5-second summary

Not all productivity challenges are personal – some are seasonal. Whether you thrive in winter’s quiet or feed off summer’s energy, syncing your workflow with the weather might be the performance hack you need.

Let’s unpack how seasonal shifts in light, temperature, and perspective shape how we work – and what individuals and organizations can do to adapt.

The psychology behind seasonal productivity

Seasonal shifts don’t just change how we feel – they influence how our brains work. Changes in light and temperature impact everything from serotonin levels to sleep cycles, affecting mood, motivation, and mental clarity in ways that affect our ability to get things done.

Light, serotonin, and focus

Our exposure to sunlight influences serotonin levels, which play a key role in mood and motivation. In the darker months, lower serotonin and disrupted sleep cycles can lead to fatigue and brain fog, causing people to feel sluggish or unmotivated in winter.

Temperature and energy

Temperature also plays a significant role in our energy levels. Cold weather can discourage physical activity (not to mention commuting), while high heat can cause dehydration and mental fatigue. 

“Cold weather can lead to sluggishness, while heat may cause fatigue and dehydration. Rainy days can increase focus, as fewer outdoor distractions exist. These seasonal fluctuations affect physical and mental productivity, as energy levels can dip in the winter and peak in the summer,” says Debra Wein, CEO of Wellness Workdays, a leading provider of measurable workplace wellness programs that help organizations improve employee health, well-being, and productivity.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

For some, these shifts stem from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of depression triggered by reduced sunlight. SAD can bring on low mood, poor concentration, and withdrawal from activities.

“Shorter daylight hours impact serotonin and energy regulation,” explains clinical psychologist Dr. Kelly Rohan on the APA’s Speaking of Psychology podcast. “This often results in lower motivation and focus during the winter months.”

Dr. Rohan developed a specialized treatment called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for SAD (CBT-SAD), which targets negative expectations about winter and helps people reframe the season as one that allows for rest, reflection, and different types of productivity.

Similarly, as psychologist Dr. Kari Leibowitz explains in her book How to Winter, people who adopted a “positive winter mindset,” particularly in places with long, dark winters like Svalbard, Norway, reported greater emotional well-being and life satisfaction. Rather than resisting the season, they embraced it as an opportunity for calm and focus.

A mental shift in how we approach seasonal challenges can reframe winter as a time for focus and renewal rather than burnout.

*Note: We’re not mental health professionals. For struggles with SAD, consult a licensed clinician.

How personality types respond to seasons

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The seasons impact more than the weather–they shift how we feel, think, and work. As daylight, temperature, and energy levels fluctuate, so does productivity. For some, winter offers an environment for focus. For others, summer’s longer and sunny days spark motivation.

Winter thrivers: quiet season, big results

Introverts often find winter a natural match for their working style. With fewer social engagements, quieter surroundings, and permission to slow down, winter can create the ideal environment for deep, focused work. According to The HR Agency, introverts excel at tasks requiring deep concentration and thoughtful decision-making – conditions that winter naturally supports by reducing overstimulation and social pressure.

“Introverts tend to thrive in calmer, more solitary settings,” says Wein. “Tasks that require deep thinking or strategic planning often get done more effectively in the winter.”

Wein adds that cozy home offices, warm lighting, and reduced social obligations allow introverts to recharge and produce their best work.

Summer thrivers: why the warmer months can be energizing

Extroverts, on the other hand, may come alive in summer. Longer days, outdoor opportunities, and more social interaction energize them. The collaborative nature of summer’s social events can inspire new ideas and fuel creativity.

“People want to be outside, and that can be distracting – or energizing – depending on your personality,” says Wein.

Outdoor team-building, casual brainstorming sessions, or even walking meetings can help extroverts stay engaged and productive.

How to manage seasonal slumps

A few smart adjustments can go a long way, whether you’re managing a team or your own productivity. 

