Humans 101

How to Deal With Difficult People Without Losing Your Mind

Don’t wrestle with pigs and don’t die on every hill

Don Johnson
Human Parts
Published in
7 min readOct 16, 2020

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Illustration of a hand held out in a fist and an open hand extended toward it.
Image: Malte Mueller/Getty Images

Given the political, social, and economic climate right now, tension and conflict are apt to surface more than ever.

People under stress are more likely to display a “bad day” version of themselves. Emotions close to the surface are easily triggered. When someone is stressed, angry, or irritated, they are less rational and empathetic — making the ability to resolve differences even more important.

What really matters in a difficult situation is how conscious and skilled you are. My former colleague and author of the bestselling book Conscious Business, Fred Kofman, says: “There are no difficult conflicts. There are only conflicts we don’t know how to resolve.”

As an executive coach, I’ve helped leaders at major tech and financial companies learn conflict resolution principles. Here is what I have found that works — whether it’s a conflict with family, friends, business colleagues…

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Don Johnson
Human Parts

Author | Advocate for Kindness, Respect & Freedom | Human Potential Coach | Connect with me here: www.bemoreconscious.com