You know who they are.
They are the colleagues who frustrate the heck out of you.
(Hopefully, we are not talking about you here.)
They are the person who frustrates us for a variety of reasons.
They don’t “pull their own weight.”
They bring the team’s morale down.
They are always complaining or making excuses.
Whatever they do, they FRUSTRATE US.
I want you to think very clearly about who that person is because that person is a surefire way to get YOURSELF noticed.
Now, I’m not talking about “one-upping them” or “throwing them under the bus.”
I’m talking about creating a powerful working relationship with them.
Find out what frustrates the heck out of THEM.
Find new ways to engage them and build a better sense of trust.
If you are looking to create your next advancement opportunity, building a better working relationship with them may be your way to demonstrate your leadership abilities.
What would it look like if you created a better working relationship with the person who frustrates the heck out of you?
What would it look like if you:
- got to know them a bit better,
- listened to them,
- gained their trust,
- had the powerful conversation with them,
- enjoyed working with them?
When it comes to being an effective leader, being able to support an employee by helping them be more productive and engaged, is a great way to demonstrate who you are as a LEADER.
When dealing with difficult colleagues, I believe there are five ways you can support them and help yourself get noticed as a leader. Let’s take a look.
- Do Quality Work
Why is your work good or exemplary? What are you known for at work? How often are you the “go-to-person” for specific tasks or things around the office? Find that one thing that you do well and do it better than anyone else. Leverage your talents and expertise. And when dealing with someone who frustrates us at work, find what they are good at and help them leverage their expertise as well.
- Make Great Connections with Your Team
Everyone wants to connect and be recognized on their team. But sometimes, people get a bad rap, or they haven’t done their best to “show up” and become a viable member of the team. I encourage you to think about how you “show up” each day. What is your communication like with EVERYONE at the office? (And that includes people who are not on your team.) Who knows you and what you do? And when you think about that person who frustrates you at work, how well do you connect with them or are you the person always complaining about them to others?
- Have Powerful Client/Customer Relationships
Sometimes we have clients that frustrate us, but there is something to learn here. Without clients/customers, we don’t have a business. This is an opportunity to serve them fully and listen diagnostically to what they need. Once we have a clear understanding of what they need, and we know that their needs align with what the company can offer, we can better serve them. Diagnose and execute fully.
- Always Learn
I believe one of the most powerful qualities of amazing leaders is that they are still learning. They are always looking for ways to grow, expand, and stretch their experiences and knowledge base. How do you professional develop yourself? What can you learn from the person who frustrates you? Maybe they know something you don’t.
- Always Show Respect
Yes, respect is earned, but it is also given. In the workplace, I have seen some managers be very demanding that they must be given respect first before they give respect to their team members. It doesn’t work that way. Respect is a two-way street. Know what respect looks like for you in your role and what you expect from others. There is power in making agreements about what respectable behavior looks like. In a previous position, I made agreements with each team member that we would have open and honest conversations about work performance, behavior, and client feedback. The best part of that agreement was that it worked both ways. Whenever we were at a client meeting or out in the field, I knew that we had each other’s back. I build my teams based on mutual respect and robust agreements about what respect looks like.
It is understandable that we get frustrated with colleagues from time to time. I believe that if you are in a leadership position, or aspiring to be in one soon, how we “show up” and treat our colleagues, even the ones who frustrate us, will get us noticed and more importantly, build stronger working relationships.
How do you demonstrate your leadership and help your colleagues? Comment in the box below and share your thoughts with our readers.