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I’m addressing how to deal with difficult and toxic relationships on your job taken from my Bible study, Improving Your Relationships. In the thirty-seven years of this ministry, the one issue which surfaces again and again is problem relationships. If we just didn’t have to deal with people, life would be easy! Linus put it so well when he said, “I love mankind; it’s people I can’t stand!”
We’ve talked about dealing with the lazy co-worker. Now I would like to address:
Dealing with a Condescending, Arrogant Co-worker
If you have ever worked with this type of person, you’ll recognize their characteristics. They talk down to people, they are unteachable because they know it all, they have an attitude of superiority and no matter what you’ve done or where you’ve been, they can top you with their story. Frequently their body language and facial expressions indicate aloofness, disgust, disapproval, and they treat others as though they are dumb or stupid.
When people have a continual attitude of arrogance and condescension, it is a telltale sign that underneath that intimidating outward appearance lies a great deal of insecurity and pain, and it reveals a lack of confidence, a need for recognition, and a fear of rejection.
There are times when the extra-mile principle is the one God would have you practice, just bearing with that arrogant person, not being intimidated by their behavior, but trying to ignore it as much as possible. Then you may need to speak the truth in love to that condescending co-worker, when God gives you the green light to do so. Certainly, God could use this person in your life to teach you to humble yourself, for they can be humbling.
My Bible study goes into these various toxic and difficult people you may have to deal with in more detail.