Dealing With Difficult People

Your Full Name
Professor’s Name:
Name of Class:
Dealing with Difficult People
I can describe my colleague at work as a difficult person. His behavior makes me annoyed since he finds fault with everything and always considers the negative aspects of situations. He has embraced the self-fulfilling cycle of passivity, blame, and powerless. He complains of every work given to us by the supervisor so that he forgets to complete it on time. When I am around him, I feel irritated and sometimes angry due to his behavior of continuous complaints. I always say to myself ‘if only I had the chance to work with another colleague I would gladly take it’. The major challenge with his complaints is that he amplifies a small problem such that it appears as a disaster. He likes telling me about negative issues about the management, supervisors, and departmental heads.
I have tolerated my colleague for a considerable amount of time. I even tried to convince my supervisor to change my working location so that I am separated with him. However, I have learned to cope with him by embracing the following techniques. Firstly, I listen attentively to him whenever he has something to say. Although I listen carefully, I do not value much of what he has to say. I do not simply dismiss him but I have learned to postpone the discussions he raised in a polite manner (Sherman 61). Instead of focusing on the problem and complaints, I always encourage him to engage in finding solutions (Sherman 62). Also, I do not accept blame on myself or on behalf of anyone else whenever my colleague makes accusations.

Also, I do not make excuses to please him or show support to his discussions. Whenever he raises a complaint, I usually challenge him to come up with a solution and propose to our supervisor or manager.
Work Cited
Sherman, Rose O. “Dealing with difficult people.” Am Nurse Today 9 (2014): 61-62.