Dealing with Eight Types of Difficult and Resistant Staff

From the Marshall Memo #453

In this helpful article in Principal, John Eller (St. Cloud State University) and Sheila Eller (a Minnesota elementary principal) suggest strategies for working with negative staff members who, even if they are small in number, can have a major impact on morale and school effectiveness. The authors suggest analyzing why a person might be resistant to change (Are they losing something important? Have they had negative experiences with change in the past?) and choosing which venue is best for addressing their resistance to change. If it’s a face-to-face “difficult conversation”, Eller and Eller say it’s important to set a serious tone, clearly describe the problem with specific examples, tell the person exactly what needs to be changed or addressed, and describe how you will follow up. “The most successful difficult conversations are well planned, clear, and let the employee know that the principal means business,” they say. 

Eller and Eller go on to describe eight types of difficult and resistant colleagues and possible strategies with each:

• Underminers – Characteristics: Say they will comply when they’re with you, then criticize and fail to implement behind your back. Strategies: Give everyone a chance to share concerns in private and public; check on implementation in their classrooms; confront noncompliance in a difficult conversation.

• Contrarians – Characteristics: Believe that if they don’t speak up, no one else will; ignore other perspectives. Strategies: Structure pro-and-con discussions with all staff about new ideas; ask that an idea or strategy be discussed with respect to its impact on teaching and learning; confront the behavior in a difficult conversation.

• Recruiters – Characteristics: Try to win over others to their point of view; drop the names of those who, they say, agree with them. Strategies: Help others develop the strength to resist being recruited; challenge recruiters to be specific about those who supposedly agree with them; confront the behavior in a difficult conversation.

• The challenged – Characteristics: Believe they’re doing a good job and don’t need to change; cover up their lack of knowledge. Strategies: Ask them specific questions to see if they truly understand what’s being proposed; determine what information is missing and provide opportunities for them to learn the required skills, which might include coaching, peer modeling, and conferencing.

• Retired on the job – Characteristics: Are open about not being motivated to change or improve. Strategies: Say you understand their situation but state your expectations about the work that is required; follow up with classroom visits.

• Resident experts – Characteristics: Broadcast their knowledge about every issue; when they make mistakes, blame others or outside circumstances; make excuses when you want to observe them implementing new ideas or techniques. Strategies: Privately ask them specific questions to assess their knowledge; hold them accountable when they make errors; confront the behavior in a difficult conversation.

• Unelected representatives – Characteristics: Claim to represent a group or viewpoint without others’ permission. Strategies: Ask the colleagues they claim to represent if they are in agreement; confront the behavior in a difficult conversation; conduct open conversations about the issues in which everyone has a chance to speak.

• Whiners and complainers – Characteristics: Find fault with everything; fail to take responsibility for issues in their classrooms or professional practice; go overboard in talking about issues and problems. Strategies: Hold pro-and-con conversations in which positive ideas as well as concerns are aired; confront in a difficult conversation; don’t accept irrational explanations; ask them to reframe the situation and reduce the melodrama.

“Working Productively with Difficult and Resistant Staff” by John Eller and Sheila Eller in Principal, September/October 2012 (Vol. 92, #1, p. 28-31), www.naesp.org