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How to Work with Just About Anyone: A 3-Step Solution for Getting Difficult People to Change
THREE SIMPLE STEPS FOR TRANSFORMING YOUR WORKPLACE
Every office has the ever-complaining colleague...the co-worker who is constantly late for meetings...the boss who either blows up at you or blows you off...or the one person who drives everyone else totally crazy.
The problem is, the conventional methods -- like repeated warnings, threats, and heartfelt discussions -- for dealing with this negative behavior often don't seem to work. Drawing on a wealth of professional experience as well as forty years of research, Lucy Gill exposes the futility of these common practices and replaces them with a three-step strategy for creating a productive, conflict-free
1. Get to the heart of the matter by focusing on what the real problem is.
2. Determine what problem-solving methods to avoid so that you don't perpetuate the conflict.
3. Choose a different and even surprising approach that will solve the problem and keep it solved.
Whether you're just starting out in your career or you already have an office along the executive corridor, How to Work with Just About Anyone provides the key to success, satisfaction, and sanity in the workplace.
Every office has the ever-complaining colleague...the co-worker who is constantly late for meetings...the boss who either blows up at you or blows you off...or the one person who drives everyone else totally crazy.
The problem is, the conventional methods -- like repeated warnings, threats, and heartfelt discussions -- for dealing with this negative behavior often don't seem to work. Drawing on a wealth of professional experience as well as forty years of research, Lucy Gill exposes the futility of these common practices and replaces them with a three-step strategy for creating a productive, conflict-free
1. Get to the heart of the matter by focusing on what the real problem is.
2. Determine what problem-solving methods to avoid so that you don't perpetuate the conflict.
3. Choose a different and even surprising approach that will solve the problem and keep it solved.
Whether you're just starting out in your career or you already have an office along the executive corridor, How to Work with Just About Anyone provides the key to success, satisfaction, and sanity in the workplace.
- GenresBusiness
208 pages, Paperback
First published October 20, 1999
7 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 25, 2019
Donne des solutions pratiques et une méthode à suivre. Rejoins les autres livres sur le sujet : pensez différemment pour prendre confiance en nous + essayer une nouvelle méthode
August 18, 2011
I read a great deal of personal growth/self help books. This one has some good ideas, but it's not as good as many of the ones I've read. I must admit that Gill is a good, clear writer, and that she obviously understands the underlying theory that her suggestions are based on. She uses a lot of examples to illustrate her points. The book is well laid out and easy to follow. I particularly like that it contains a summary of the steps at the end. The author also provides a (too brief) bibliography to give readers a chance to get more information and support in using the techniques presented.
Despite the fact that the book does have good points, and some people will probably find it useful, I didn't find it particularly helpful for me overall (although I did agree with certain points -- notably, the idea that people have a tendency to repeat the same mistakes). It's too short, and I find that the techniques she suggests, which are based on the work of Brief Therapists such as Paul Wazlawick, are too cognitively based -- I have an admitted bias against cognitive behaviourism. In my experience, some of the techniques she suggests are superficial and they don't lead to long term change. They don't get to the root of the issues between people and really allow you to connect and improve the relationship. If you want to do that, this book won't help.
If you just want to get along well enough to achieve a task, and aren't really interested in the long term health of the relationship or achieving true communication, some of the ideas here might work. But this approach deals with the symptoms, it doesn't get to the root of problems. Some would go so far as to say it involves being manipulative -- I'm not sure.
If you have some familiarity with solution focused therapy/thinking, and you generally believe in the benefits of that orientation, you will find this book of value. If, like me, you prefer a more humanistic, person-centred theory, you likely won't get as much out of this book. I'm glad I read it, and I did take a few ideas from it, but I've already put it in my "to give away" bag.
Despite the fact that the book does have good points, and some people will probably find it useful, I didn't find it particularly helpful for me overall (although I did agree with certain points -- notably, the idea that people have a tendency to repeat the same mistakes). It's too short, and I find that the techniques she suggests, which are based on the work of Brief Therapists such as Paul Wazlawick, are too cognitively based -- I have an admitted bias against cognitive behaviourism. In my experience, some of the techniques she suggests are superficial and they don't lead to long term change. They don't get to the root of the issues between people and really allow you to connect and improve the relationship. If you want to do that, this book won't help.
If you just want to get along well enough to achieve a task, and aren't really interested in the long term health of the relationship or achieving true communication, some of the ideas here might work. But this approach deals with the symptoms, it doesn't get to the root of problems. Some would go so far as to say it involves being manipulative -- I'm not sure.
If you have some familiarity with solution focused therapy/thinking, and you generally believe in the benefits of that orientation, you will find this book of value. If, like me, you prefer a more humanistic, person-centred theory, you likely won't get as much out of this book. I'm glad I read it, and I did take a few ideas from it, but I've already put it in my "to give away" bag.
June 19, 2021
I am a big fan of Palo Alto's school of psychology but it's sometime too theorical.
This book removes the theory to propose a very pragmatic (as pragmatic as the Palo Alto principles can be ;) ) method to handle difficult / conflictual situation at work when you you have already tried the conventional methods.
it offers also a way to ask good questions : is the situation really a problem ? Or do you have a clear view on the problem ?
This book removes the theory to propose a very pragmatic (as pragmatic as the Palo Alto principles can be ;) ) method to handle difficult / conflictual situation at work when you you have already tried the conventional methods.
it offers also a way to ask good questions : is the situation really a problem ? Or do you have a clear view on the problem ?
November 3, 2022
Un guide concret pour résoudre des problèmes interactionnels via la systémique de Palo Alto. Le contenu est complètement abordable pour un débutant qui n’a pas étudié la systémique et illustré par des exemples parlants.
Il faut juste passer outre le titre racoleur à l’américaine, car le contenu est plus subtil que ça !
Il faut juste passer outre le titre racoleur à l’américaine, car le contenu est plus subtil que ça !
June 26, 2008
Not terrifically convinced of the efficacy of its methods.
September 28, 2015
Een praktische gids. Het boek schittert door zijn eenvoud. Boeiend om mee aan de slag te gaan.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews