Top Resources for Dealing with a Work Bully
Dealing with difficult colleagues can be frustrating. Here are some tips for dealing with a typrant and other bullies in the workplace.
Lisa B. Marshall
I received an email from Jose, a listener in Bolivia, who is dealing with a tyrant at work. Jose is a young man doing an internship, and another young man, who is a year older, has been there for only nine months. Unfortunately, this coworker is making Jose’s work very difficult. I shared with him the following:
Jose, thanks for contacting me, and thanks for listening to my podcasts! Obviously you already understand that good communication is crucial in business. Unfortunately, not everyone knows this, including your difficult coworker.
Because so many people have the problem you are having, I have created several podcasts and blogs which address how to deal with difficult people. I’d like to share some of them with you.
First, in a short blog, What Exactly is Workplace Bullying?, I describe what constitutes bullying. I’m not sure about the laws in Bolivia, but in the United States, there are legal avenues that can be taken for clear cases of bullying.
But legal action should not be the first approach. Learning to deal with difficult people will help you in every aspect of life, both in business and in your personal life. I wrote How to Deal with Manipulative and Dishonest Co-Workers and Don’t Let a Toxic Boss Ruin Your Career to help people in your situation. Why Do People Interrupt? and How to Stop People from Interrupting You may also help. These go over the types of interrupters, including bullies, and how to deal with each. Finally, I wrote How to Have a Difficult Conversation to walk people through what to do and say.
Some of the other experts on QuickandDirtyTips.com have also written about bullying. I would suggest looking at Get-It-Done-Guy’s tips, How to Have Difficult Conversations and How to Deal with Difficult People at Work, for a slightly different approach.
Jose, I hope these tips help you. If you can learn early in your career how to effectively deflect and deflate the bully’s treatment, you will go far, and will be well respected in the business world. But remember more than anything else, do not respond in kind! Bullies and tyrants are trying to upset you, hurt you, frighten you, or anger you. They will use it against you if they can. Always remain calm and professional, but do not let anyone mistreat you. Say no, stand firm, and others will respect you for it.
Good luck, and let me know how it turns out for you!
This is Lisa B. Marshall helping you to lead and influence. If you’d like to learn more about compelling communication, I invite you to read my bestselling books, Smart Talk and Ace Your Interview and listen to my other podcast, Smart Talk. As always, your success is my business.
About the Author
Lisa B. Marshall Lisa holds masters with duel degrees in interpersonal/intercultural communication and organizational communication. She’s the author of Smart Talk: The Public Speaker’s Guide to Success in Every Situation, as well as Ace Your Interview, Powerful Presenter, and Expert Presenter. Her work has been featured in CBS Money Watch, Ragan.com, Woman’s Day, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, and many others. Her institutional clients include Johns Hopkins Medicine, Harvard University, NY Academy of Science, University of Pennsylvania, Genentech, and Roche.