For organizations

Companies can improve productivity by aligning policies with seasonal needs. In winter, this might mean offering remote options or staggered hours, curating well-lit, comfortable spaces, or promoting movement through gym stipends or mid-day breaks. In summer, embrace the season’s natural energy by scheduling outdoor meetings, offering flexible hours like “summer Fridays.”

According to ABL Recruitment, companies that formatted their workflow around seasonal energy patterns saw up to a 15% increase in overall output. This included scheduling data-heavy, analytical tasks like reporting, budgeting, or long-term planning in the winter months and reserving collaborative, creative initiatives for the summer when employees are often more energetic.

For individuals 

Small changes can help you work with the season. In winter, light therapy, movement breaks, and cozy workspaces can help fight off sluggishness. In summer, block focus time early in the day, take short outdoor breaks to recharge, and stay hydrated. 

Weather and seasonal changes influence energy, focus, and productivity. Adapting workspaces, schedules, and expectations to align with seasonal conditions – and recognizing when different personality types thrive – can help individuals and teams stay productive all year round.

The post The science of seasonal productivity appeared first on Work Life by Atlassian.

Josh Higgins didn’t dream of being a creative leader for the most prestigious tech companies in the world. He just wanted to play the bass in a Southern Californian punk rock band.

His band, fluf, was the epitome of 90’s SoCal punk – skating, dive bars, tour buses, and good vibes. They toured with Blink 182, Vans Warped Tour, Sublime and Fugazi to name a few and were signed with MCA Universal Records. Before fluf, Josh’s first band was a small punk band called Mercenary. When that group was just starting out, Josh made all their concert posters by hand, printing copies en masse at the local Kinkos.

He didn’t know it then, but making those posters on his kitchen table was preparing Josh for a star-studded career in design that would take him to the Obama White House and, later, prestigious tech companies like Meta and now Atlassian.

When Josh tells the story of his life and career, one mantra rings out with resounding clarity: Honor what makes you unique.

After his music career, Josh pursued a career in design, a path that eventually led him to serve as the Design Director for the 2012 Obama Presidential campaign. Having a former punk rock musician on the creative team of a major political figure was a bit outside the box, and Josh harnessed that off-the-beaten-path perspective to work on some great projects for Obama.

“This was a strategic decision by the Obama administration to hire disciplines with no prior political experience,” Josh says. “The thinking was there would be no ‘that’s not what is done in politics’ thinking”.

As he led the team that made all the campaign’s creative assets – websites, ads, videos, digital products, donation platform, merchandise – he still channeled that concert poster aesthetic, this time for campaign fundraisers featuring musical acts like Death Cab for Cutie and Ryan Adams. Artists had been performing benefit concerts for politicians for many years, but no one had approached the design and marketing of the event like a concert tour. It was an instant success.

This love (obsession?) with posters followed Josh to Facebook / Meta. As Chief Creative Officer, one of his duties was to lead an internal design studio in essence, a maker space – from which came some iconic Facebook culture posters, most notable among which is “Move fast and break things,” created by Ben Berry.

Josh explains that “the studio had three full-time designers from which other posters originated, and we invited other Facebook employees to visit and express their creativity through poster-making. The Analog Research Lab was embraced and supported all the way up to Zuckerberg because of the huge impact it had on employees.” The model became a cultural phenomenon, spreading to other tech companies.

What Josh’s work and story tell us is that, even as you change careers and industries, your unique experiences and interests are a core part of the value and innovation you bring.

Nobody in the Obama White House told Josh that they needed a Death Cab for Cutie poster. Josh found a way for the team to have impact with a shared artistic passion, and then it became the thing everyone wanted.

Once Josh made the leap into the corporate world, it would have been understandable if he’d left his creative roots behind and conformed to a more conventional approach. But he didn’t. He let his past and his passions inspire him to create new things in different spaces.

How to honor what makes you unique

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You may not devote too much of your headspace to pursuing your individuality at work – and that’s okay. There’s plenty of work to be done without deep-diving into the unique history and experience we all bring to the table.

