Make Difficult People Disappear

How to Deal with Stressful Behavior and Eliminate Conflict

Wiley, 2012

15 min read

10 take-aways

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What's inside?

“Difficult people” simply handle things differently than you do. And that makes you mad.

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Editorial Rating

Qualities

Engaging

Recommendation

Everyone knows someone difficult, but few people know how best to deal with irritating characters. Here’s some good news: When you change how you view annoying people, most of them will miraculously lose their effect – at least on you. According to workplace training consultant Monica Wofford, individuals who appear difficult simply don’t handle things the same way as the person judging them. Her advice is smart, insightful and easy to read. While she includes too much promotion of her consulting services and professional products, Wofford’s treatise offers a worthwhile approach to a tough topic. getAbstract recommends her engaging business fable to readers who need relief from difficult people.

Summary

Is Everyone Difficult?

“Difficult people” seem to be everywhere. They can be so hard to handle that you might be too irritated to consider how they got that way. You just wish they'd disappear.

They can, but not by magic. Difficult people vanish when you change your attitude toward them. Stop seeing them as irritating and, presto, they won’t be. Most seemingly difficult people are merely different. The way they think is not the way you think. How they handle things seems strange. You may mistakenly see these distinctive people as taxing, overly sensitive or even deliberately obstructive. The business fable that follows demonstrates how you can have more harmonious relationships with people you perceive as difficult if something changes – not in them, but in you.

Cybil: The Queen of Difficult

Cybil is a wife, a mother and an executive. She is an accomplished type A personality with terrific drive and focus. She is so task oriented and busy that she posts a reminder to sleep on her daily to-do list. Cybil believes that far too many of the people she deals with are difficult, including her husband, her son, her sister, her mother, her boss, many...

About the Author

Monica Wofford, a certified CORE coach, is founder and CEO of Contagious Companies Inc., a training and consulting firm.

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P. R. 1 decade ago

The only way someone can form an opinion is because they don't know the facts.your life is not lived on theory.it is lived on facts! And if you feel like you know better then share what you know.not about them,but about you.for all you skeptical people and individuals need to be born again.there is only one God,one Judge,one Jury,one trial,because of mercy and Grace you have many!
P. R. 1 decade ago

I deal with difficult people in my church,my life! I know how it feels to be difficult because I was difficult.and I see how that could make someone frustrated.I'm glad that they had patience with me.maybe because they realized the same thing as I do now.
B. J. 1 decade ago

useful

Monica Wofford