A former T-Mobile exec shares his strategy for working with difficult colleagues

Everyone has that 1 workfellow they dread moving with.

If you haven't yet, it's astir apt only a matter of time, T-Mobile's erstwhile main business and merchandise officer, Mike Katz, told Business Insider.

Katz began his profession arsenic a assemblage student trading cellphone services astatine retailers earlier moving his measurement up the C-suite. He exited his domiciled successful July to prosecute caller master interests and will stay successful a strategical advisory domiciled done December 2026.

"There's going to beryllium group that you tally into that, nary matter each your champion efforts, they're conscionable going to beryllium ace difficult," said Katz.

As personification who's held complete a twelve roles astatine T-Mobile, he suggested building a beardown soul web and having friends crossed the company. Those relationships unfastened doors, grow influence, and create opportunities complete time.

Sometimes, though, you conscionable don't click pinch someone. Katz shared 4 tips for navigating interactions pinch these colleagues.

First, he said, you person to judge that this is simply a reality of having a job. That intends erstwhile you interact pinch those coworkers, you participate into those interactions pinch realistic expectations, he said.

Second, you should specify what occurrence looks for illustration successful those conversations successful beforehand and attraction connected achieving that goal. For example, if you request someone's support connected a project, attraction the speech toward getting that approval, he said. Don't expect to travel retired of the gathering emotion lukewarm and fuzzy.

"Know that occurrence coming retired of that gathering isn't really going to beryllium really you feel," Katz, who antecedently served arsenic T-Mobile's CMO, said. "It's going to be: Did you get the point that you needed to get done?"

You whitethorn besides want to effort breaking the firm crystal pinch that person. Sometimes getting to cognize your coworker connected a much individual level tin thief easiness tension. Katz said that taking the clip to build a relationship earlier tackling a activity schedule tin often lick the problem.

If each other fails and you can't find communal ground, attraction connected controlling what you can: your ain behavior. Katz said he tries to unrecorded by the "golden rule" of treating others the measurement he wants to beryllium treated. He said that maintaining that mindset unsocial tin sometimes lead to a "breakthrough" pinch difficult colleagues. If you're not adding to the tension, he said, the move whitethorn commencement to improve.

Have you dealt pinch a difficult colleague? We want to perceive your tips. Reach retired to the newsman via email astatine [email protected] aliases secure-messaging level Signal astatine aalt.19.