The 3 most difficult types of coworkers and how to deal with them | Amy Gallo for Big Think+

Harvard Business Review editor Amy Gallo shares the three worst types of coworkers and how to deal with them. Positive work relationships, as Amy emphasizes, are not only nice to have but also crucial for performance, creativity and well-being. By prioritizing empathy and upfront communication, Gallo’s principles for managing tough conversations and engaging with difficult colleagues can help everyone create more generative, amiable professional communities. Looking to bring Amy's insights to leaders across your company? Great. This video is part of a 9-part expert class on mastering relationships at work — and it’s available to organizations that subscribe to Big Think . Learn more about how Amy and 500 other experts can help fuel your company’s leadership program today. ► We all have coworkers that are harder to get along with than others. While there’s no way to prevent having crappy cubicle mates, there are strategies you can use to deal with them more effectively and make everyone’s life easier. Harvard Business Review editor Amy Gallo breaks down the eight archetypes of annoying coworkers and shares her strategies for dealing with the three toughest types. 0:00 Intro 0:35 Meet Amy Gallo 1:18 The 8 archetypes for difficult colleagues 2:04 The Passive Aggressive Peer 3:08 The Insecure Boss 3:53 The Tormentor Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► Up next, A Harvard career coach’s “unspoken rules” for getting promoted | Gorick Ng for BT ► ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Member Get exclusive access to full interviews, early access to new releases, Big Think merch and more. ►Get Big Think for Business Guide, inspire and accelerate leaders at all levels of your company with the biggest minds in business. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Amy Gallo: Amy Gallo is an expert in conflict, communication, and workplace dynamics. She combines the latest management research with practical advice to deliver evidence-based ideas on how to improve relationships and excel at work. She is the author of two books: Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People) and the HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict. She has written hundreds of articles for Harvard Business Review, where she is a contributing editor. Her writing has been collected in numerous books including ones on feedback, emotional intelligence, and managing others. For the past four years, Gallo has co-hosted HBR’s popular Women at Work podcast, which examines the struggles and successes of women in the workplace. Gallo is on the 2023 Thinkers50 Radar List and was named a 2022 LinkedIn Top Voice in Gender Equity. In addition, the Harvard Business Review Guide video series, which Gallo stars in, was honored by the Webby Awards in 2023. Gallo has delivered keynotes and workshops at hundreds of companies and conferences. Plus, she is frequently sought out by media outlets for her perspective on workplace dynamics, conflict, and difficult conversations. Her advice has been featured in The New York Times, Fast Company, Marketplace, and The Austin American-Statesman, as well as on WNYC, the BBC, and ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). She has taught at Brown University and the University of Pennsylvania and is a graduate of both Brown and Yale University.