Dealing with Difficult People

By: Roy Lilley

Narrated by: Timothy Andrés Pabon

Length: 3 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's Summary

Workplaces are filled with all types of people, and some of them can be very difficult to get along with. By understanding difficult people and their behaviors, a savvy individual can resolve the awkward and problematic situations they create.

Dealing with Difficult People looks at difficult behavior - what drives it and how to cope with it by managing aggression, avoiding awkward situations, and keeping calm. This third edition provides brand new summary points for each chapter and the tools and techniques for dealing with difficult customers, difficult people in the digital sphere, and difficult bosses.

©2002, 2013, 2016 by Roy Lilley. (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

unprofessional, bias

I can't tell if it's the author or the way the narrator is delivering the audiobook but the whole experience was very off putting. seems very bias and personal based.

Packed with practical and useful tips

This book is among those you must read and keep readily accessible for reference. Content reflects real world situations and provides practical tips on how to deal with a variety of situations you’ll encounter at work and in your personal life… well worth the time listening/reading this book.

Skip it

I liked the title of this book, so I downloaded it. I feel misled. A better title would be Dealing with Difficult Bosses, Colleagues and Customers. The primary thrust of the book is inter office interactions. It felt like a bad episode of the English version of the Office. Awkward mostly, but unlike the Office, not funny. And the American version is probably more accessible.

The author will quote Jean Sibelious saying, “Pay no attention to what the critics say. A statue has never been erected in honor of a critic.” That’s fair, so feel free to stop reading. Or if you’re a sculpture to offer your services.

The author himself recommends not reading it cover to cover but jumping to reference points as you feel practical to your situation. Have a gossip at work, here’s 3 steps. Have an overbearing bully of a boss, here is how to try and disarm him. Nothing in the book is well flushed out, just a spray and pray of ideas that may make a difference. Which if you have no idea may be helpful, but if you interacted with a human before; it’s not very ground breaking.

I’m sure this could be a useful introduction to people in management if you run a business. But it’s constantly referring to department heads, CEOs and board members and if you’re in a business of that size you shouldn’t need an introductory book at all.

I got the feeling these are the quickly copied notes from an in depth presentation that moved too fast for the scribe. Hey what was the rest of that idea….nevermind, here’s a new chapter on inappropriate emails.

I was hoping for an exploration of personality differences or emotional profiles or identifying how you are a difficult person. Some of this is given a cursory few paragraphs before getting to “Knocking the Know All” (yes a real chapter).

There are some good nuggets in here if you dislike your coworkers or boss or customer base. You’ll be better served reading anything written by John Maxwell, Patrick Lencioni, or Les McKeown.

It’s not a pleasant review, I supposed Roy might just call me difficult. But if he treats me like a co-worker he has some coping skills well in hand.

2 out of 5. You can skip it.

“Inside every poor boss is a voice that tells the boss they are a poor boss, so what do poor bosses do? They compensate they overcome their insecurity by becoming caricatures of what they think a boss should be. If no one has every trained them in people management, workforce skills or dealing with HR how are they to know? So they become belligerent, arrogant, shout, scream, manipulate, are difficult to please, selfish and immature.”

“Modern business thrives on origination & spontaneity, can you be creative within the rules? Yes you can. But sometimes you have to be creative with the rules. Soldiers follow the rules & their orders but most outstanding bravery takes place against a background of no rules or the rulebook being thrown out the window. The modern manager is nothing if not creative.”

“Just be ready with the facts, isn’t it strange how often difficult situations & difficult people are neutralized by the facts?”

Content great, narration not so great

The content of the book is excellent. I think everything covered in here could help you no matter what people you work with and no matter what your position is. The problem I have with this book (to no fault of the author) is this narration. It’s clearly written in British English and narrated in American English, which wouldn’t be so bad except for the mispronunciation of the word “row” numerous times, to the point where I’m surprised no one caught it before publication. It’s “row” r-ow! (short vowel) As in an argument not row (long vowel) to row a boat… HUGE difference and spoils the narration.

A little outdated as of 2023

There’s some fairly outdated concepts and generalizations. Definitely meant for application in a conservative environment. If you’re in a more progressive business or culture proceed with awareness of the need to be socially conscious.

Good, but not earth shattering

This book provides pretty good insights regarding intra-workplace relationships. It won’t tell you anything you don’t know, but may provide a good outside looking in perspective.

CONTENT HAS GOOD TOOLS

The book has great tools and different perspectives outside of the we all know what we should do in various situations.

My man you have great content, delivery, delivery,
Delivery.

Excellent!

Well written and narrated! Great insight into the types of difficult people and how to deal with them. There are many examples of when and how to respond. Funny read at times too! I finished the whole book in one go! Yes, it was that good! After finishing this book I feel like I'm ready to try out what I just learned! I will be going back to this book from time to time to reinforce what I learned. This book was worth every penny!

Very very self enlightening

In reading reviews, I’ve notice some people almost being offended at this author. Calling him bias. This is just a clear sign that the author triggered these negative and hard to deal with people by perfectly describing them. And when these hard to deal with people get triggered, they blame the author for saying it out loud, the very thing these hard to deal with people are trying to deny or hide. I loved this. Cheers

Super glitchy

Could not listen because it skipped constantly. Tried to start again with the same issues.

Couldn’t get past the first 15 minutes - awful narrator

Poor chap was hired to narrate a book about resolving conflict but no one thought to check whether he could pronounce ‘row’ - a synonym for argument and a word that appears in the intro and first chapter.

Spoiler: he can’t.

More than I was expecting

Fantastic book, full of valuable information and excellent references. I will be purchasing the hard copy.
JW

Worth having!

I like it!

It really helped me in:

- my past experiences reflection;
- present day to day conflicts;
- present awareness;
- prepare for future.

It is a book that needs to be listed not only once but, but as many time possible to get the best out of it!

very interesting

has some great idea and different tactics. I enjoyed listening to this book although its definitely directed more at work like situations and working in an office like environment. would recommend

An insult to intelligence

when a book tells you that the loo is probably the quietest place in the office...you know the author was grasping for content

should have been read by a British actor!

The AB itself is really good... BUT! the American reader cannot pronounce English words!
I always know if a book was written by a Briton and read by an American, the word ROW as in argument is pronounced as in ... your boat. A whole chapter is about arguments and to keep hearing row, row row your boat... instead of rOW as cOW.
Somerset Maugham was mog-ham. swinging the lead, which means to skive or avoid work was pronounced as lead, to go first when it refers to the metal which is pronounced LED.
many others but writing on my phone is becoming a pain in the arse as in farce.
the book is worth wadding through but voice talent... do your homework!

Interesting but fairly obvious

A good book covering basic points. It really is infuriating that the narrator cannot pronounce the word “Row” (as in argument).

Row not Row

There are a few nuggets of advice that I noted but perhaps not a book I needed right now but was available for free so wanted to read to be ready for handling difficult people.

I would recommend this for people who haven’t read any other material on managing difficult people but otherwise not a lot of great new insights.

The narrator was a little annoying as he doesn’t seem to know the difference between the two pronunciations of the word Row, as in “to have an argument with someone” and Row as in “to get in a canoe and row down the river” and uses the wrong one again and again which is distracting. The use of “or your money back” also becomes a little annoying near the end but overall well read and a good pace.