Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Coping with DIFFICULT people...


Almost everyday, some point in time, all of us have to cope with difficult people- be it a person younger to you or elder, your boss or a friend, a known or a stranger.And I say that one has to 'cope' as sometimes there is no escaping it.But what does coping mean?coping-in content with- peaceful war of existence.

First of all let's see what are the kinds of difficult people?

Based on the type of behaviour and degree of difficulty to handle them, they can be broadly classified into the following names:


  • Bullies

  • Snippers

  • Exploders

  • Complainers

  • Super Agreeables

  • Wet Blankets

  • Know it Alls

Now before you go guessing about these funny and a little too weired names let's get to know them one by one.


Bullies, as you might have guessed from the name, they treaten,frighten or/and scare you. Almost everyone of us might have come accross atleast one of them during our high school days...! They generally have a heavy build- like bulldozers!


Snippers are of the clever category. They can be termed as Passive-agressives. They throw balls at you when you are the weakest. say, when you are in a meeting. they might have some expertise or some knowledge or information that is only known to them. How often has this happened to you that you are in a meeting and you state something that is not complete and there the Snippers will throw questions at you and trying to guess won't be a good idea as they might have the information that they did not share with you outside the meeting-room as they were waiting for the right time.


It is quite difficult to recognize a Snipper as they keep hiding till the 'right time'!


Exploders are paranoids. They just explode! Anytime- Anywhere for no rhyme or reason. (ofcourse, this is the reason why we are talking about them as difficult people). There would be no meaning to what they speak once they are in the mode of-explosion! This is generally due to accumulation of anxiety. They think you are kids.


Now here is one category that the quality control departments of most of the companies would like to employ- the Complainers. They are generally perfectionists. So you are wondering what makes them difficult to handle?? Here is the answer- they abuse human compassion. They would complain just about anything and everything. If it is a cloudy day they'll complain, if it's sunny they'll complain. If there is work they'll complain, if there is no work they'll complain. They may be in the best of environments- they'll complain.


Super-Agreeables- hmmm..now here is a category that most of us would luv to have around us. How many times do we curse the person who cuts our point with something that has more weight. Now imagine if there was no one to contradict you...feels good eh..?? May be NOT! Infact, it is said "If two people in a business agree-there is no need of one of them!" Super-agreeables are self-conscious, uncomfortable, embarrased, insecure people. They would agree to just anything, no matter how silly it might be..!!


How would you feel if you are wrape\ped in a wet blanket? Ya, I can see that face you made! Wet blankets create problems all the time. Everytime you have a great idea, they'll come up with "you know it has already been done in the past...it's not a good one..." this-that what not!


The last but certainly not the least, a category that knows it ALL! From matters related from cooking to rocket-science! You start a talk and they would know all. Or at least the know-it-all have sometime or the other have already experienced the exact situation that you are talking about (and you say of course-history repeats itself). And if not them personally then it's one of their Aunt's colleague's sister-in-law's step-father!! But they know about it!!



Now, you say, such impossible people, how in the world can I even think about coping with them...?!! Well,well...well. As someone said "there is no problem without a solution and if there is then it is not a problem and just a fact that does not need to be solved but coped with." So all these difficult people are not problems but they are there and you are there too and you need to cope with them in order to survive.


Hmm..so how to survive...?? Well, wait for my next post...


Till later


Be good!



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