There’s no doubt that dealing with difficult people whether in your working or personal life is never easy and can be a very emotionally charged experience. But it is your emotions that can get in your way of effectively handling difficult people.
STEP BACK AND SEE THE BIG PICTURE
Whenever you are dealing with people and their difficult behaviors you must aim to step back and try to begin to analyze the situation from the outside looking in, rather than from the inside looking out.
Of course you cannot do this is in the ‘heat’ of the situation but when you have a chance to reflect then aim to actually try to see ‘the big picture’. This will help you gain a more calm and less emotional perspective on the situation and the person.
EMOTIONS TAKE OVER WHEN DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE
Why? Because this gives you a less emotional perspective from which to learn and discover what to do for you. When you are less emotionally involved you can look at things more realistically and the answers on how to proceed and deal with the situation will come to you more easily. Emotions ‘cloud’ your thinking and make it difficult to see the best strategies on how to deal with that difficult person.
LOOKING DOWN ON THOSE DIFFICULT PEOPLE
So start by visualizing yourself looking down on the situation, as though you were an observer of the picture itself. As an observer, begin to coach yourself on what to do and how to handle the situation with an unemotional and detached frame of mind. Role-play in your mind how you would change the way you deal with the behaviors of this difficult person. This will be the beginning of finding a different perspective on the situation.
For it was Bob Dylan who said: “The picture you have in your mind of what you’re about will come true”. It is time to start to paint a different picture for you!
MORE IDEAS FOR YOU ON COPING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE
And now I would like to share many more ideas for you to learn when you get instant access to our free downloadable GUIDE on Dealing with Difficult People: 17 Ideas on Dealing with Difficult People.
