Managing difficult employees is one of the biggest challenges that leaders face. When employees seem unreasonable, belligerent, or uncooperative, managers may be tempted either to brush aside the problem or, alternatively, to fly off the handle.
A better solution when managing difficult staff? Use negotiation techniques to get to the root of underlying problems. The following … Read Managing Difficult Employees: Listening to Learn 
managing difficult people
The following items are tagged managing difficult people:
Dealing with Difficult Clients: Price Negotiations
Posted by Katie Shonk & filed under Dealing with Difficult People.
Dealing with difficult clients is never easy. To get a client relationship off on the right foot, follow guidelines from research to ensure that price negotiations go smoothly.
… Read More 
When Dealing with Difficult People, Try a Complementary Approach
Posted by Katie Shonk & filed under Dealing with Difficult People.
To hear President Donald Trump tell it, the United States under President Barack Obama had bungled one negotiation after another on the global stage due to an inability to stand firm and take tough stances on key issues when engaging in difficult conversations.
… Read More 
Dealing with Difficult People? First Look in the Mirror
Posted by Katie Shonk & filed under Dealing with Difficult People.
We’ve all faced the challenge of dealing with difficult people – those who refuse to give you what you want in negotiation for no clear reason other than sheer stubbornness. But dismissing others as stubborn, irrational, and difficult is typically a mistake.
… Read More 
Negotiation and Leadership
NEGOTIATION MASTER CLASS
- Download Program Guide:
December 2026 - Register Online:
December 2026
April 2027 - Learn More about Harvard Negotiation Master Class
Negotiation Essentials Online
- Download Program Guide:
January 2027
March 2027 - Register Online:
January 2027
March 2027 - Learn More about Negotiation Essentials Online
Select Your Free Special Report
- Negotiation Master Class Spring 2027 Program Guide
- Managing Complex Negotiations Spring 2027 Program Guide
- Negotiation Essentials Online (NEO) Spring 2027 Program Guide
- Negotiation Essentials Online (NEO) Fall 2026 Program Guide
- Negotiation Master Class Fall 2026 Program Guide
- Negotiation and Leadership Program Guide
Teaching Negotiation Resource Center
Preparing for Negotiation
Understanding how to arrange the meeting space is a key aspect of preparing for negotiation. In this video, Professor Guhan Subramanian discusses a real world example of how seating arrangements can influence a negotiator’s success. This discussion was held at the 3 day executive education workshop for senior executives at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School.
Guhan Subramanian is the Professor of Law and Business at the Harvard Law School and Professor of Business Law at the Harvard Business School.
Articles & Insights

BATNA

Business Negotiations

Conflict Resolution

Crisis Negotiations
- How to Gain Leverage with Stronger Parties in Negotiation
- Police Negotiation Techniques from the NYPD Crisis Negotiations Team
- Famous Negotiations Cases – NBA and the Power of Deadlines at the Bargaining Table
- Crisis Negotiation Lessons: The U.S.-Russia Prisoner Swap
- Crisis Negotiation Skills: The Hostage Negotiator’s Drill

Dealing with Difficult People

Dealmaking

Dispute Resolution

International Negotiation
- Overcoming Cultural Barriers in Negotiations and the Importance of Communication in International Business Deals
- The Multi-Door Courthouse: How Alternative Dispute Resolution Expands Access to Justice
- International Negotiations and Agenda Setting: Controlling the Flow of the Negotiation Process
- In Cross-Cultural Negotiations, Improve Your Awareness
- How to Resolve Intercultural Conflict

Leadership Skills

Mediation

Negotiation Skills

Negotiation Training

Salary Negotiations

Teaching Negotiation

Win-Win Negotiations
Negotiation and Leadership
NEGOTIATION MASTER CLASS
- Download Program Guide:
December 2026 - Register Online:
December 2026
April 2027 - Learn More about Harvard Negotiation Master Class
Negotiation Essentials Online
- Download Program Guide:
January 2027
March 2027 - Register Online:
January 2027
March 2027 - Learn More about Negotiation Essentials Online
Beyond the Back Table: Working with People and Organizations to Get to Yes
- Download Program Guide:
February 2025 - Register Online:
February 2025 - Learn More about Beyond the Back Table
Select Your Free Special Report
- Negotiation Master Class Spring 2027 Program Guide
- Managing Complex Negotiations Spring 2027 Program Guide
- Negotiation Essentials Online (NEO) Spring 2027 Program Guide
- Negotiation Essentials Online (NEO) Fall 2026 Program Guide
- Negotiation Master Class Fall 2026 Program Guide
- Negotiation and Leadership Program Guide
Teaching Negotiation Resource Center
Preparing for Negotiation
Understanding how to arrange the meeting space is a key aspect of preparing for negotiation. In this video, Professor Guhan Subramanian discusses a real world example of how seating arrangements can influence a negotiator’s success. This discussion was held at the 3 day executive education workshop for senior executives at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School.
Guhan Subramanian is the Professor of Law and Business at the Harvard Law School and Professor of Business Law at the Harvard Business School.
Articles & Insights

BATNA

Business Negotiations

Conflict Resolution

Crisis Negotiations
- How to Gain Leverage with Stronger Parties in Negotiation
- Police Negotiation Techniques from the NYPD Crisis Negotiations Team
- Famous Negotiations Cases – NBA and the Power of Deadlines at the Bargaining Table
- Crisis Negotiation Lessons: The U.S.-Russia Prisoner Swap
- Crisis Negotiation Skills: The Hostage Negotiator’s Drill

Dealing with Difficult People

Dealmaking

Dispute Resolution

International Negotiation
- Overcoming Cultural Barriers in Negotiations and the Importance of Communication in International Business Deals
- The Multi-Door Courthouse: How Alternative Dispute Resolution Expands Access to Justice
- International Negotiations and Agenda Setting: Controlling the Flow of the Negotiation Process
- In Cross-Cultural Negotiations, Improve Your Awareness
- How to Resolve Intercultural Conflict

Leadership Skills

Mediation

Negotiation Skills

Negotiation Training

Salary Negotiations

Teaching Negotiation

Win-Win Negotiations