But, if you can, leaning into your individuality can yield lots of benefits. Here are some questions to ponder as you think about what makes you unique:

1. What was your favorite hobby as a child or teen? How can you incorporate that into your work?
2. What was a talent that somebody called out in you at an early age? Are you making use of it at work today?
3. What was your life like when you last felt the most “alive”? What were you doing, and what made it so special for you?
4. Think of a time when you stuck up for your beliefs or passions. What does that reveal about what you truly care about?
5. What is something you love doing now?

Asking yourself these questions, and then thinking about how you can apply these passions to your work can unlock a ton of creativity for you, and value for the place you work. It requires putting yourself out there, but the payoff can be, as Josh puts it, “rad”.

“At the end of the day, how we spend our working days is how we spend our lives,” Josh says. “I want to make sure that whatever I do, it’s always with heart and putting my whole self into it.”

The post How to honor what makes you unique with your career appeared first on Work Life by Atlassian.

You’ve probably heard of larks and owls – early and late risers, respectively – and you probably relate to one bird’s bedtime preferences over the other. These designations are known as chronotypes – circadian personalities based on your optimal time to fall asleep and wake up. Recent evidence suggests there may actually be at least two more chronotypes.

Avian analogies aside, chronobiology – the science of the biological clock that is governed by the light-dark cycle – is legitimate. Need some proof? The 2017 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to three researchers for their discoveries about the molecular mechanisms controlling the body’s circadian rhythm.

Not sleeping during your body’s biological night has been linked to psychiatric disorders, diabetes, and heart problems. Having a daily schedule that doesn’t match your body clock has also been connected to poor mental performance and difficulty making good decisions.

Many employees are still expected to be working from 9am and until 5pm (or later). Problem is, most of us aren’t actually built to wake that early, especially if there’s a long commute involved. Céline Vetter, an assistant professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder and director of the university’s circadian and sleep epidemiology lab, told The New York Times that a whopping 80 percent of employees may work a schedule that’s not in sync with their natural clocks.

Only about 13 percent of people naturally sleep from around midnight to 8am, according to research from German chronobiologists. A third of people would naturally go to sleep earlier, while 56 percent of people would biologically opt for a later bedtime.

But early birds do get the worms – the worms in this case being praise from their bosses. Managers perceive employees who get in early to be more conscientious, and they give them better performance reviews than workers who stagger in later.

“Workplaces should be making the connection between chronotypes and how we’re designed to work,” says organizational psychologist Amantha Imber, PhD, CEO of innovation consultancy Inventium and author of Creating Your Most Productive Workday. “You can’t put everyone into the same mold, biologically. You want people to be working when they’re at peak mental performance.”

Find your chronotype

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Since the pandemic hit, many companies have embraced hybrid and remote work arrangements, and in many cases, the shift has proven to have real staying power. Employees have come to expect more flexible options, both in terms of working hours and geography.

But even if your company isn’t quite so forward-thinking, all is not lost. Structuring your work day around your body’s natural energy highs and lows can help you be more effective, even within the typical nine-to-five day.

Optimize your chronotype

Find your mental peaks

We generally move through the day in three stages; a peak (the first one is typically within two hours of waking), a trough (mid-afternoon for most people), and a recovery (late afternoon to early evening is typical), says Dan Pink in his book, When: The scientific secrets of perfect timing. For larks, the peak is in the morning, the trough is in the early afternoon, and the recovery is in the late afternoon or early evening. This order is flipped for night owls. You’re most focused in the hours leading up to your peak.

Do deep work during your peaks

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Once you’ve ID’d your mental zeniths, set aside this time for what Georgetown computer science professor Cal Newport calls Deep Work: the mentally demanding stuff that requires focus and concentration. Make this time as distraction-free as possible. “When members of my team are engaged in deep work, I encourage them to switch off from distractions,” says Imber. About half of the team have this easy-to-adopt strategy: they switch on an auto-response email letting people know they won’t be responding to their message instantly.”

