1. Cage Match : Or How to Deal with Difficult Student Staff Members Brought to you by Andrew Rogers & Ian Miller

2. Do you ever feel like doing this to a difficult employee?

3. Get Ready to Rumble Before confronting a difficult staff member, start looking at yourself. Seek first to understand, then be understood. Covey, Stephen R. 1989)

4. Supervision 1.Set the stage for Success 2.On-Going Communication 3.Feedback & Evaluation 4.Motivation and Support Barnes, Barnes, & Carson, 1992

5. Identifying Members of your Team Samantha Slacker – has trouble getting her work done on time. Does not exert much energy in the job. Sometimes unreliable. How to work with her: Set clear expectations Bring out performance appraisals at beginning Hold her accountable Outline consequences with a time frame Try and see her daily to reward positive behavior

6. Cathy Can’t Get Along Set clear expectations Confront inappropriate behavior immediately – address non-verbals, voice tone, etc Provide mediation and coaching for other staff members Talk about how she affects the department and the job Is combative with coworkers, constantly argues, causes drama, doesn’t work well others, affects the entire mood of the staff team.. How to work with her:

7. Joe Jokester The staff comedian whose jokes and antics are disruptive to meetings, and whose behavior prevents him from being an effective role model. How to work with him: Challenge him to reflect on why and when behavior occurs Confront behavior when it happens Don’t enable behavior and laugh with him Discuss how the behavior impacts the group

8. Oscar Ol’wise One Usually the veteran RA who thinks he’s smarter than all the less experienced RAs on the team. He always throws in his two-cents and likes to correct others (including his supervisors) to show off his superior knowledge. How to work with him: Acknowledge the situation Define roles/expectations Set appropriate limits Confront inappropriate behavior Seek his input Value him, but do not give him too long a leash

9. Sidney Sabotage Most dangerous to have on your staff. He’s counter productive, abuses his power, usually embraces new staff quickly. Notorious for having problems with authority. Has a toxic effect on a team. How to work with him: Set clear expectations Confront immediately and document conversations Do not make it personal Establish peer to peer accountability

10. Edward Eager Beaver Overexcited, hardcore RA who wants to do everything, be everywhere, and be all things to all people. Can be a little too intense with the job. How to work with him: Mentor, encourage and provide direction Focus energy Watch for burn-out Provide perspective of the “bigger picture” – collaborate Give projects and keep them coming – keep morale up Challenge and support Check in with him often to remove obstacles

11. Alex Attitude Too-cool-for-school, frown face who looks like he doesn’t want anything to do with the job. Constantly gripes and acts passive- aggressive. Try as you may, you can never seem to please him. How to work with him: Set clear expectations and outline consequences Do not let peers enable behavior Focus on the impact on work place dynamics Self-esteem issues Get counseling – mood swings Find out reasons for this attitude/behavior

12. Debbie Downer The RA with all the personal problems, baggage, and drama in her life. Uses her personal life as an excuse for not doing work. Can easily drag coworkers down with her. How to work with her: Discuss behavior and how it affects performance Set limits for listening Be cautious of enabling behavior Be clear about separating personal problems from professional problems Need to be direct – short and to the point.

13. Mervis T. Meddler The RA who likes to gossip and talk about everyone else’s business. This person has to be in the know, and thinks that information is power. He gets energy from behind the scenes gossip. How to work with him: Set clear expectation Encourage fact to fact confrontation Encourage A to B communication Confront inappropriate behavior

14. Doris Delightful The solid RA who sometimes goes unnoticed. She does her job and she does it well. You rarely have any problems with her, but she rarely gets recognized. How to work with her: Find out how she likes to be recognized Be creative in acknowledging outstanding tasks Provide autonomy Enhance responsibilities Do not ignore Doris by working on others

15. Case Study Please refer to the handout provided in your packet.

16. Conclusion: Desire an alliance Instead of “me vs. you”, make it “us vs. the problem.”

17. Questions