The Problem with the People you Work With

The problem with the people you work with is — they’re people. The trick is to make it work anyway. Here’s how.

What’s wrong with them?

What’s wrong with these people? You probably ask yourself that question at least once a day. These people you work with, play with — live with. They’re driving you to distraction. They have ideas and agendas and hyperness and laziness and, well — differentness. They are all different from each other and they’re all different from you. 

Who’s right?

This is a question we all face every day. When the rubber meets the road, and your idea of traction is different from your boss’s or your romantic partner’s or the many other ways you are with people, the question inevitably comes up: who’s right? Me or you?

Obviously, you’re right! Right? If only everyone else could see that, things would run much more smoothly. Or are you? Do you ever wonder after a fight or when you’re sulking in your corner after you were disrespected if maybe the other person was actully right? It’s so confusing.

What can you do?

This is the real question. Because your world is made up of interactions with people, you might as well accept the fact that you’re going to have to make it work.

You could leave the relationship you’re in, whether work or personal. But guess what? Unless you’ve spent some time figuring out what went wrong in the last relationship, chances are good that you’ll repeat or threepeat, or… you get the idea.

You are part of the problem. Not the whole problem, but definitely a fair share of what’s not working. So you will want to figure out what’s not working and why, so you can make your interactions with other people work.

Find common ground.

Please listen to this short talk by Julia Dhar about how to connect with people without losing yourself so you can do the work of working out your differences with anyone, and then come right back for today’s takeaway.

The takeaway:

Your world is made up of interactions with people. Time to start making your interactions better by finding common ground.

Read more.

I can help you work (and play) better with the people in your life.