When an organization’s employees aren’t happy, it’s unlikely they’ll be providing the kind of quality service that leads to happy customers. One of the fastest ways to create internal strife is to let “difficult” people go unchecked. Too often, organizations promise satisfaction to external customers and then allow internal politics to frustrate their employees’ good intentions to deliver.

重要的是要记住，您的客户并不是唯一每天都在寻求优质服务的人。您的同事和领导者也需要服务。如果他们不满意，那么他们不太可能提供出色的服务，而您也是如此。不可避免地，“困难的人”会渗入您的工作生活，打扰您，您的同事和领导者，工作流以及对您提供的服务产生负面影响。

但是，一旦您将某人描述为“困难的人”，那么您已经处于失败的境地。就像我对困难客户的看法：没有困难的客户，只有困难的客户情况。当整个组织同意使用服务的共同定义来定义他们共同努力的方式时，每个人都将能够专注于创造价值和彼此更好地服务，从而导致更好的外部服务。

So, instead of seeing angry co-workers and not wanting to have anything to do with them, you could stop and think: What do these people value? What are they not getting that they need? What can I do now to serve them better? When this culture of service takes hold in the organization, everyone feels better and works better together.

Here’s how you can use difficult situations to start building an uplifting service culture in your organization—from the inside out.

• Assess the situation carefully. Are your colleagues deeply upset or simply having a bad day? Are they angry about an ongoing internal issue that must be addressed and solved, or a one-off situation like a presentation gone wrong? Is this a process problem that persistently provokes, or a one-time irritation that will naturally fade away? Once you have assessed the situation, you can then determine whether these people just require a little personal attention from you—or whether a larger plan must be created.

• Shift your perspective. Stop thinking of your colleagues as “difficult” and start thinking about the difficulty they are experiencing, and how you can serve them in the current situation. What is it that they are concerned, disturbed or upset about that’s leading to this behavior?

一旦意识到困难的情况对他人意味着什么，您就可以以更多的同情，慷慨，同理心和耐心来解决这个问题。对于双方而言，这比得出结论是其他时间一直很困难或总是反应过度要有效得多。

现实情况是，您从来没有真正知道与其他人一起在家庭健康或财务状况下发生的一切。您不知道那天早上或前一天晚上在他们家里发生了什么。您真的不知道是什么触发了这一情绪激动的时刻。因此，您可以决定：让我为这些人选择同情心，而不是判断并开始行使同理心。

• Lean in and work on the problem together. “Difficult” people often behave that way because they are trying to get something they need or trying to make something happen. They probably think the only way they can get colleagues’ attention is by outwardly showing anger. But we know from experience that the way to get better service is to be a better customer. And the same goes for getting the help we all want from our colleagues.