Our Corporate Life
May 3, 2011   •   Volume 2, Issue 9   •   ISSN: 2154-3240    
In This Issue
♦   Feature Article: Dealing With Difficult People
Ask Amanda: How can we leverage the opportunity to connect others?
♦   Practical Tips: Identify the Influencers
 
Dealing With Difficult People

Interacting with a wide variety of people is one of the benefits of working in a company. Inevitably you will come across people who are difficult for you to deal with. Maybe you have different work styles, they remind you of someone you dislike, or perhaps you just have no affinity for them. The most common strategies for this situation are avoiding the individual, limiting your interactions with that person, or confrontation. These approaches just perpetuate the problem and often escalate it. And each of them is a drain on your resources. Often the person you find difficult ends up preoccupying your mental space and becomes a primary topic of conversation both inside and outside the office. Why waste your energy? Take control and work to resolve the situation so you can let it go.
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Thought to Ponder

Unrealistic expectations set you up for failure.

  
Practical Tips: Identify the Influencers

The sheer volume and velocity of work makes it difficult for others to be appropriately aware of your contribution. So it’s important to identify the people who influence the perception of your value. One common mistake is using title or level as the only parameter when thinking about who influences popular opinion. To create your list of influencers, consider these questions:

• Which people are consulted regularly on major decisions?
• Who is the most well-liked team member?
• Which people are closest to the decision makers?
read more

    
 ask Amanda
Question:

How do we use the opportunity to connect business associates so that we clearly benefit the people involved and gain something from the interaction ourselves? J.M., Warren, NJ.

Amanda Mitchell
Answer:

The best thing about your question is that it shows you are thinking strategically. Ideally you want to help others and yourself—it’s an efficient use of your resources. First, identify the benefit you believe your associates will gain by connecting with each other. Be specific. You’ll use that specificity in your introduction and it will position you more powerfully.
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Australia's joining the conversation! Check out the Sydney Morning Herald's Hard Work: Dealing With Drama Queens based on our article Thespians in the Workplace.

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About Us: Our Corporate Life LLC (OCL) is a company that offers a new system for reducing unnecessary workplace suffering caused by the organizational, interpersonal, and ethical issues of our time. It is founded on the belief that adhering to core human values and achieving business success are always compatible. Working with both companies and individuals, OCL helps create solutions that enable corporate employees at every level to optimize profits while enabling them to thrive in the corporate environment. OCL was founded by Amanda Mitchell to help meet the needs of people working in corporate America during this transformative moment in our nation’s history. The OCL system reflects her experience and insight gained from a 20-year corporate career working with Fortune 500 companies, and as an executive coach to senior-level corporate executives. Our Corporate Life
 
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