How to Deal with Difficult People

Don't let problem people get to you! Whether it's a manager who keeps moving the goal posts, an uncooperative colleague, negative friend, or critical family member, some people are just plain hard to get along with. Often, your immediate response may be to shrink or sulk, become defensive or attack. But there are smarter moves to make when dealing with difficult people. This book explains how to cope with a range of situations with difficult people and to focus on what you can change. This book will help you to: Understand what makes difficult people tick and how best to handle them Learn ways to confidently stand up to others and resist the urge to attack back Develop strategies to calmly navigate emotionally-charged situations Deal with all kinds of difficult people — hostile, manipulative and the impossible Know when to choose your battles, and when to walk away Why let someone else's bad attitude ruin your day? This second edition of How to Deal With Difficult People arms you with all the tools and tactics you need to handle all kinds of people — to make your life less stressful and a great deal easier.

Introduction vii Part One Dealing With Difficult People 1 1 Difficult People and Their Difficult Behaviour 3 2 Is It You? 19 3 Communicating With Difficult People 49 4 Standing Up to Difficult People 75 Part Two Putting It Into Practice 103 5 Dealing With Direct Hostility 105 6 Dealing With Indirect Hostility 129 7 Dealing With Passive People 159 Part Three When All Else Fails 177 8 Dealing With Impossible People 179 9 Speaking Up and Standing Up for Other People: Being an Active Bystander 201 Conclusion 213 About the Author 217 Acknowledgements 219 Index 221