It Takes More Than a Carrot and a Stick

Practical ways for getting along with people you can’t avoid at work

Wess Roberts

IMPERIOUS JERKSIMPERIOUS JERKS

“The Masters of the Universe”

What is an Imperious Jerk?

Domineering and overbearing; driven by a sense of self-importance

Conceited, arrogant authoritarians who take extreme measures to protect their fragile self-esteem

Extraordinarily self-disciplined, methodical, intelligent & competitive

If You Work for an Imperious Jerk

Understand who’s in charge

Learn to separate tactless putdowns from constructive criticism

Don’t be a wimp

Be useful

If You Have a Peer Who Is an Imperious Jerk

Refrain from getting into ego battles

Stand your ground

Choose your friends wisely

Collaborate, cooperate, and communicate

If You Manage an Imperious Jerk

Give them tough assignments

Help them play nice

Manage rewards justly

EMPTY SUITSEMPTY SUITS

“The Fashion Models”

What is an Empty Suit?

Superficial and deceptive; often believing in the illusions they create

High-strung, glib, clever, insincere & manipulative

Optimistic, cheerful, and amusing; uses their resources efficiently

If You Work for an Empty Suit

Raise your antiseduction shield

Expect to be micromanaged

Avoid jargon

Be adult

If You Have a Peer Who Is an Empty Suit

Put your job first

Keep others informed

If You Manage an Empty Suit

Fill their empty suits

Give credit where credit is due

Watch for red flags

LONE WOLVESLONE WOLVES

“The Fiercely Independent”

What is a Lone Wolf?

Impulsive, fearless, self-assured and in constant need to prove themselves

Adventurous, impatient, confrontational

Persuasive, self-confident & manipulative with a desire to help others and the organization succeed

If You Work for a Lone Wolf

Take initiative

Don’t make excuses

Leave your hypersensitivity at home

If You Have a Peer Who Is a Lone Wolf

If you can’t assist, stay out of their way

Establish boundaries

If You Manage a Lone Wolf

Load them up with assignments

Expect candor

Keep intent in perspective

ANDROIDSANDROIDS

“The Blindly Obedient”

What is an Android?

Mindless, compliant, & insecure people pleasers

Unimaginative, self-conscious, submissive worriers

Passive, deliberate, & dependent

If You Work for an Android

Take them solutions, not problems

Make reasonable requests

If You Have a Peer Who Is an Android

Include them in your activities

Assure them

If You Manage an Android

Help them succeed

Teach self-reliance

Communicate clearly

Ask for their opinions

Don’t exploit vulnerability

WORKAHOLICSWORKAHOLICS

“The Power-Starved”

What is a Workaholic?

Compelled, tenacious, & driven by an insatiable need to feel powerful

Tense, unsociable, competitive, & overly domineering

Exceptionally productive, work well under pressure, & pay attention to details

If You Work for a Workaholic

Set limits on your availability

Put important things in writing

Don’t let their personal stress be your problem

Meet your deadlines

If You Have a Peer Who Is a Workaholic

Concentrate on progress, not process

Involve them only where they belong

Set reasonable limits on your availability

If You Manage a Workaholic

Establish their priorities for them

Reward output, not input

Monitor their progress

When the day is over, send them home

SLOUGHERSSLOUGHERS

“The Responsibility-Challenged”

What is a Slougher?

Unhurried, indifferent, & dillydallying through each day

Bright people who are uninspired by their work assignments

Unassuming, harmonious, with finely tuned social skills

If You Work for a Slougher

Don’t ask permission

Report frequently, but not everyday

Solve problems yourself

Lighten their load

If You Have a Peer Who Is a Slougher

Don’t let them dump their work on you

Be forthright

Take the high road

If You Manage a Slougher

Distinguish ability from motivation

Keep them in the spotlight

Tell other staff members not to do a Slougher’s work

Promote them to their level of competence

GATEKEEPERSGATEKEEPERS

“The Empowerment Police”

What is a Gatekeeper?

Guarded, vigilant, & fixated on procedure

Obsessive rule followers who strictly abide by the letter of the law

Careful, accurate, stable, & generally trustworthy

If You Work for a Gatekeeper

Make the rules fit the situation

Outmaneuver an unyielding Gatekeeper

Go out of your way to be friendly

If You Have a Peer Who Is a Gatekeeper

Don’t allow them to have power over you

Don’t validate their moral judgments

If You Manage a Gatekeeper

Hold them personally accountable

Force them to take initiative

Keep them from becoming obstacles to others

FAULTFINDERSFAULTFINDERS

“The Self-Righteous”

What is a Faultfinder?

Sanctimonious, inflexible, & secretive members of the morality police

Reserved, inflexible, easily offended & hypocritical

Dedicated to their jobs & quite productive when placed under close supervision

If You Work for a Faultfinder

Refuse to spy

Be discrete

Don’t sweat the boss stuff

If You Have a Peer Who Is a Faultfinder

Show some grit

Avoid retaliation

If You Manage a Faultfinder

Expect them to tell on you

Don’t encourage tattletales

Put an end to the problem quickly

Be circumspect

BUNGEE JUMPERSBUNGEE JUMPERS

“The Thrill Seekers”

What is a Bungee Jumper?

