From Harvard Business Review contributing editor and co-host of the popular Women at Work podcast comes a research-based, practical guide for how to handle difficult people at work.
When we're dealing with difficult people, our creativity, productivity, and engagement suffer. Conflict and stress compromise our ability to think clearly and make sound decisions. We get caught up in our heads, lie awake at night worrying, withdraw from work, or react in ways we later regret--rolling our eyes in a meeting, snapping at colleagues, or staying silent when we should speak up. Our negative relationships are contagious, infecting our teams and organizations as well.
Too often we grin and bear it as if we have no choice. Or throw up our hands because one-size-fits-all solutions haven't worked. But you can only endure so much thoughtless, irrational, or malicious behavior--there's your sanity to consider, and your career.
In Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People), workplace expert and Harvard Business Review podcast host Amy Gallo identifies eight familiar types of difficult coworkers--the insecure boss, the passive-aggressive peer, the know-it-all, the biased coworker, and others--and provides strategies tailored to dealing constructively with each one. Facing a special case who defies categorization? She shares principles that will help you turn things around no matter who you're at odds with. Taking the high road isn't easy, but Gallo offers the compassion, encouragement, and tools you need to prevail--on your terms. She answers questions, such as:
- How much do work relationships matter?
- Why can't I stop thinking about that nasty email?!
- What's behind my problem colleague's behavior?
- How can I fix things if they won't cooperate?
- I've tried everything--what now?
Full of relatable, cringe-worthy examples, the latest behavioral science research, and practical advice you can use right now, Getting Along is an indispensable guide to navigating your toughest relationships at work--and building interpersonal resilience in the process.
About the Author: Amy Gallo is a contributing editor at Harvard Business Review, where she writes about workplace dynamics. She is the author of the HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict and cohosts HBR's Women at Work podcast. As a speaker and workshop facilitator, Gallo has helped thousands of leaders deal with conflict more effectively and navigate complicated workplace dynamics. She is a graduate of Yale University and has a master's in public policy from Brown University.
Connect with Amy Gallo at amyegallo.com
