Dealing with

Difficult Personalities

Staffing at cheerleading camps this summer has exposed me to many different personalities and people from very different backgrounds. Sometimes when I encounter people who I do not mesh well with, I usually try to avoid them and make different friends. I have done this ever since high school and its probably not the best habit, but it is how I deal with people that I do not agree with. I do not like to be around negative people or negative energy so I try to separate myself from those situations as much as possible instead of dealing with them face to face.

The above tip that I use the most is definitely Tip 7: tap into your inner best self. I turn inward and examine why I am feeling a certain way towards a person or why they are not clicking with me. At one of my cheer camps this summer, I did not quite mesh well with the other staffers who knew each other already. I definitely turned inward during this camp to find strength to complete it. I tapped into my inner self and kept my distance from some of the staffers. I knew I couldn't do this all week long, so during "mat time" I voiced my concerns and (Tip 3) made my feelings known. This relieved the tension among the staff and helped me bond with the staff. I learned a great lesson at this camp and now I know that you have to go through some challenging situations sometimes to grow as a person.

Tips that I should use next time in these situations are Tip 3: Show Your feelings, Tip 6: Embrace Other Points of View, and 2: Be Firm But Flexible so that I can be assertive but still learn to go with the flow and accept the challenges of working with diverse people with loud personalities.

When I am in a bad mood or in a difficult situation, I liked to be pulled aside and talked to individually, instead of being singled out in front of everyone. This makes me feel like the person who is pulling me aside is aware of my feelings and is sensitive to the situation and how I may respond. I also like getting positive feedback and knowing how I am doing at something.

Jane Marie:)