Learning From Challenging Co-Workers

Almost every employee has one or two challenging co-workers at the office. If you find your workday filled with peers who frustrate you or you find it difficult to work with, this can be a challenge – but you shouldn’t focus on the downsides.

There are some benefits to having challenging co-workers, including the opportunity to learn from interacting and collaborating with people who may be very different from you.

To help you learn from challenging co-workers:

• Identify the reasons for negative reactions you may have. Sometimes, people just rub you the wrong way. You cannot control what others do, but you can control your reactions to them. Perhaps a co-worker bothers you because they remind you of a past bad boss or a friend you had a falling out with. Maybe you don’t like their style of communicating or you believe them to be a narcissistic person. Whatever the reason is, if you understand your feelings, you’ll be better able to control that reaction.
• Focus on the good aspects of each co-worker. Even the worst co-worker usually has at least some redeeming traits – otherwise, your company wouldn’t keep the person on. Instead of thinking about the things you don’t like, consider where their skill set lies and how you can learn from them.
• Embrace your differences.  If you and your co-worker have a different means of communicating or take a different approach to solving problems, don’t let this upset you. Instead, try to see things from your co-worker’s perspective and look for ways your skill set can complement the talents of your troublesome peer.

One benefit to successfully implementing strategies to deal with challenging co-workers is these strategies can be helpful when you try to land a new position. At your interview, you can explain how you were able to find ways to work with people with all different personality types and can show off all that you learned from finding ways to get along with everyone.

If you’re ready to land an interview where you can show off your excellent teamwork skills, contact SmartTalent today. We have helped many job seekers in Kirkland, Fife, Renton, Lacey, Lynnwood, Everett and surrounding areas to land great positions. And who knows, maybe your co-workers won’t be quite so challenging in your next job.