How to Deal with an Argumentative Employee

Understand the causes of argumentative and disruptive employees and gain the skill needed to stop arguments immediately.

Argumentative and disruptive employees have always been a leadership challenge. With the rise in political and social polarization, argumentative behavior has increased dramatically. Unfortunately, the old command, control, and obey management strategies no longer work. Worse, the Great Resignation requires leaders to find ways to manage argumentative employees without bullying and commanding. This presentation will help leaders and managers understand the causes of argumentative and disruptive employees. You will receive a crash course in the neuroscience of emotions and be introduced to a new, counter-intuitive skill for stopping arguments immediately. This material will also explain the critical importance of listening to emotions instead of words. You will learn why emotional problems cannot be solved with logic and reasons.

Learning Objectives

• You will be able to differentiate functional versus dysfunctional arguing.
• You will be able to identify the needs of conflict and the context of arguments.
• You will be able to identify the three tools for stopping arguments immediately.
• You will be able to recognize two steps to learn from criticism.

Agenda

Why Do Employees Argue?

• The Four Most Common (and Ineffective) Ways of Dealing With Argumentative Employees
• The Six Needs of Conflict
• Emotional Incompetency

Introduction to Emotions

• Humans Are 98% Emotional and 2% Rational
• Affect and the Constructed Theory of Emotions
• The Curse of Alexithymia

Stopping Arguments Immediately

• The Secret - Learn to Affect Label
• The Three Steps
• The Science
• How to Practice
• Applying Affect Labeling to the Argumentative Employee