Do admin in the middle of the afternoon

Most people spend the bulk of their time in shallow work – tasks that don’t require much deep thinking – constantly distracted by the ping messages, while trying to squeeze their deep work in between them, says Imber. Instead, block out time in the middle of the day (your trough) to file expense reports, or have meetings that don’t require much analytical thinking.

Adjust your working hours accordingly

Imber lets her team at Inventium work by their body clock (they all took a quiz similar to the one we linked above). “Three people on my team are larks. They regularly start work at 4am or 5am and as a result, finish up a bit after lunch. And then we’ve got ten or 11 middle birds [those who are like larks, but on a few hours’ delay] tend to start at around 8am or 8.30am. Our CEO is the only owl. She’ll send emails at 10pm but not 7am,” says Imber. Of course, adjustments are made if people have to be at client meetings at a time that doesn’t align with their clock, but Imber says her team is more productive when they work this way. Want to ask your boss if you can re-align your schedule to your inner tick-tock? Be sure to manage expectations, says Imber. You need to communicate to team members and clients when you’ll be available and how to reach you if an urgent matter comes up during your off hours.

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Manage meetings

Half your team is larks, the other is owls. So how do you ever have an effective meeting? Atlassians share their User Manuals with their team, which often offer clues that can help you plan meetings when most members of your team are mentally at the top of their game. Imber’s team tries to meet in the middle, scheduling their meetings during the middle of the day, since this isn’t a peak for anyone.

Network at the right times

After-work mixers are draining for early birds. If you’re up with the sun, network or catch up with colleagues during lunch. Owls will still be going strong come evening, so should network during dinners and happy hour events.

Schedule breaks

“Humans are designed to work in sprints, not marathons,” says Imber. Breaks improve performance, so add them hourly – even during your peaks. One study showed that the most productive performers work for a solid 52 minutes and then had a break for 17 minutes. (To achieve this, Imber schedules what would have previously been 60-minute meetings for 50 minutes. so she can grab a quick breather between appointments.) Other research suggests that hourly five-minute walking breaks boost energy, sharpen focus, improve mood, and reduce feelings of fatigue in the afternoon more effectively than one 30-minute break. If possible, take that walk outside; 40-second “Green Micro-breaks,” that is, taking in a view of greenery, increases concentration levels by 8%.

The post Night owl or early bird? Discover your circadian personality appeared first on Work Life by Atlassian.

It’s also challenging for us introverts to encounter so many different personalities at work, many of whom are extroverted. I often find myself thinking, “How do these people think so fast?” And, “How did they know exactly what to say on the spot?”

But me, I think of myself as a true introvert. (The way I define it, that is.) I prefer listening to talking. I become overwhelmed by large crowds. I have few friends, but they are close ones. I don’t mind being alone, even at movies or restaurants. I’m happiest curled up at home on a couch with a book, a cat (or three), possibly with my boyfriend.

From the Playbook

Help your teammates understand how best to work with you.

Run the Play

I’ve learned to adapt because I’ve had to. Because, as I said above, I often find myself among people that aren’t as introverted as me, particularly at work. What many people with more social personalities don’t realize, though, is that they can adapt as well. That is to say, maybe if they knew more about how to approach, interact, and work with me there’d be better understanding.

So, while I can’t speak for all the world’s introverts, I can share some small changes that have helped me contribute more fully at work. I hope they help other introverts, too, and extroverts who work with introverts.

Introverts often require time to process

“People who prefer quieter, more minimally stimulating environments.” That’s how Susan Cain, author of the book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, defines introverts.

I’m often unable to think or speak clearly on the spot, especially in stimulating environments like the workplace. When pressured to do so, I become extremely anxious. I need some time to think things through before responding or sharing ideas. This is common among introverts like me.

