Beverly Kaye on Keeping Ideal People in the Workplace Published: Jan 24, 2019 From Tibet to Mexico to the Balkans, every culture has its own cherished folktales. While originally made up to reinforce morals and good behavior, these stories aren’t just for kids. Many fables featuring whimsical creatures and talking animals have much to teach grownups about handling slackers, connivers, ogres, and other dreaded real-life figures in our workplace. In the Land of Difficult People: 24 Timeless Tales Reveal How to Tame the Beasts at Work (AMACOM 2008) by Terrence L. Gargiulo and Gini Graham Scott, Ph.D. presents 24 fables taken from around the world, each exemplifying the best methods to use when dealing with the different kinds of difficult people at work. Gathered from around the world—China, Japan, Persia, Morocco, Denmark, Germany, France, Russia, and other countries, as well as Celtic and Native American traditions—these treasured yarns offer valuable lessons for anyone with interpersonal troubles on the job. After each tale, Gargiulo and Scott provide a brief analysis, drawing parallels between the fable’s animals and real world behavior that wreaks havoc on organizations. They wrap up with a list of practical tips and proven tactics for dealing with domineering supervisors, destructive colleagues, and overly independent employees. The book introduces eight common types of personalities who make work a nightmare. Terrence L. Gargiulo, President of MakingStories.net, is a speaker and consultant on the role of narrative in organizations, whose clients include Coca-Cola, GM, the Harvard Business School, and the US Coast Guard. He is also the author of On Cloud Nine: Weathering the Challenge of Many Generations in the Workplace. He lives in Monterey, California. Gini Graham Scott, Ph.D., is the founder and director of Changemakers. She has written numerous books, including A Survival Guide for Working with Humans and A Survival Guide to Managing Employees from Hell. She makes her home in Oakland and Santa Monica, California. For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars: * Standing Strong in Difficult Workplace Situations * Responding to Conflict: Strategies for Improved Communication * Leadership and Team Development for Managerial Success * Interpersonal Skills for Managers * Successfully Managing People To learn more, read these AMACOM Books: * In the Land of Difficult People, by Terrence L. Gargiulo, Gini Graham Scott * Working with Difficult People, by Michael S. Dobson, William Lundin, Ph.D., Kathleen Lundin * The Boss from Outer Space and Other Aliens at Work, by Patricia J. Addesso * A Survival Guide for Working with Humans, by Gini Graham Scott * No!: How One Simple Word Can Transform Your Life, by Jana KempWith every employee who walks out the door costing the company up to 200 percent of their annual salary to replace, retention is one of the most important issues facing businesses today. Because finding the ideal person for every workplace position...With every employee who walks out the door costing the company up to 200 percent of their annual salary to replace, retention is one of the most important issues facing businesses today. Because finding the ideal person for every workplace position has become an increasingly difficult task, the retention of top employees has become every manager's concern. Love 'Em or Lose 'Em, by organizational-development specialists Beverly L. Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans, proposes that this "race for talent" can be effectively run only by those who adopt programs and policies that truly support their personnel. Beverly Kaye, president of Beverly Kaye & Associates, Inc., is an organizational consultant with over 20 years of experience in career development, management training, and human resource planning. She is also the president of Career Systems International, a career development publishing company, the author of Up Is Not the Only Way, and the coauthor of Designing Career Development Systems. She is coauthor, with Sharon Jordan-Evans, of Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay.AMA_Edgewise_0832.mp3