<p>We all have to deal with difficult people who are very good at derailing our best efforts, confounding what we say and challenging us at every opportunity.</p>
<p>But why? It doesn&rsquo;t get them anything…or does it? Why are some people difficult?</p>
<p>The answer is simple:</p>
<ol>
<li>It works</li>
<li>It satisfies</li>
<li>It feels good</li>
</ol>
<p>That&rsquo;s it in a nutshell.&nbsp; If people are adverse to change, afraid to take risk, or view us as a competitor, they will throw out every roadblock they can.</p>
<p>Ambitious or aggressive colleagues, managers who are more interested in protecting their positions, or anyone who sees us as a challenge to their status quo could resort to being difficult people.</p>
<p>Then there are those who are simply poop disturbers (Sorry, this is a family newspaper); but they are a topic for another column.</p>
<p>Let&rsquo;s be honest, we&rsquo;re all difficult at times. We all have values and beliefs that are non-negotiable. We all have buttons that shouldn&rsquo;t be pushed. Pushing those buttons is guaranteed to result in a reaction that won&rsquo;t impress anyone.</p>
<p>Being difficult, especially if it gets us what we want now and then, can easily become addictive. If the behavior works we&rsquo;ll use it again, and again, and again.</p>
<p>So we need to differentiate between difficult behavior and difficult people. They are certainly not the same; and how we recognize the difference will determine our success or failure on any given project.</p>
<p>For strategic purposes, there are 11 types of difficult people. They are the:</p>
<ol>
<li>Snipers</li>
<li>Exploders</li>
<li>Sherman Tanks</li>
<li>Complainers</li>
<li>Negativists</li>
<li>Know-It-Alls</li>
<li>Non-Responsives</li>
<li>Pretenders</li>
<li>Super Agreeables</li>
<li>Indecisives</li>
<li>The Externally Empowereds</li>
</ol>
<p>Next week we will look at dealing with “Snipers”.</p>