HBR Guide to Office Politics (HBR Guide Series)

Chapter 15

Working with People You Just Can’t Stand

When you think of your dream team, you imagine the exact roster of people you’d like to work with—handpicked for compatibility and talent. But unfortunately, that’s not how the real world works. Instead, you’re likely to be working alongside one or two people whom you just don’t like. At all. Not even a little bit. Maybe your colleague simply rubs you the wrong way. He’s loud. Or a suck-up. Or arrogant and entitled. Perhaps he’s courteous and professional in front of the boss, but a nightmare to you and your colleagues when she’s not around. Or maybe he has mannerisms that annoy you (relentless pen clicking!).

There’s no shortage of good reasons you might genuinely dislike someone you need to ...