Dale Carnegie said it best when he said, “When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion”.

If we all could just be more logical life would be easier.

But we are creatures of emotion and that requires a different approach.

• Compare beliefs and attitudes plus personal quirks with others.  This is the best way to see how your style conflicts with others.
• React objectively and without emotion.  Difficult people are easier to handle in situations where we are not stirring up emotions needlessly.
• Bring conflict into the open.  When conflict exists but is suppressed, it is more monumental to deal with than when the facts are laid out in the open.
• Negotiate differences with others.  Deals aren’t the only things that can be negotiated.  If you’re willing to compromise, even difficult people cannot resist a good deal.
• Adjust your behavior.  When we find ourselves frequently in conflict due to difficult personalities of others, we must also have the courage to look to ourselves and where we can alter behavior.

This advice from Roberta Cava says it all:  “You can’t control other people’s behavior, but you can control your responses to it” and we’ll never run out of opportunities to practice — Jerry

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