The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Handling Difficult Employees

By Robert Bacal

The Complete Idiot's Guide To Handling Difficult Employees, released in June, 2000, and written by Robert Bacal is written for people who work with difficult employees. While the book presents solutions from the manager's point of view, the principles and realities presented in the book are sure to help anyone stuck with working with a difficult employee. Coming in in excess of 300 pages, it is a hands-on practical guide, with just enough theory to help you make intelligent decisions about how to handle those difficult people. We've provided some chapter excerpts and table of contents for your convenience. The final book version may differ slightly from the information presented here. Available in bookstores, you can save by buying at amazon.com by clicking on the cover to the right.

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Back to Part 1 Contents and excerpts

Back to book Main Page

Table of Contents and excerpts from Part3

Table of Contents Part II

 Part 2: Managing Garden Variety Employees

Chapter 6 Identifying the Garden Variety Difficult Employee

Identifying the Garden Variety Difficult Employee
The Hidden Costs of the Garden Variety Difficult Employee
Take Action To Prevent Worsening Behavior
Your Interpersonal Tools
Formal Authority Tools
So, You Think You Really Have Power?
So When Is the Use of Authority Warranted?
Preventative Tools
Creating Norms  
The Power of Norm Creation

The Least You Need to Know

Chapter 7 - Providing Feedback to Difficult Employees

Feedback—A Major Tool for Change
The Different Faces of Feedback
Two Feedback Dimension—Factual and Emotional
Sources of Feedback
Feedback Strategies
Direct Feedback
Facilitating Feedback from Others
Cueing Attention on Task Feedback
Giving Feedback That Gets Positive Results
Feedback Somewhat Controlled by Recipient
No Overload
Feedback Should Be Specific and Refer to Behavior
Balanced—Positive and Negative
Frame the Feedback
Recap Together

The Least You Need to Know

Chapter 8 - Parrying the Difficult Thrusts

Have Some Cheese with the Whine
Beginning the Process
Empathy Responses
Returning Responsibility
Personal in-Your-Face Attacks
Private Attacks
Assertive Limit Setting
Public Attacks
Dealing With Minor Back-Channel Problems
Modeling Behavior
Mobilizing Group Pressure
Skill Building
The Work and Responsibility Avoider
The Meeting Disrupter
The Naysayer

The Least You Need to Know

Chapter 9 - Using Performance Management to Help

Performance Management Isn’t What You Think
What Performance Management Isn’t
The Links Between Performance Management and Managing Difficult People
The Important Parts of Performance Management
Performance Planning
Ongoing Performance Communication
Documentation, Data-Gathering, and Diagnosis
The Performance Review
Using Performance Management to Solve Performance Difficulties and Soft Problems
Addressing the Productivity Issue
Addressing the Softer Team Issues

The Least You Need to Know

Chapter 10 - Monkey in the Middle: Mediation and Arbitration

Deciding When to Step In—Whose Banana Is It?
Mediation—What Is It? When Does It Fit?
When Is Mediation Likely to Work?
Deciding to Mediate
Hold Preliminary Meetings
Logistics and Establishing Context for Three-Way Meetings?
The Process
Working to the Breakthrough
Tasks and Roles of the Manager-as-Mediator
Framing Agreements and Following Up
Arbitration or When Someone Just Has to Decide
Arbitration Tips
Mediation Versus Arbitration

The Least You Need to Know

Back to Part 1 Contents and excerpts

Back to book Main Page

Table of Contents and excerpts from Part 3