The Most Effective Ways to Deal With Empowered Colleagues

When we go to work, we all come with different backgrounds, maturity, emotional intelligence, and understanding of longstanding power structures and systemic inequalities. This is often most noticeable when it comes to rights.

Some people manage to go through life rarely (or perhaps never) without encountering difficulties. They often believe that they unconditionally deserve certain privileges, that their opinion is inherently more valuable than the opinion of others, and that they are above any feedback or criticism.

If you’ve ever worked with someone with that same sense of privilege, then you know this can be a problem. Here are some expert tips for engaging with empowered peers.

How to Deal with Empowered Colleagues

Dealing with an empowered person can be especially difficult because if they perceive the conversation as an unwarranted personal attack (even if it isn’t), chances are high that they won’t react or even listen to what you have to say. If you don’t know where to start, try one of these expert-supported strategies:

Avoid reinforcing their sense of entitlement

“While we can’t change the identity of the person who is entitled to it, we can avoid reinforcing their sense of entitlement,” says Emily Zitek, Ph.D. , assistant professor of organizational behavior at Cornell University.

“For example, when entitled people make unreasonable demands, it may be better not to give in, because this can further strengthen their confidence that their rights are justified,” she explains.

Ask for details

Let’s say several of your colleagues have ideas on how to implement a particular project. One person’s suggestion has clear benefits for him, but doesn’t seem like the best solution for the company or other employees. On top of that, this person rejects everyone else’s proposals with little or no explanation.

In an article for CNBC Make It, Stefan Falk, executive coach and workplace psychology expert, explains that asking a person to provide more details about their offer can help. He suggests asking questions like, “Could you explain how this would benefit the company?”

Explain why you are saying “no” to them

An empowered person may not be used to having other people say “no” to them and, as a result, may react badly when you do this at work. This is why Zitek recommends that you provide them with a reason to opt out.

“This may help explain why your refusal is fair, since the perception of injustice is associated with even more justified behavior in the future,” she notes, adding that while “eligible people are unlikely to consider fair what does not benefit them “. , it won’t hurt to try.