It’s Monday morning; the sun is bright and you have an extra spring in your step.  You grab your coffee, get into your car and find that traffic is surprisingly lighter then normal.  You plan your day in your head.  You are going to tackle your “To Do” list one item at a time.  Staff meeting, conference call and your department training needs to be done this week.  Then your brain just stops.  The dreaded training.  You ask yourself, “How in the world am I going to get Howard to do the training?  I can’t get Howard to anything without complaining and bringing the whole team down.”

Ok, maybe it hasn’t happened like that exactly or in that order, but many managers struggle with a “Howard” on their team.  It doesn’t matter how you approach them or how exciting you try to make things, they are always going to find something to complain about.  The glass is always half empty.

If you Google the topic of “dealing with difficult people”, you will find many articles, tips, and training programs attached to people and companies that claim to have all the answers.  In the many years that I have been in Customer Service, I can tell you one thing….no one program or one article is going to give you all the answers.  This is an ongoing issue that managers of companies deal with every day.  Here are some small things that I have heard work from some of the people that I talk to throughout the day:

• Be aware of their personality style.  Communication with anyone goes a lot smoother if you are aware of the way the different personalities respond and react.
• Ask for their input or assistance in the areas that they have skills.  This will build trust and respect between both parties.
• Give them victories where you can.
• Involve them in a leadership role when possible.  For example, training, ask them to either lead the session or the discussion on the topic at hand.  This may open the minds of the others in the group as well as engage your “Howard” in the training that they really need.

If you try any or all of these will it always work?  I wish!  My hope would be that if you are aware and stay consistent you may start to see some small successes.  Your “Negative Nellie” may just turn into a “Happy Howard”!