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The non-communicative person.
Ask open questions that force him to explain what he thinks.
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The person who doesn’t listen.
Ask him to repeat what you just said to see if he got it
right.
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The daydreamer. Give him a task
to share with someone else so he’s constantly on his toes.
Don’t give him monotonous work.
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The loner. This person may be
more comfortable talking on the phone than face-to-face.
Exploit his talent for detailed, independent work on
long-term projects.
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The secretive person. Make
requests for information very specific and put it in
writing.
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The sulker. Hear out him
complaints, but don’t give in just because he seems unhappy.
If given the silent treatment, ask a question and wait for
the response so he is forced to answer you.
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The over-sensitive. Never make a
critical remark about their work in front of other people.
Build up their self-confidence by offering positive comments
more than negative ones.
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The martyr. Don’t allow him to
take on so much work. Have a private talk and point out your
concern for his health, and that he shouldn’t stress himself
out.
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The
moaner. Before he complains, ask if he needs any help.
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The pessimist. Ask for specifics
on why he thinks the proposal will not work. Remove his fear
of failure or risk by relieving him of responsibility. Make
it a team responsibility.
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The prejudiced person. Team up
the chauvinist pig with a group of women who know how to
handle difficult jobs. Don’t reinforce his prejudice with
remarks about women drivers, etc.
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The jobsworth type. When asking
them to do something that’s not in their job description,
let them know you are asking them for a favor. Respect them
by making it easy for them to say no.
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The control freak. Sit them down
and ask what is the worst possible scenario if this new
action goes wrong. Often it’s really not that bad.
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The know-it-all. Don’t humiliate
them in front of others; you’ll just antagonize them. Give
them credit where it’s due, but make them share it with
other team members.
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The domineering type. They tend
to pick on the youngest, weakest, or least experienced one
on the team. Stand up for this person if he or she cannot
stand up against the domineering one. When the domineering
personality tries to shout someone down, stay cool. Don’t
react. If everyone else ignores him he’ll soon realize how
foolish he looks.
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The primadonna. Do not respond
to this type. If she becomes childish, opt out of the
conversation until she is calm and rational.
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The rowdy type. Give him his own
space where he won’t bother others.
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The over-competitive type.
Encourage them to beat their own targets.
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The aggressive type. Stand up to
them whenever you need to.
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The manipulator. Talk openly to
bring out what their hidden agenda really is. Don’t be too
critical, but be friendly and nice.
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The rule bender. Take
disciplinary action or warn them that they will be reported.
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The buck-passer. Make it clear
that taking responsibility means you are responsible no
matter who actually does the work, and whether you’re there
physically or not. Put instructions in writing and be
specific.
