STRATEGIC PLANNING IMPLEMENTATION PHASE “HOW TO DEAL WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE”

1. Hard to do, make, or carry out – arduous 2. Hard to deal with, manage, or overcome 3. Hard to understand, puzzling

 Obstinate  Stubborn  Intractable  Unmanageable  Challenging  Demanding  Thorny  Complex

 Step back and analyze  Listen….  Attempt to understand what is driving the difficult behavior

 Be aware of your body language  Avoid absolutes such as  “You always”  “You never”  Don’t lose emotional control  Don’t take it personally  Watch your tone of voice

Remember…. ….the person who constantly angers you or intimidates you….. CONTROLS YOU!

 Choose your battles  Visualize your outcome  Count to 20  Take a Walk

 Look in the mirror  How do we treat our staff and volunteers?  Do you model the behavior you expect from others?  Is compromise an option?  How well do you mediate?

 It is important to remember…. we can’t change a person’s personality! What changes in this process is HOW we respond to that personality!

 Criticize in private  Praise in Public!  Give sincere and positive reinforcement  Maintain respect  Agree to disagree  Encourage open exchange

 Assess  Stay calm  Gain understanding  Be firm

 Call on the Holy Spirit  Show compassion  Demonstrate a willingness to compromise  Use Humor  Focus on a Christ-centered outcome