​SLS-115     Managing Difficult Staff & Problem People 

• Overview
• Course Objectives
• Course Content
• For Whom
• Schedule and Hours

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Managing Difficult Staff & Problem People is a crucial leadership skill that helps maintain a productive and respectful work environment. It involves identifying challenging behaviours—such as consistent lateness, refusal to follow instructions, or negative attitudes—and addressing them through assertive communication, clear expectations, and timely interventions. Leaders must learn to recognise early warning signs and respond appropriately to prevent disruption to team morale and performance.

Effective management of difficult employees also requires a structured approach, including documentation, feedback, and, when necessary, disciplinary action. By understanding the root causes of poor behaviour and applying targeted strategies, managers can not only resolve existing issues but also build stronger, more accountable teams. This ultimately leads to improved collaboration, employee engagement, and overall organisational effectiveness

​Managers that will benefit from this course will be faced with some or all of the following problems

• Understand the nature and sources of workplace conflicts.
• Identify different conflict management styles.
• Identify patterns, triggers, and root causes behind “difficult” behavior.
• Apply emotional intelligence, empathy, and neuroscience-backed strategies to influence behavior.
• Practice practical models for resolving tensions and confronting difficult staff professionally.
• Learn to balance empathy with accountability using Radical Candor and assertive feedback.
• Apply conflict resolution models and neuroscience-based tools (e.g. SCARF Model).
• Set clear expectations and hold others accountable with psychological safety.
• Manage emotions, biases, and ego traps in difficult conversations.
• Create action plans to manage recurring behavioral challenges while fostering a culture of respect.

Day 1

• Welcome & Expectations
• Module 1: Why People Become 'Difficult'
  
• Module 2: Your Leadership Style & Their Response 
  
• Module 3: Managing Emotions – The Chimp Paradox
  
• Module 4: Communication Triggers & The Drama Triangle
  
• Reflection & Insights
  

Day 2: 

• Welcome Back & Recap
• Module 5: Radical Candor for Difficult Conversations
  
• Module 6: The Accountability Conversation Framework 
  
• Module 7: Conflict Resolution Strategies
  
• Module 8: Coaching vs Confronting 
  
• Module 9: Handling Resistance & Toxicity
  
• Module 10: From Problem People to People Potential 
  
• ​Action Planning & Closing
  

This course is designed for People Managers, Team Leads, HR Professionals, Project Managers, and Functional Heads managing staff performance, interpersonal challenges, and team dynamics.

This is a 2-days programme.
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This course runs from 9:00am – 5:00pm with an hour for lunch and periodic short breaks.
 
This is an intensive session designed to include as much discussion as possible. Lunch and breaks provide an opportunity for further questioning and discussion with the instructors.

We are HRD Corp (Human Resource Development Corporation) Registered Training Provider.
​All of our training modules are claimable under HRD Corp.