Kelvin Kao, Founder & CEO of PROTOCOL shares how to handle five common personality types among colleagues while maintaining your composure.
𝟭. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥-𝗘𝗔𝗚𝗘𝗥 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗡: “𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗗 𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔 𝗚𝗘𝗡 𝗭 𝗦𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗣𝗧?”
𝘞𝘏𝘈𝘛 𝘛𝘖 𝘋𝘖: Tread lightly. You don’t want to pour cold water on their enthusiasm and someday, you might even need their help. Smile, thank them, and if you’re feeling generous, throw in a “slay” as you insert a trendy GIF into your report presentation.
𝟮. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗢𝗥 𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗔𝗚𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗡𝗢𝗧-𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥-𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧
𝘞𝘏𝘈𝘛 𝘛𝘖 𝘋𝘖: Even if their advice has zero relevance to what you’re working on, the unfortunate reality is that there is a power dynamic here in place that requires you to respond in some fashion. Politely express your gratitude, maybe toss in a “That’s an interesting approach”, and let them feel like they’ve passed on sage wisdom.
𝟯. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗡𝗢𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗚𝗜𝗖: “𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 𝗜𝗡 𝗠𝗬 𝗗𝗔𝗬 …”
𝘞𝘏𝘈𝘛 𝘛𝘖 𝘋𝘖: Show respect for their experience by being genuinely curious, but don’t feel trapped by their personal tether to the past...mention how your methods are built on the foundations of the past, so they can rest assured that current endeavours are rooted on the “historical groundwork” they have laid.
Read the article for the other two types and how to handle them graciously:
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