So You're Good at Your Job. Unfortunately, Your Client Isn't

So you're at work. You're good at your job. You know what you're doing. You've got some experience behind you. You've solved some pretty complicated problems and, generally speaking, people seem to think you're pretty good at what you do.

And then you get a client.

Now, difficult is a very political word. It's one of those words we use at work when we really don't want to say what we're actually thinking.

What we're really trying to say is… sometimes dumb folk get to the top. Surprisingly often, actually. And every now and then, one of them becomes your client.

So what do you do?

Well, your first instinct might be to explain to them, very carefully and using increasingly smaller words, that they're wrong.

Don't.

I've learned that this rarely works. In fact, it usually creates a whole new problem where somehow you become the difficult person.

The trick is not to take the bait.

When someone gets aggressive, you don't have to get aggressive back. Take a breath. Slow the conversation down. Ask questions.

“Can you help me understand the specific concern?”

“What exactly would you like us to change?”

“Can you give me an example?”

It's amazing what happens when you move a conversation from feelings to facts.

And then there is documentation.

Not because you're preparing for World War III. It's just that people have remarkably different memories of conversations once things start going sideways.

Write things down. Keep it factual. What was said, what was agreed, who is responsible for what and what happens next.

And probably leave out, “This guy is completely nuts.”

Even if he is.

If you're responsible for other people, there's another part of this that matters. You have to protect your people.

Sometimes a client doesn't like someone. That doesn't automatically mean the person is bad at their job. Find out what actually happened. Is there a legitimate performance issue? Or does someone simply not like being challenged?

Those are two very different things.

And here's probably the biggest lesson I've learned.

You don't have to win every argument.

Sometimes the smartest response is simply, “Okay.”

Not because they're right.

Because the argument isn't worth your afternoon.

There are, of course, some things you don't compromise on. Safety. Ethics. Professional responsibility. Honesty. The things that actually matter.

A client can be important. They can have a massive contract. They can make the company a lot of money. They can even yell very loudly.

They still don't get to buy your integrity.

And here's the funny thing about work.

You can be really good at your job and still have someone decide they don't like you.

It happens.

Sometimes people don't like the answer you give them. Sometimes they don't like being told no. Sometimes they don't like the person delivering the message.

And sometimes it's just about them.

You don't get to control that.

What you can control is how you respond.

Do your job. Look after your people. Keep your cool. Document the crazy. Know when to push back and, just as importantly, know when to say “okay” and move on.

Because at the end of the day, your career is a lot longer than one difficult client.

And tomorrow morning, you'll probably have another meeting with them.

So get some coffee.

You're probably going to need it.