Five Ways To Work with Someone you Dislike

Disliking one or more of your co-workers is as human as it gets, but unfortunately, none of us has the luxury of working only with the people we like. So instead of harping on the negative and wasting precious time and energy, focus on having a productive working relationship with someone you dislike. Sreeradha D Basu shows you how.

 1 Understand Them Closely examine the person you don’t like and find ways of working with that person. “The key is to understand the styles of others as well as being aware of your own style. Such understanding lays a solid foundation to develop mutual understanding and improves working effectiveness,” says Makarand Khatavkar, MD & HR head for Deutsche Bank Group in India. 

2 Build Trust Try and be patient and tolerant. “While dealing with people you do not like, always start with trust. It should not be blind trust, but one that fosters a productive working relationship. Small demonstrations of trust established over a period of time eventually lead to business success and development of strong relations that build dependability,” says Khatavkar. 

3 Don’t Let Dislikes Rule In life, you keep facing such situations, so handle them with maturity. “You need to decide upfront whether it’s a personal or professional association. If it’s the latter, then you must be comfortable on the work front. So unlike in a personal relationship, a like or dislike shouldn’t be an important part of the equation," says Sunil Goel, director of executive search firm GlobalHunt. 

4 Embrace Diversity Working with people with different preferences, age groups, ethnic groups, personalities, working and communication styles is about embracing diversity. “Working successfully with a diverse set of people is an important factor in modern workplaces. You must be comfortable with that if you wish to succeed," says Khatavkar. 

5 Focus on Core Tasks Likes and dislikes are usually temporary and change depending on the action taken. “The focus should be on the core tasks and completing them within the timeline,” says GlobalHunt’s Goel.

(The Economics, Mumbai, 05-06-2012)