Theatrical, easily distracted, with an incessant need to try something new

Attracted to activities that are exciting & stimulating, but have no real purpose

Perform best in structured environments with minimal distractions

If You Work for a Bungee Jumper

Fill in the gaps in their managerial observations

Lend a basic management hand

Be diplomatic

Attend their social gatherings

If You Have a Peer Who Is a Bungee Jumper

Teach them how to solve problems

Don’t put up with a nuisance

Enjoy the show

If You Manage a Bungee Jumper

Train and retrain

Structure their environment

Demand attention to detail

Keep an open mind

PERPETUAL VICTIMSPERPETUAL VICTIMS

“The Whiners and Bitchers”

What is a Perpetual Victim?

Peevish & bitter with an inability to cope with the least bit of adversity

Extremely high-strung, impatient, & emotionally erratic

Self-disciplined, thorough, & organized hard workers

If You Work for a Perpetual Victim

Carry an emotional umbrella

Reject undue criticism

Be cheerful and proactive

If You Have a Peer Who Is a Perpetual Victim

Avoid complaint sessions

Don’t be a scapegoat

You don’t have to like them

If You Manage a Perpetual Victim

Team them up with positive peers

Don’t confuse attitude with aptitude

Redirect their complaints

Teach them how to deal with adversity

COLLEAGUE SLAYERSCOLLEAGUE SLAYERS

“The Backbiters, the Rumormongers, and the

Saboteurs”

What is a Colleague Slayer?

Predatory, venomous, & relentless snoops who destroy their coworkers’ reputations

Self-centered, ruthless, methodical villains

Polite, pleasant toward their allies, & protective of close associates

If You Work for a Colleague Slayer

Do your best

Keep your distance

Be discrete

If You Have a Peer Who Is a Colleague Slayer

Interact on a need-to-know basis

Keep your small talk small

Safeguard sensitive information

Expose them

If You Manage a Colleague Slayer

Keep them productively occupied

Be decisive

Discipline justly

Keep your personal thoughts positive

PRODUCTIVITY PRODUCTIVITY REBELSREBELS

“The Secretly Defiant”

What is a Productivity Rebel?

Cynical, sullen, & intentionally ineffective

Deep-seated sense of anger toward authority figures

Skillful in gaining others’ sympathy & they escape accountability by masking their intentional impediments to progress

If You Work for a Productivity Rebel

Be proactive

Remain independent

Be optimistic

If You Have a Peer Who Is a Productivity Rebel

Practice proactive damage control

Don’t rub your success in their face

Be generous with appreciation

If You Manage a Productivity Rebel

Teach them to be responsible, not self-defeating

Put it in writing

Supervise them closely

Don’t tolerate sulking behavior

TEMPERAMENTAL TEMPERAMENTAL TYRANTTYRANT

“The Happiness-Impaired”

What is a Temperamental Tyrant?

Unstable & disgruntled; always appearing to be mad at the world in general

Cantankerous, volatile, truly unhappy; extremely difficult for them to form healthy interpersonal relationships

Technically competent, conscientious; excellent mentors

If You Work for a Temperamental Tyrant

Show some courage

Refuse to be abused

Try to sense their mood

Take the opportunity to learn something new

If You Have a Peer Who Is a Temperamental Tyrant

Avoid needless conflict

Recognize normal mood swings

Let them save face

Sometimes it’s best to turn the other cheek

If You Manage a Temperamental Tyrant

Discipline maladaptive behavior

Help them become self-aware

Use their skills wisely

Be of good cheer

TOUCHY-FEELIESTOUCHY-FEELIES

“The Social Workers”

What is a Touchy-Feelie?

Hypersensitive, meddlesome, & fanatical members of the self-esteem police

Fussy, stubborn, terribly insecure, & often affectionate for the wrong reasons

Perfectionists who perform best when working jobs with a high degree of freedom & scrutinized accountability

If You Work for a Touchy-Feelie

Help them stay focused

Be generous with appreciation

Feed their need to control

Mind your manners

If You Have a Peer Who Is a Touchy-Feelie

Keep your private life private

Keep them uninvited to your business

Encourage them to be responsible

If You Manage a Touchy-Feelie

Establish expectations and deadlines

Watch your back

Praise results

Don’t excuse them from reality

FREQUENT FLIERSFREQUENT FLIERS

“The Entitlement Chasers”

What is a Frequent Flier?

Shortsighted & self-justifying; often use their organization’s resources as their own

Situational ethics; believe the rules they break don’t apply to them

Individualistic, shallow, & greedy with a relentless pattern of serving their own needs first & foremost

If You Work for a Frequent Flier

Sidestep doing personal favors

Take the ball and run

Wear your ethics

If You Have a Peer Who Is a Frequent Flier

Be cautious about reporting misuse of resources

Refuse to be an accomplice

Refrain from becoming petty

If You Manage a Frequent Flier

Set a proper example

Teach them to exercise good judgment

Accept nothing less than their best performance

Decide where to draw the line

SUCCESS – As a Manager

Communicate

Stand by your associates

Forgive honest mistakes

Show appreciation

SUCCESS – As a Peer

Be an ally

Don’t quibble

Be objective

Compete fairly

SUCCESS – As a Subordinate

Do your job

Be cheerful

Don’t be a burden

Abide by rules meant to be obeyed