone call to addressed behavior, expressing how their actions were impacting team morale and productivity. ?Use empathetic approach to understand if there is a non-work related stressor perhaps that is driving such behavior.

#Look out for shared goals: Despite differences in opinion or approach, look for common ground with the difficult colleague. Emphasize shared goals and the importance of collaboration in achieving them. If we win as a team, everyone wins.

#Use feedback tools to give constructive feedback. Feedback need not be critical of a person but of instances/specific behavior alone. 360/180 degree feedback, Team Pulse surveys etc can be used.

#Establish clear boundaries for acceptable behavior and communication within the team. Encourage open dialogue and mutual respect while holding everyone, including the difficult colleague, accountable.

#Ask leadership to intervene: ideally you shouldn’t have to ask your leaders to intervene, as they should be clued in and take necessary action as part of their jobs. However if this doesn’t happen automatically, bringing it up to leader’s attention can be right thing to do.

#Focus on goal and avoid confrontation: Sometimes it is more important to get to the goal in time. We can ignore the said behavior if it hampers the peace of mind. This doesn’t address the behavior but you make it someone else’s problem.

We often do not have control over any colleague's attitude, however we do have control over how we choose to respond and manage the situation.

#officepolitics #sharedGoals #difficultcolleagues #feedbackCulture #360degreefeedback

Have you come across any situation like above? What did you do? Share in comments