Manage Someone You Don’t Like By Working Closely With Them

Manage Someone You Don’t Like By Working Closely With Them

If you’ve been in a management position, you’ve possibly had to supervise someone who just rubs you the wrong way. Instead of avoiding them, try working with that person directly and they might annoy you less.

Photo by Innovate360

The Harvard Business Review offers some tips on how to co-exist with someone you don’t like at work. You may not want to work closer with them, but that’s the reason you should:

It may sound like counterintuitive advice, but if you feel awkward, frustrated, or angry around one of your employees, you probably try to avoid her and may even struggle to make eye contact when you’re together. Imagine how demoralizing it can be for the employee whose boss won’t even look her in the eye!

To change the dynamic, you need to actually create more opportunities to be together, so you can get to know the person’s back-story. This will have two benefits: First, you’ll get used to her quirks, which will make you more comfortable with them. Second, you’ll learn about what makes her tick and how you can tap into those values as a source of motivation.

The two of you may not be best friends, but you’ll learn how to motivate the person and work with them. Check out the link for some other ways to create a working relationship with someone you don’t like.

How To Motivate Someone You Don’t Like [Harvard Business Review]


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