The_Essential_Manager_s_Handbook

144 / LEADING THROUGH CHALLENGES

Leading difficult people

Dealing with conflict

Conflict arises when people stop listening

and approach a situation from their own

point of view. As leader, you must look

beyond the immediate confrontation to

understand what is really happening and

discover the roots of the hostility.

Begin with yourself: your role means

you may be a factor in a team member‘s

dissatisfaction. Differences in outlook,

behavior, and style can lead to tension—

which can be used constructively to

stimulate creativity and enrich the team

or, if left unmanaged, can cause division.

Meeting standards

It is tempting to work around a “difficult”

person, but this undermines the team

and your position as leader. You should

explore all courses of action to bring about

improvement. However, many people find

adversarial situations hard and may

sabotage their own future if they do not

see a way out. If open discussion and

support fails to achieve changes, you will

need to work within your organization’s

disciplinary policy and procedures to

deal with the person, and prevent an

adverse effect on the rest of the team.

Building a successful team depends on cooperation between all

members of the group. But what if an individual just won‘t play ball?

Unproductive confrontations with you as leader or between team

members can take a lot of your time, create a bad atmosphere, and

stop you from achieving your aims, so finding positive ways to deal

with disagreement or difficult individuals is a key leadership skill.

ASK YOURSELF...

Is it me? YES NO

1 Have I explained new initiatives clearly—could they

be causing insecurity or anxiety? ...................................................

2 Do I come across as approachable and accessible? ......................

3 Have I made unreasonable demands? ............................................

4 Have I been fair in my praise or my criticism? ...............................

5 Am I portraying the right image for a leader? ...............................

US_144-145_Leading_difficult_people.indd 144 31/05/16 5:29 pm