Don’t Let Difficult Colleagues Get the Best of You
WE ARE SOCIAL CREATURES. Part of what makes going to work worthwhile is the people we meet and the relationships we form. They make our lives richer. Unfortunately, we also are bound to encounter difficult people who deplete our reserves rather than fill them. Learning how to deal with them effectively is necessary for getting work done and sparing ourselves—and others—angst, resentment, and wasted energy. Recognizing toxic behaviors and personality types is relatively easy. When you repeatedly witness and endure the pain they inflict, patterns start to emerge. The hard part is figuring out what to do next. You may not have much control over others’ conduct, but you can learn to manage your own response. As Christine Porath notes in “An Antidote to Incivility,” the most effective remedy on a…