I recently watched a documentary that followed the life of the chief neurosurgeon of a hospital. Neurosurgery is one of the most difficult medical disciplines requiring expertise in the brain, spine, and nervous system. This is why I found it fascinating when the surgeon said, “The hardest part of my job is not the surgery – it’s dealing with people’s behaviors!” Think about that for a minute. He has one of the most complex careers in the world, and he finds dealing with some people to be even more challenging than his work! And I believe many leaders would agree with him. So what are some of those difficult behaviors? Here are the top 10.
1. Amplifying Amy
Amplifiers are people who take a small issue and enlarge it, just like an amplifier does with sound. Amplifying Amy adds a high level of drama and gets others on the team worked up by making a small thing become a very big thing.
2. Lazy Larry
I remember my dad talking about a Lazy Larry at his job as a steelworker. He said Larry would spend his day shuffling around, moving from one place to another, and picking up tools to look like he was working. But at the end of the day, Lazy Larry was lucky if he did a few hours of real work!
3. Moody Mike
You will know if you are working with Moody Mike because every day you and your colleagues will be wondering which Mike might be in that day. Happy Mike? Irritated Mike? Depressed Mike? Most of us have some level of mood fluctuation, but for Mike, there is never consistency, and he is regularly changing.
4. Negative Nancy
Negative personality types are popular in culture. Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. Dr. Gregory House from House. Dwight Schrute from The Office. Negative people never see themselves that way, but you know when you are around one because the energy drains out of a team faster than air out of a leaking tire.
5. Victimized Vince
Poor Vince. He is so busy. No one understands how difficult his job is. He never gets affirmation. He works so much harder than others… After a conversation with Vince, you will either want to cry or snap him out of his victimization trance. People tend to avoid Vince because the whining gives them a headache!
6. “No-Can-Do” Nick
Don’t you just love people whose first response is usually “no”? Can I get that report any sooner? “No!” Can you fix that computer today? “No!” Can we try a different approach to the problem? “No!” Highly motivated people will either quit or do an end-around when dealing with people like “No-Can-Do” Nick.
7. Angry Andy
Did you ever see the movie Anger Management starring Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler? In it, the doctor (Nicholson) is trying to help Buddy (Sandler) overcome the anger that Buddy doesn’t think he has. One of the many phrases the doctor says is, “Temper is the one thing you can’t get rid of by losing it.” Angry Andy hasn’t learned that lesson just yet.
8. Vain Vicki
Vain Vicki is your classic narcissist who believes she is smarter than others and entitled to special treatment because of how “special” she is. Her expectation for more compensation, the nicest office, special accommodations, and acting like she is worthy of it all makes her a villain amongst her colleagues.
9. “Black-And-White” Bob
If Bob owned a paint store, it would only carry two colors – black and white. No room for shades or variations. Bob sees the world without any gray. There is right and wrong (he is right, and you are wrong), and there is good and evil (he is good and you are not!). But there is a lot of gray in leadership which requires flexibility and compromise – two traits Bob does not possess.
10. Manipulative Maggie
If manipulation was a credential, Maggie would have a Ph.D.! She will use whatever it takes to get what she wants including withholding information, telling you what you want to hear, creating a relational wedge between people, gaslighting, flattery, and shading the truth, just to name a few.
If you sometimes feel like the neurosurgeon mentioned earlier, a combination of these ten types of people is likely contributing to your feelings. Depending on the level of dysfunction and drain that is present, leaders sometimes need to accept and live with some level of dysfunction. However, there are times when the behaviors are causing too much damage to the team or to the client/customer. This may require a sit-down with the person where you clearly describe the behaviors and your expectations moving forward. It may even warrant a professional development plan and intensive coaching to see if the behaviors can change.
Contact us to learn how our experienced coaches and consultants can assist you in managing difficult behaviors on your team.
Jay Desko is the President & CEO of The Center Consulting Group and brings experience in the areas of organizational assessment, leadership coaching, decision-making, and strategic questioning. Jay’s degrees include an M.Ed. in Instructional Systems Design from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Leadership from The Union Institute.
