Have you experienced being literally harassed by some actors in your organisation who seem to derive certain levels of satisfaction from poking or spoiling your efforts as you discharge your duties? I will discuss this subject by using two illustrations.

1. Two recently recruited corporate actors in different fields found themselves sitting next to each other on a business trip. One said to the other,
“You should have procedures in place as a person handling your function in the organization. In my past engagement, we had procedures.”
Astounded by the show of sheer ignorance and arrogance exhibited by the aggressor, mixed feelings of rage and anxiety rocks the victim as they struggle with a response.

2. Under the guise of collaboration or providing assistance to a colleague, the “helper” attempted to usurp leadership of the assignment from the victim and totally ignores authority. The victim is left with wide eyes and jaw almost touching the floor in disbelief.

Why would a colleague want to mess with your vibe??

Truth be told, these types of negativity inclined people exist! They spend their time traversing the workplace carrying “airs” about themselves and never self-monitoring or restraining. What is worse is that they are present even in high levels of stewardship in an organisation! What to do? My thoughts wander as highlighted below.

1. Take time to observe and understand personality through trends of the poking/ spoiling actor each time you are in a position to interact or interface. There could be something there. You may find that whereas, you thought it was something personal, it is actually something general with the actor.

2. Take time to observe how the actor behaves when they need assistance and how they respond to maneuvers aimed at poking or spoiling their efforts when you get a chance to observe. I must hasten to mention here, that I am in no way suggesting that you adopt the negative approach to riling them up that upsets you! It may just be in a discussion where they share viewpoints and attitude towards certain things.

Kill the bad behavior with kindness. Soft as it may seem as a strategy, it is most effective when applied genuinely and authentically. I know there are people that appear kind because they are using kind words but those who are aware of the difference can see right through the person and their ulterior motives are exposed despite the facade.

Be firm and set boundaries in a professional manner. As much as possible, back up your actions with plausible reasons and authority. It is difficult for someone to argue with establishment, objectivity and reasonableness.

Know your league so that you do not waste valuable time and resource arguing when you could have simply respected an opinion and indicate that you saw it differently. Agree to disagree and move on.

Uphold the professional way of dealing with detractors!