Vague, agenda-less meeting invitations strike terror in my heart. And really, they should scare anyone. How’s a person supposed to know if the meeting will be valuable, or just 30 minutes of your time you’ll never get back? Introverts and extroverts alike are fully justified in asking for more information before they accept, or declining altogether. Both of which I find very uncomfortable.

If there’s background reading for the meeting, I greatly appreciate when it’s shared in advance so I have time to digest it. The Amazon method of providing a few minutes at the beginning of the meeting for some pre-discussion reading and note-taking is a good alternative. Without time to absorb the context, introverts tend to feel ambushed. Like, “Why am I here? What’s going on? Is it bad? Good? Eeep!”

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I find it unsettling to have to interrupt the more talkative people at work, so I usually don’t. Instead, I will send written feedback following the meeting, or perhaps schedule a follow-up meeting with a smaller group so my questions and input can be heard.

Not all introverts will do this. And it’s certainly less time-efficient. So I encourage reserving time during and at the end of the meeting for questions and thoughts from those who haven’t been heard yet. You don’t need to call on the quieter people – that puts them on the spot. Just hold space for them and trust they’ll speak up if they have something to add.

Socializing with introverts at work

Social events are taxing. I’m usually “The Girl at the Party Who Spends Her Whole Time With the Pets” or “She Who Takes the Thanksgiving Feast and Runs Away With It to the Kitchen.” It’s not that I don’t want to participate. And I won’t let my introverted personality outweigh my desire for turkey. But I often need to decompress for a few minutes here and there.

At work, I love it when the focus of social events is something other than “just being social.” That feels scary and forced. My mind has nothing to focus on other than, “What amazingly witty piece of conversation am I supposed to change people’s lives with next?”

Instead, creating workplace social events around a class, movie, video game (yes please!), bowling… anything of that nature puts me (and introverts like me) at ease. That way, any conversation can flow naturally.

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Celebrating the introverts in your workplace

I’ll never forget a moment during our sorority’s rush planning (introvert in a sorority – that’s a whole different story). The consultant working with us said, “I always look to Season. If she’s on board, then I know we’re good to go.” To be regarded as thoughtful – as someone who wouldn’t gloss over concerns for the sake of just getting on with it – was really cool.

It’s easy to feel like you’re a lesser human being for not having the right words at the right time. Or for needing a few minutes to think. Or for feeling like the world is moving past you at breakneck speed.

I encourage my fellow introverts to celebrate the ability to slow down and think in a fast-paced world. Celebrate truly listening to people so they can be heard. Celebrate understanding the intricacies of problems, and coming up with a meticulously thought-out solution. Celebrate being over-prepared, thinking too much, being excited and anxious. Celebrate being someone who people look to for understanding.

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In other words: celebrate being yourself. It’s okay that you process the world a bit differently than others. There’s no need to feel bad or to apologize for it. In fact, it’s a gift. That’s why it’s so important to let others know more about you and how to work with you.

I know, sometimes introverts like me can be frustrating. We’re sometimes perceived as slow or anti-social. Sometimes we ask too many questions, and need too much time to think. But, these tendencies are also what make introverts valuable. When you’re tackling a problem as a group, it helps to have different personalities and ways of thinking brought to bear on it because you’ll understand the problem more fully and end up with better solutions.

And I think most extroverts get that. They understand the value in our quieter, methodical personality. So let’s take time to work with each other in a way that makes us all more effective.

The post Working with introverts (written by an actual introvert) appeared first on Work Life by Atlassian.

First off, take heart – you aren’t alone. A reported 85 percent of employees have dealt with conflict on some level in the workplace.

But here’s the thing: you don’t want to let your differences with a coworker create a breeding ground for continued resentment. You need to nip this in the bud and set the stage for a more positive working relationship.

Sound tough? It can be. But it’s certainly not impossible.

Is it you or me? Why some people are more difficult to work with

There are a lot of perfectly reasonable explanations for why some people just grate on you more than others.

