Understanding and Working with Difficult People: Revised Second Edition

"Understanding and Working with Difficult People" presents the most comprehensive material available about being successful with difficult people. This book is designed to be a practical, accessible introduction to the very broad topic of dealing with difficult people/difficult behaviors. Since every difficult situation is different, the focus here will be on building a basic understanding of how you interact with difficult people, what makes difficult people tick, and the most fundamental skills you can bring to the table to help change these encounters for the better. The best way to be successful with someone who you feel is difficult is to focus on the behaviors that are creating this angst between you. We can be successful dealing with a behavior; it is much harder to be successful with a difficult person. Difficult people try to get us to REACT to their negative behaviors. It is important to realize that you cannot change other people… directly. However, when you change your own behavior, it causes the difficult person to change his/her behavior. This means that when you stop yourself from reacting to a difficult person’s negative behavior and RESPOND instead, you have maintained control, self-control. Then you have the ability to choose far better ways to interact with them; ways that will help change their behavior toward you. It does work. You CAN be successful with difficult people and in difficult situations with them!