Managing employees with dominating personalities is not easy. However, it’s crucial for any manager to learn how to manage different personalities in the workplace, understand how to approach them and deal with their needs in a productive way. Here’s what you need to know:
Communicate to the dominating employee that you are looking for two-way interaction
Communicate using the word “we” instead of “I.” Ask for the employee’s input on how they can help you. Be specific about what you are looking for and ask them to share their thoughts on a specific issue or challenge.
Determine where the employee needs assistance
You must first understand the employee’s strengths, weaknesses and personality traits. Knowing these things will help you determine where they need assistance. If an employee is weak in one area but strong in another, consider helping them improve their weakest area before focusing on their strongest one.
Also, consider whether or not this person has a dominant personality trait that could make communication difficult for others who work with them. For instance, if an employee has a passive-aggressive nature (the tendency to express negative feelings without directly confronting them), then they may find it challenging to communicate openly with colleagues. They may be too quick with biting comments instead of expressing problems directly. However, when given the right amount of support from management, their leadership abilities would show through much more clearly!
Focus on how the dominant employee can be most efficient
Figure out the strengths of the dominating employee. Give them tasks that are more suited to their dominating personalities.
For example, give a dominating employee a task that requires them to make decisions quickly. This will allow them to use their strengths and prevent them from becoming bored with their work. You can also ask them to help train new employees. This will allow them to use their knowledge of the company’s inner workings while giving them something to do.
Use personal communication skills to defuse or draw out dominating employees
You can use non-verbal communication to show that you are interested in what the person is saying. For example, if an employee is talking about a problem, stop what you’re doing and look at them directly so they know that you are listening.
You can also use active listening skills to show that you care about their concerns and are actively processing what they have said. When someone is speaking to you, your body language plays a big part in how much interest you take in what they say. Consider a situation where someone says something interesting or important, but you don’t appear interested. Then, this could make them feel like their message has been ignored by management or even dismissed as irrelevant.
If there is something wrong with the work environment, then using humor may help lighten up moods.
Discuss your employees’ performance in terms of how they contribute to the team
In order to effectively manage employees with dominating personalities, it’s important to discuss their performance in terms of how they contribute to the team. If a particular employee has been underperforming and you want to improve their performance, you need to assess what kind of impact they are having on their team.
If this is an issue for your company, consider using a team approach when measuring individual performance. Use this information as part of your strategies for improving results overall. For example, consider the case when one person is not doing well at their job, but several others are excelling at theirs (or vice versa). Then, you can take steps toward improving everyone’s contributions. This may provide better results overall than if only focusing on one person’s work ethic or skill set. This can save money by reducing turnover costs.
Focus on what their strengths are and how they can benefit their teammates
Focus on the strengths of an employee’s personality rather than the weaknesses. If a person has a tendency to dominate conversations or relationships in order to gain attention or power, it’s best not to judge them for that behavior. Instead, look at why they might feel compelled to behave so aggressively. You should help them find ways of addressing those issues without hurting others’ feelings or disrupting work performance.
Communicate with your team members about problems as soon as possible so that everyone knows where things stand. Also, they will learn how best to proceed together if something goes wrong (such as when one person needs extra help). This will keep everyone informed about what’s happening at work without creating unnecessary tension between employees who have differing opinions about an issue.
Conclusion
We’ve learned that employees with dominant personalities can be a lot of fun. But, if you want to be successful at work, you need to understand them and manage them effectively.