Dr. Greg Barnett, Senior Vice President of Science at The Predictive Index, a talent optimization platform, explains that value misalignments and situational pressures could be two big causes at play here.

“Value misalignments occur when two people have two totally different belief systems, whereas situational pressures are things about the environment – like toxic managers, high-stress atmospheres, or limited resources – that can add fuel to an already contentious fire,” he says. 

Particularly in the workplace, conflicting work styles are likely the biggest culprit of strained relationships. “Think of a scenario when two people are working together and one is extremely detail-oriented and process-focused, while the other is a big picture-thinker,” says Dr. Allison Siminovsky, Senior Research Consultant at The Predictive Index. 

“Unless both individuals are extremely self-aware and extremely patient, conflict is bound to arise when these two people work together. Often, work conflict has nothing to do with whether both parties like or respect each other.” 

Are you overreacting? Know when it’s time to speak up

You probably have a specific colleague in mind right now – a person that you just struggle to be around. But, it can be tough to figure out whether you should address the dynamic or just let sleeping dogs lie.

There’s a difference between a bad day and a continuously tense relationship. If a colleague was stressed and lost their cool with you in the heat of the moment, that probably doesn’t need to be addressed as a long-term issue (although, an apology is always nice).

However, if you’ve noticed persistent behavior that makes collaboration increasingly difficult, that should be handled. “It’s very easy for conflict to spiral and for the involved parties to assume negative intentions are causing the conflict – even though this is rarely the case,” says Siminovsky. 

A growing conflict not only leads to a tense work environment, it can also cause us to self-sabotage. “These people can bring out the worst in us, which can threaten our jobs, our reputations, and ultimately hurt us in our own careers,” explains Brandon Smith, The Workplace Therapist.

You’d never want to put your career in jeopardy over an unresolved work dispute. 

Of course, for behaviors that surpass conflicting work styles and would be classified as bullying, harassment, or discrimination, you shouldn’t handle the issue on your own. Bring the issue directly to your manager or HR representative who will help you take the appropriate steps to make the workplace safe for you and resolve the problem. 

4 tips for working with difficult people

Unfortunately, you’re bound to encounter your fair share of challenging colleagues in the office, and exactly how you handle them will depend on your unique circumstances. However, there are a few tips and best practices you can use to forge a healthier working relationship – and kick that tension and resentment to the curb. 

1. Boost your emotional intelligence

It’s tempting to point the finger. That other person is the difficult one, so they’re the ones who need to put in the legwork and change, right? 

But, while counterintuitive, turning the magnifying glass on yourself is a good place to start when attempting to improve that dynamic and smooth over a strained working relationship. 

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“You can’t start fixing other people unless you understand who you are and what your role is in not getting along,” says Barnett. “In the normal course of work, there really aren’t any victims in bad relationships – unless someone truly is toxic and abusive. It takes two to tango, and people need to understand how their approach comes across, how it impacts others, and how those impacts may be received positively or negatively.” 

“Experts in emotional intelligence will tell you that self-awareness is paramount in being able to navigate difficult interpersonal situations,” says Siminovsky. Emotional intelligence (often abbreviated as EI or EQ) is your ability to pinpoint and appropriately handle your own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. 

It sounds obvious, but it’s a surprisingly challenging competency to hone – and there’s no surefire way to do it that works for everyone. With that said, here are a few things you can try to boost your own emotional intelligence:

• Take time to reflect on your own emotions in specific scenarios by setting an appointment with yourself each week to quietly think through how you responded to different problems and dynamics. How did you react when that project was delayed? Why? Bonus points for writing this down!
• Ask for feedback about your interactions with co-workers. Whether it’s after a team meeting or a shared project, have an informal conversation where you can ask things like, “Is there anything you wish I would’ve done differently?” 
• Practice pausing before you speak (try holding your tongue for at least three seconds) to give yourself more time to process and think before responding. 

