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• Exercise and Pregnancy • Sleep Deprived Children Have Health Problems • Notes for Valentines Day and Beyond • Three Steps for Meeting a Dog: Instructions for Parents • 3 Tips For A Seductively Healthy Valentine’s Dinner • Time with the Kids vs a Home-Cooked Meal? You can have both! • Harvest Heaven • What to Do When Your Child is Afraid of Dogs • The Family Dinner: Fast and Simple • Emotional Development is the Software • A Puppy Party for Kid-Friendly Dogs • Is it Safe to Eat? • Quick Exercises for Parents • Healthy First Birthday Cake Ideas • Rainy Day Activities for Kids and Dogs • Getting Along in the Office: Improving the Work Environment • What You Need to Know About Dog and Cat Nutrition • High Fructose Corn Syrup: The Obesity Link • Healthy Habits: Starting Family Food Traditions • Kymythy's Kitchen Nutrition: Natural Anti-inflammatories • Holidays with Ease: A One-Pot Turkey Dinner with All the Trimmings • Why Exercise is Important after Baby • Music for Motivation • Dealing with Belligerent People • Flu Fighting Foods • Coverting a Picky Eater • Test Your Flexibility • Get Ready to Diet • The Last-Minute Cook • Creating a Balanced Inner World for Our Children

People behave in predictable ways. Have you ever noticed yourself saying, "Charlie is so much like my Uncle Henry?" If you observe interactions in the workplace, you will eventually agree with me that there are three main ways that people approach workplace problems and people interactions. Your co-workers are either:

Mostly concerned about procedures,

1. Mostly concerned about people, or
2. Mostly concerned about themselves.

Those who are concerned mostly about procedures are the type of people that I call belligerent. They are very concerned that there be clear forms for every situation. They like checklists. They figure that, if everything is written down in a formal procedure and people check off the steps, the work will get done. Belligerent people are often frustrated when others refuse to use their detailed procedures. They can become explosively angry when they find their steps not being followed.

Belligerent people are judgmental, with a strong, almost chivalrous sense of right and wrong. They respect anyone who can admit a mistake, and anyone who can stand up to them. They do not intend to hurt others, but often do because of their quick, unthinking responses to situations. They often control situations by speaking loudly and forcefully.

When a belligerent person is running a project, the project may grind to a halt as a result of elaborate procedures. The staff may not understand or perform all of the steps that are set out, and the belligerent person cannot allow things to proceed until all of the steps are followed by the assigned person.

To handle a belligerent co-worker or supervisor, you must often apologize, even if it is not your fault. At other times, you must be willing to speak louder than they do, and interrupt them when necessary. You must also ignore any rude comments, anticipate things that will upset them, warn them in advance, and tell them in private if they have hurt you. Of course, you must never return rudeness for rudeness.

Author: Ruth Haag

Ruth Haag helps managers and employees understand the dynamics of the work environment, and how to function smoothly within it. She is the President/CEO of Haag Environmental Company. She has written a four-book business series: "Taming Your Inner Supervisor", "Day-to-Day Supervising", "Hiring and Firing", and "Why Projects Fail." Her enjoyable, easy-to-read books provide a look at life the way it is, rather than the way that you might think it should be.

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