The Cost of Difficult People

Let’s face it. Most of us try very hard to avoid managing difficult people. Somehow we believe that, left to their own devices, they will “smarten up” or “grow up,” or if we’re really lucky, simply quit or go away. It rarely works that way. Still, if you are to be more willing and able to manage the difficult folks, you need to know why you must do so. And that means understanding the toll difficult people exact from everyone around them. Let’s start with the most important person here, you. After all, if you don’t see a personal benefit to being proactive in dealing with that difficult person, why would you put the time and energy into trying to turn around a difficult situation?

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