The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Along with Difficult People

Part 1: It Takes All Kinds

1: Look Out--They're Everywhere!

Discover why creative aproaches to dealing with difficult people are an essential

survival skill.

2: Tough Customers 101

What do they want? And what do we have to do to keep from breaking into a cold

sweat when we run into them?

3: The Three Big Myths

Here are the three most common, and dangerous, people, and some advice on

strategies you should allow instead.

Part 2: On the Job with Difficult People Who Aren't Your Boss

4: The Fine Art of Supervising a Jerk

There's no law that says we have to like the difficult people who report to us,

bus we do have to find the most effective ways to interact with them.

5: Negative Cycles with Subordinates

Here are specific ideas for dealing effectively with six of the most vexing

"here-we-go-again" syndromes you're likely to encounter when dealing with

difficult people who report to you.

6: "My Coworker Is Driving Me Crazy!"

Here are some ideas for channeling the difficult Coworker's energy in positive

directions and staying out of "bickering for its own sake" mode.

7: Negative Cycles with Coworkers

Cut the cycle off in the middle, and you'll find that life with your coworker is

a lot easier to deal with.

Part 3: On the Job with Difficult People Who Are Your Boss (Or Might as Well Be)

8: Building a Good Relationship with a Tough Boss

This person probably wouldn't be someone you'd choose to spend a year or two

with on a desert island, but that doesn't mean you can't establish a set of

ground rules that will keep you both happy.

9: Managing Negative Cycles with Bosses

Using these strategies to refashion negative cycles with your boss can have a

profound positive impact on your working life.

10: Early Intervention with Bosses Who Practice M.B.E. (Management by Explosion)

Managers who seem to make a habit of governing by means of tirades present

special challenges, so here are some pre-blowup survival strategies for dealing

with these extremely difficult bosses.

11: Handling Bosses Who Practice M.B.E.

It's too late-the tantrum has started, and here's what you should do about it.

12: Making It Through the Meeting Alive

Day-to-day interactions with your boss don't have to be nightmares: Here are some

guidelines for developing a workable routine during one-on-one exchanges and

group meetings conducted by difficult bosses.

13: Getting It Down on Paper

Many of the conflicts and misunderstandings people encounter with difficult

bosses can be avoided by making a strategic decision to provide updates and

questions in written form, rather than in person.

14: Discretion Is the Better Part of Valor

No meeting is scheduled. You have a question. Should you ask it? Here's some

advice on how to tell when you'r better off lying low.

15: How to Get a Raise from a Difficult Boss

It's not as difficult to get a raise from a tough manager as you might think--if

you follow the right steps.

Part 4: Negotiating with Difficult People

16: Before You Do Anything...

Don't just start talking; plan ahead so you can use important "structural"

advantages when negotiating with difficult people.

17: Buying and Selling

A brief overview of the back-and-forth process you can expect from the difficult

negotiator.

18: Handling Ego-Driven Negotitors

Get a grip! These unsteady folks may be intimidating, but they may also lose

their perspective during the negotiating sessions.

19: End Games

The final stages of your negotiation with a difficult person don't have to be

traumatic; you may finally be in a parties.

Part 5: Consumer Retorts

20: Telephone Troubles: They're Calling You

Here are some ideas that will help you to minimize antagonistic exchanges with

the people who give you grief over the phone.

21: Telephone Troubles: You're Calling Them

What you bought doesn't work! They didn't deliver what they promised! How do you

get that self-absorbed person on the other end of the line to realize there's a

problem here?

22: The Care and Feeding of Your Paper Trail

No matter what else you're doing, you should make a point of keeping a written

record of all your correspondence with the people who are making life difficult

for you, as a consumer.

23: When and How to Appeal to Higher Powers

No Consumer has to take being abused forever. If agitating from the inside isn't

turning things around for you, you may want to consider these steps.

24: Should You Sue?

In most cases, a full-scale legal assault won't be worth the trouble--then again,

there are exceptions to every rule.

25: Face to Face

Take advantage of these detailed strategies for handling on-the-spot exchanges

with people who have a way of making life difficult in the short term.

Part 6: Dealing with the Day-to-Day Nasties

26: Nasty Neighbors

How do you keep minor disputes with neighbours from turning into major ones? Here

are some ideas on dealing with the difficult people in your neighbourhood.

27: Public Places Stadiums, bars,etc.:

How can you make sure that things don't get out of hand when you run into

difficult people in these places?

28: Minor Legal Problems with Diffcult People

Run-ins with police officers, judges, and lawyers can cause major headaches, if

you say the wrong thing.

Glossary

Index