I am often asked by people and reporters which behaviors are the most difficult to deal with. And the answer is, drum roll please: difficulty is in the eye of the beholder. If you don’t know how to handle a behavior, it will be challenging for you. For someone else, the same behavior that gives you problems wouldn’t even show up as a blip on his or her radar. I remember doing a seminar for a company and 74 out of 75 people were there to learn how to deal with one “tank” vice president. However, the 75th person stood up and she said, “I don’t see what the problem is you people have with him. He’s a no brainer to deal with.” She was wired differently, she had the right attitude, and knew the right things to do to deal with his behavior so she didn’t perceive him as difficult.
Now here’s where being a Conscious Communicator comes in. If you know people who have what you want, ask,” How do you do it?” Find out two things. First, what they do behaviorally; how do they act, what do they say, how do they say it, etc. Second, what’s going on in their head; how they view the situation, how they feel, what do they tell themselves? Then plant seeds of success by imagining having that attitude and behavioral set with your problem person.