Dealing With Mr. Cranky-Pants

While at work yesterday I had a rather unpleasant experience. I was making a series of calls to clients to invite them in to the office to discuss their investments. These weren’t necessarily clients I had dealt with in the past as I’m new to my branch. As a result I’m starting to develop relationships with the client base.

When I make my calls I’m rather informal and I try to be as personable as possible. I’m a fairly jovial guy, so this really isn’t a stretch for me. I normally address the individuals I call by there full name. So when the phone is answered I ask for ‘John Smith’. Once I get the confirmation that I’m speaking to the correct person I normally switch and address the client by their first name only. This has been my practice for years. I’ve never had a problem or a complaint.

Today however, was to be different. I got Mr. Cranky-Pants on the phone. When I addressed him as ‘John’, he said “How dare you be so informal with me. You don’t even know me. Please address me as Mr. Smith” He then asked who I was. To my credit I didn’t reply that I was Mr. Ellis calling from the bank.

The call didn’t go much better from there. The client indicated he would come into the branch, but that he would deal with someone who wasn’t so rude or informal. Fair enough, he’s not really the type of client I want to be dealing with anyway.

I hung up the phone and found myself in a foul mood.

I had done my best to be positive, helpful, and polite while with this client. He however, had done everything possible to be rude, cranky, unpleasant, unhelpful, and generally miserable.

Now, I’ll concede that perhaps he had a point. I don’t know him and he was an older gentlemen. I have a youthful voice that disguises my age. He thought that perhaps I was some young punk being disrespectful. Nothing could have been further from the truth, I was simply trying to be friendly and helpful. Rather than making the call stuffy and uncomfortable, I was seeking to do the opposite.

As I set the phone down I realized that this phone call had just put a rain cloud above my head and I felt like Charlie Brown trying to figure out what I’d done wrong!

The reality is I’d done nothing wrong. I’d handled myself professionally. I’d prepared for the call just as I always did and of the thousand of phone calls I’ve made at work I altered nothing in the way I addressed the individual who answered the phone. Perhaps I’d just defied the odds on not hitting such a grump person until now.

The interaction got me thinking. How we behave, the words we say have a profound effect on those around us. We are products of our environment, and if that enviornment is harsh chances are so are we. I have no desire to be such a person. I enjoy being upbeat, positive and laid back. I try not to let too many things stress me. I simply don’t think it’s worth it.

To that extent I’ve created a brief list of ways to handle those harsh elements of our environment, whether they be a grouchy old man on the other end of the phone, the office gossip, or that guy. You know, that guy. The one no one wants to be.

1. Recognize that it’s going to happen. Some people are just fundamentally unhappy with life. It doesn’t matter what you do or how hard you try. They will complain and do everything in their power to make those around them miserable. That’s really too bad for them. Distance yourself from these people. You don’t need their negative energy around you.
2. Take a break. Get up from your desk and walk away. Take five minutes, take some deep breaths and clear your mind. Then return to the task at hand re-energized. Please note this doesn’t work so well when the individual causing the problem is in your office.
3. Remember that you are better than that. This isn’t to say you’re a perfect individual, I daresay that no one can make a claim that bold. However, if you strive to be positive in how you approach life and how you handle people, then rise above the individuals who would drag you down.
4. When someone insists on knocking you down a peg for no reason than they are miserable, focus on what’s good in your life. Your family, friends, your hobbies.

What ways do you have to overcome the negative people in your life? How do you rise above it? I’m interested in your thoughts.