In the best spirit of the holiday season, the GROOA Leadership Academy is offering our readers a special present: a free Personal Development online Master Class webinar. It will be LIVE on 17 January (Part 1) and 28 February (Part 2).
The chosen subject might come as a surprise – “Dealing with difficult people”. Why is this relevant? Aren’t we all supposed to be at peace with the world. Aren’t we meant to love one other as we celebrate the most family-oriented holidays of the year? Isn’t this the time of year when we forgive everyone, smile and rejoice together. Then put the past behind us to welcome a new year full of positive expectations?
Well, yes, this is the ideal to which everyone aspires. Yet the reality is often quite different. We might set such high expectations that we end up tired and stressed, thus more likely to develop negative feelings. When things do not go exactly as in our dreams, and exhausting preparations drain our energy, the slightest discordant note can quickly lead to frustration and resentment. This might be a careless comment by in-laws, a child’s tantrum under the Christmas tree, a burnt gravy, flight delays, or friends not coming or staying too long.
The more we try to “bottle it up inside and put up a happy face”, the more the effort tires us out. It might, at times, feel like we are up against a harsh fate: in spite of all our good efforts, “the world” seems to be against us. We might keep some lingering negative feelings long after the holidays. It is also not always easy to find a way to constructively talk about how we feel in order to move on.
“As a Coach and Leadership Trainer, every year, I notice that most people come back from the holidays with some feelings of regret or resentment,” says Laura Lozza, Managing Partner at GROOA. “Once they start to recount, it is clear they mostly had great holidays, albeit hardly ever perfect. But the focus of their sharing seems to be on the problems; there is a need to vent, to finally express the negative feelings.”
“I can identify; disappointment in the face of big expectations can happen. I also know we often need to find someone to blame. There is almost always a difficult person who is either uncooperative or inflexible; we try and do not get appreciated; we do our utmost, and it is never enough; we are flexible, others uncompromising.”
“This is especially true for us as internationals, who have to juggle different norms or traditions, while our here-and-there families might not understand. At GROOA, we are all international. We have all lived and worked in different countries, so we are very familiar with these challenges”.
Hence the relevance of the “Dealing with Difficult People” subject for the upcoming Master Class webinars. These are an opportunity to reflect, understand and overcome the lingering bad feelings in the post-holidays periods; a chance to gain practical tips for mending some difficult relationships or let them affect us less. They are also an opportunity to feel less alone while dealing with conflicting emotions.
This MasterClass consists of two modules. In the first module, some context of what happens when we face people that we perceive as “difficult” will be given. Tips and strategies to tackle the challenge will be shared too. The second module is a recap of the key points. This is done in order to crystallize the learning. You will also have the opportunity to share your experience and/or listen to the experience of the other participants.
- The first session will take place LIVE on 17 January at 16:00 CET
- The second session will take place LIVE on 28 February at 16:00 CET
To book your “seat” and receive connection details, please email laura@grooa.com.
In the meantime, if you wish to familiarise yourself with some of the other online training opportunities offered by GROOA, you may want to check these links:
– Discover your WOW Factor is an introduction to Personal Branding. There are tips to identifying your Purpose; making it concrete and actionable so you can revamp your engagement, and on how to be more influentially intentional.
– How to confidently respond to negative feedback will guide you through some strategies that allow you to turn criticism into more productive discussions without paying the emotional toll of negativity or self-doubt.
– Inspire and Influence: Introduction to Personal Power: this is actually the first module of a ten-session master class. It introduces you to your sources of Personal Power. It gives you some concrete examples of alternative negotiating techniques (Push/Pull styles), so you can already practice influencing with different approaches. If you wish then to take the rest of the course, you can get reach out to the Academy.
– Introduction to Mindful Leadership: this is also the first of ten sessions on the subject; This intro is available for free because it already gives some useful suggestions and you can always decide to take the entire course at a later point in time if interested.
For GROOA: Laura Lozza, Managing Partner, GROOA AS
Editor: Melinda Walraven
