“I will never, ever, so help me GAWD, work with [fill in the blank] AGAIN!”

Feel free to fill in that blank with the name of an individual, a company, a department, client or vendor. Do it in your head though, please.

Lawsuits for slander are not welcome here.

Have you ever uttered words like that? An oath out loud or in your head that forever swears you off from professional interaction with a group or individual? Have you ever had those words come back to haunt you some time later?

In my professional career I have crossed paths repeatedly with professional contacts in the past. Off the top of my head I can name four people that I have worked with in different companies more than once in my life. Have you ever found people from your past in your current work environment? I can’t be the only one it happens to.

I can honestly say that while there are many people I hope to NEVER work with again (you know who you are) I know that there is always a chance that I will work with them again.

• A former, much loathed boss could be a client one day in the future.
• The co-worker that slashed my tires (don’t brag) could end up a representative at a vendor I need to interact with.

The world is small and the corporate world is even smaller. In my mind it is important that I never burn any bridge with anyone ever.

This doesn’t mean I play kiss-up to people I dislike (they know who they are). What it means is that I caretake my professional network and more importantly, my professional image. I always professionally deal with any and all personality conflicts to the best of my ability in the workplace.

Everyone has dealt with difficult personalities in the workplace. You cannot reasonably go through your life expecting to actually LIKE everyone.

How do you deal with difficult individuals?

How do you manage relationships with departments, vendors and clients that push you over the edge?

Do you have a secret recipe for dealing with difficult people?

Have you ever encountered someone from your past in a work environment? Particularly, someone you didn’t care for. How did you deal with it?