This post is inspired by an email I received this morning from an ex-colleague. This ex-colleague somehow still feel compelled to update me on the happenings in my old office. The truth is, I’m not interested anymore. There is a good reason why I walked away from the working scene and everyday I count my blessing I don’t have to put up with much of the nonsense I had to face back then. I faced head-on in the past because I am paid to do so. Now that I’m not, I seriously cannot be bothered.

The truth is, difficult people are everywhere. It’s not just one office, it’s all office. There are bound to be difficult individuals and no global warming is going to make this species go into extinction. So, live with it or understand their mechanics. Understand what motivates them to be difficult.

1 . Ego (I am important so please kneel down and worship me kind)

OK, everyone has ego but some more than others. Much more. Some people like to feel they are the central of attention and the world revolves around them. These are the ‘know it all‘ and will not hesitate to correct you should you make the slightest mistake. Most of the time these people are not stupid. They just have this massive need to prove they are important. So important they can create problems for others. Most people like to avoid confrontation with this type of individual and in the end, this just motivates them because they interpret other people’s avoidance as being ‘better than others.’ In their puny mind, they think they are the star and each time their star status is reinforced when people put up with their difficult behaviour.

2. Control (I need to exert some kind of control in my sad life to justify my existence kind)

People like to feel in control. While most people are not control freak, they do relish the sense of control. The truth is, many people are predictable and act certain way if provoked. A person being difficult and creating problem is in a sense controlling those around them. The difficult person like to create situation where it gives them a sense of manipulation and control. Say if you are a person who cannot hold your temper, the difficult individual will act on this and provoke you to lose your temper. That is a kind of manipulation and it fuels their sense of control. Oh yes, these people do not care whether the reaction is negative… any reaction from others will do.

3. Inferiority Complex (I am not great so I have lots to prove kind)

This kind is the opposite of #1, the ego freak. While the ego freak thinks they are the star, this no.3 thinks they are not and has this annoying need to prove themselves all the time. These people have this compulsive need to show themselves and others they are worth something. Personally, this kind is not really lethal, but then they’re just downright annoying.

Off hand these are the 3 common varieties I can think of. The bad news is, these 3 are not limited to the office environment. They do strive and multiply as well in the blogosphere. Having said that, it’s a whole different ball game when your encounter with these people happen in the blogosphere. Unlike in the office where you have to learn to overcome them for your sanity and livehood, you don’t have to care about them in the blogosphere. There is a vast difference encountering these difficult people in real life and on the net. The good news is, I can say they are 90% less effective in the vacuum of the internet.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 12th, 2007 at 4:59 pm and is filed under Bloggings, personal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.