Module 12 of our Leadership Development programme brought together school and university scholars to explore approaches for Dealing with Difficult People.
Even the strongest teams encounter challenges with difficult behaviours that can impact collaboration, productivity, and team morale. In this leadership module, our scholars explored practical strategies for addressing the most common tricky team dynamics while also learning how to navigate difficulties with clarity, confidence, and a focus on positive outcomes.
Groups examined real-life scenarios, carefully unpacking the outlined difficult behaviour rather than critiquing the individual, before proposing solutions with a people-focused and constructive approach that drew on their own experiences. Building on the previous workshop, scholars used Padlet to consolidate their thoughts and ‘Aha!’ moments.
Feedback from the course and workshop included:
- What I have learned is that it is really important to separate the problem from the individual. Most of the time, the issue goes deeper than it appears on the surface. Focusing on why the behaviour is happening and how I can help the difficult person improve is crucial.
- The use of the Padlet gives me the chance to refer back to the lessons taught by the course and by my peers in the workshop. The availability of different perspectives is integral to implementing the course in my day to day life.
- From my fellow scholars both in the Moodle discussion and in the workshop, I gained insight into how important empathy, active listening, and being fully prepared for 1-1 conversations are when dealing with challenging behaviour. Their reflections reminded me that confidence and compassion can work together, and that understanding the full picture often leads to better outcomes.
