The workplace is filled with people with different personalities, characters and all. It is easy for there to be bad blood in the office, as there is always one person nobody likes or who doesn’t get along with any and everybody. How do you work with such a person without being at loggerheads all the time?
Working in tandem with everyone at work, increases productivity and general success of the company. It is quite easy to be liked by everyone and for you to work amiably with everyone at work. How exactly can you achieve this?
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Give feedback with tact
You’re a no-nonsense type of person who speaks her mind. But then, not everybody likes to hear it which may lead to undue tension around the office. What can you do when you have someone who doesn’t seem to meet deadlines, for example? He/she might be a good, hardworking person, by the way, but his/her actions always delay the work of everyone else on the team. What can you do? You can walk up to him/her, compliment the work they’ve been doing and completing, then drop the bombshell, and end on a positive note. This will cushion the effects; harsh words might have had.
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Ask how the other person works
People have different ways of achieving desired results. A colleague might be a person who puts his phone on “do not disturb mode” when he sits down to work and would totally hate to see 15 missed calls from you when he eventually looks at his phone. Figure out how best your colleagues prefer to work and try as much as possible not to interrupt their productivity flow. They would really be pissed with you if you came disturbing all the time. Sending a text or email might be preferable for some people rather than dropping by their cubicle or office. Bending to other people’s processes will position you as a team player, not to mention make it easier for you to push your own projects through.
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Seek the team’s good
You got in a nasty argument with that chic at the corner table last week, now you have a query even though it wasn’t your fault you fought. Every time there is conflict in the workplace, time is always wasted. The time you would have used to deliberate and come to a mutual solution was used in trying to prove you were right, all along. Yes, you were but still got queried for disturbing the peace of everyone else and creating an undercurrent in the office. Decide what your priorities are and let everything else go—even if you know you’re right. seek the team’s good, not yours, that’s what successful people do. Build good relationship. Choose your battles.
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Remember that you are on the same team
The company was set up to meet a common goal and objective which everyone knows and should work towards. That being said, remember that you are on the same team. The way you work is a bit different from the way your colleague does. Yes, everyone has their personalities and opinions and eccentricities, that doesn’t mean you should disturb another person just because they don’t complete a task the way you do. Be passionate about what you do and let it show in your interactions with your colleagues.
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Respect the other person’s expertise
Do not undermine anybody. Everyone wants to be respected for their work, and that includes you. Most people want to be heard and have their opinions taken note of. Do this and you earn a spot in their hearts. There are things they bring to the table, if not, they wouldn’t be on your team or in that company. Realizing that everyone has something to offer and asking for input, help, feedback and advice when something comes up in their realm of expertise will help your relationship in the office.
Working successfully in an office full of people with different personalities is no easy feat, but then it is achievable and necessary, especially for the good of the company or organization. You can do it.
