Council staff have to deal with …
all sorts of people, in all sorts of environments and regarding all sorts of issues. They have to deal with a broad range of people including residents and ratepayers, people who come to the area for work or shopping, people who are simply passing through including tourists, and representatives of businesses, government departments and community groups including welfare organizations and sporting associations.
They also have to deal with lots of other people in the organization— up, down and sideways. They have to deal with these people face-to-face, by writing, by e-mail and on the phone. They may have to deal with them while at their own desk or counter but they may also have to deal with them somewhere else including a public place such as a street or park, at a public meeting, on a building site, in their place of work, on a building site or on their property.
The problem is that …
not everyone that they deal with is pleasant, polite and well mannered. Quite the contrary. Of course, some can simply be a little unfriendly, demanding and impatient. But some can be quite sarcastic, uncooperative and rude, and some can be downright horrible, aggressive and abusive. Let’s face it; people rarely contact the council to congratulate staff on the great job they’ve done.
People are more likely to be contacting staff because they reckon that Council has failed to do something that they should have done or they reckon Council has done something wrong. It’s more likely that they want to complain about rulings and policies, about noise and traffic, about tree problems and rubbish, about a fine that they shouldn’t have got, about their rates which are are outrageous, and about a stupid decision regarding a Development Application. And it’s likely that they want action and they want it now. There’s also the case where people have been caught not doing the right thing and staff have the job of telling them the bad news and … well you get the picture. It’s just too easy in these cases for emotion to run high, for ego to get in the way, and for tempers to flare.
All staff, especially those on the front line, require outstanding people skills and they must be able to handle difficult people but at the same time be extremely well manered. If they don’t, they suffer, their colleagues suffer, their managers suffer and the Council as a whole suffers.
Mark has a solution and …
it’s called Diplomatic Assertiveness and the 9 Secrets of Dealing with Difficult People. Mark is happy to talk to you about what he does, his experience and how we can help you, and your staff, communicate with flair and create a happier, more dignified and more respectful workplace. Contact him and have a chat about what you need and ask him how he can help.