It takes some practice, but it’ll be well worth it. “Understanding others’ subjective realities can enhance empathy, cooperation, and communication and may also influence one’s own opinions,” explains Brittany Solomon, a Research Assistant Professor of Management and Organization at Notre Dame University’s Mendoza College of Business, who conducted research on how these perceptions help us manage relationships. 

2. Get curious about that person

Have you tried asking that notoriously difficult person questions? Nope, not accusatory ones like, “Why would we do it that way?” or “Are you serious?” But inquiries that help you understand where they’re coming from. If not, it’s time to start. 

“Curiosity and empathy are really the same thing, and one of the best ways to break down intractable co-workers is to get curious about the work they’re doing,” says Brandon Smith. 

This not only gives you insight into their values, goals, challenges, and approach, but it also demonstrates a level of investment and engagement in the people you work with – which even the most challenging of colleagues will appreciate.

However, there’s one important thing you need to remember about this tactic: it’s not all about the show. You need to actively listen to what they share with you. This involves:

• Maintaining good eye contact
• Asking relevant questions
• Avoiding your devices 
• Not thinking about your responses while someone else is speaking
• Repeating back what the speaker has said 

“Curiosity is not the first question you ask somebody, it’s the second question,” Smith continues. “‘Tell me more about that’ is straight out of the therapist’s playbook, and is a great way to get people talking. The more people feel heard, the more those walls start to break down.”

You can even take this curiosity piece of the puzzle a step further by asking your manager to offer a personality assessment to everyone on your team. They’re a great way for teams to learn more about each other and how they can effectively work together. Popular assessments include:

• DiSC
• StrengthsFinder
• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator 

See if your own organization is open to one of those assessments, and you’ll be equipped with knowledge that helps you better understand that challenging colleague – rather than only silently resenting them. If these assessments are a no-go, rest assured that you can still learn a lot through some informal one-on-one conversations with your colleagues. 

3. Don’t let the problem fester

“When people sense they aren’t connecting and getting along, they tend to just start avoiding each other, which makes things worse,” says Barnett. “And it’s natural. Nobody wants to talk about why they aren’t aligning well with another person.”

“The dynamic can make it difficult for the people in conflict to work together, but it can also cause issues for people working around the conflicted pair – including managers, peers, and direct reports,” adds Siminovsky. “It’s easy for negativity to spread, which makes it of crucial importance to try to contain and mediate conflict as quickly as possible.” 

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The most mature and healthy thing to do is to have the difficult conversation about why you just aren’t meshing – and it’s smart to do so sooner rather than later. “In the absence of communication, people almost always assume the worst,” warns Smith. 

Approach this exchange with a more team-oriented mindset. “Go to that person and say, ‘I want to make sure we have a strong working relationship. I’m not sure how we get there, and I’d like to talk through that with you’,” advises Smith. “Make it more of an invitation and co-author the solution with the person.” 

That collaborative approach is bound to lead to better outcomes than a big game of finger-pointing would. 

4. Remember the power of positive feedback

You’ve become used to groaning at everything that person does, so dishing out a compliment at this point is probably the furthest thing from your mind. But, a little bit of flattery can go a long way.

Rack your brain to find something that you admire about that person – it can be something as small as their new haircut or as large as that recent presentation they gave. Then, take a deep breath and actually offer them that piece of praise.

Worried that they’ll think it’s disingenuous? Well, it probably doesn’t matter. Research shows that insincere flattery still has a positive impact, even when the recipient has consciously corrected for it (meaning, they took it with a grain of salt). 

And before you gag at the very thought of needing to applaud that difficult person, know that it’s still self-serving. Yep, that’s right – it helps you too. 

Thinking positively (which you’ll be forced to do when complimenting that colleague) decreases your stress hormone, cortisol, and increases serotonin, which improves your overall sense of well-being. 

That’s pretty worth swallowing your pride for, right?

The post How to work with difficult people appeared first on Work Life by Atlassian.