Some Goodness

Episode 20: Dealing with Difficult People

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This episode of 'Some Goodness' explores how to handle difficult conversations and set boundaries in the workplace to build stronger teams. Host Richard Ellis engages with Jack Galloway, a seasoned executive and leadership consultant, who shares his expertise on transforming challenging interactions into growth opportunities. Key insights include the importance of addressing problems promptly, approaching conversations with curiosity and empathy, balancing clarity with kindness, and fostering a culture of honesty and mutual respect. Galloway's practical tips are aimed at helping leaders manage conflict effectively and align their teams towards common goals.

 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction: The Prevalence of Difficult Coworkers

00:23 Transforming Challenges into Opportunities

00:49 Meet Jack Galloway: Leadership Expert

01:38 The Importance of Addressing Conflict Early

05:11 Practical Tips for Handling Tough Conversations

10:53 Balancing Candor with Kindness

17:10 Prioritizing Tasks for Effective Leadership

26:39 Creating a Positive Workplace Culture

31:04 Conclusion: The Impact of Good Leadership

 

Keywords

Conflict resolution, Toxic coworkers, Leadership, Clarity / Being clear, Avoidance, Fear, Boundaries, Team harmony, Candor / Kindness, Culture, Coaching and mentoring, Role alignment, Trust, Underperformance, Priorities and capacity, Toxic environment, Growth opportunities, High-performing teams, Accountability

 

Sound Bites
  •  “Difficult people are everywhere, and avoiding them isn’t an option.”
  •  “I would rather see a business leader do fewer things and do them with success, do them well, than to do many things and do none of them well.”
  •  “To be unclear is to be unkind, and to be clear is to be kind.”
  •  “When you mention venting, I’m actually okay with venting if it leads us somewhere.”
  •  “If we’re not doing these things, we should not expect our teams to do these things.”
  •  “You could take a great salesperson who’s good on a phone … and suddenly you put them in doing some administrative duties and their productivity goes from a nine to about a two.”
  •  “If we’ll do the things we’re talking about while we’re in that level of influence in that role, it impacts those people beyond just their jobs … it helps them in different areas of their life.”
  •  “We still have to lead our organization towards success. But in the midst of doing that, we do all these things that we’ve talked about here today, and we start to develop a really strong team.”
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    Some GoodnessBy Richard Ellis