Dealing With Those Difficult Employees – Nu Leadership Series
“Well, most people feel the negative because they are negative.”
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Everyone knows that it’s easy to lead “good people.” How does a leader treat difficult people? I struggle in this area. I am the youngest deacon in my church. Miller, author of Empowered Leader, explains that difficult people are the ones who stand between you and your goals. Have you ever worked in an organization full of difficult people? It’s not a thought of pleasure, is it?
Let’s review a “real world” application. My pastor, a young man in his 40s, has a determined spirit that is focused on the outreach ministry. Although my church is progressive for the area, the members are relatively conservationists. This situation creates generational conflicts anywhere; however, my pastor routinely involves some negative members. Mill argues that there is usually congenital belligerence in any key leadership role. Well, I call them “Hell-Raisers”. They love a good fight and rarely avoid one. I try to encourage our pastor by saying that dealing with those negative people is part of carrying his cross. In the Bible, the Apostle Paul writes: “…a thorn was given to me in my flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me.”
Consequently, a leader should try to be a peacemaker, if possible. From my personal experience, it’s hard to be a peacemaker with Hell Raisers. Why would you make this statement? Some people view the unwillingness to engage them in a fight as a character weakness. Likewise, Hell Raisers may be in your organization. What are you going to do? Winston, author and professor, argues that an effective leader must be the person who builds and sustains harmony in the organization. Many people hate change. Some people are closed minded. When corrosive situations arise, I’m usually caught in the middle. Sometimes it can be a war zone. I close myself to thinking that one day I will have to lead an organization with belligerents. Is it possible to effectively lead a merry band of congenital belligerents? That is a wicked thought. The leaders must take control of this situation or give the Hell Raisers the day off.
References:
Miller, C. (1995). The empowered leader. United States of America: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
Winston, B. (2002). Be a leader for God’s sake. Virginia Beach, VA. Regent University.
(c) 2006 by Daryl D. Green
