6 Tips for Dealing with Difficult (Even Impossible) People
In case you're wondering how to play well with others, we have a few ideas.
Why Should I Hang Out with People Who Think Differently Than I Do?
Cultivating contacts outside your social circle brings a little ordered chaos into your life. Most of us find the idea of chaos stressful, but history suggests that the disorder following upheaval often brings unexpected benefits: The Plague, for example, helped usher in the Renaissance. Fortunately, you don't have to wait for catastrophe to strike; just form relationships with all kinds of individuals. I call them "unusual suspects," because they'll naturally push your thinking in new directions. Ask yourself which groups have made you a bit uncomfortable in the past, and try reaching out to them. (I'm from Israel, and one of my unusual suspects runs a church.) Make a point of getting together with your new connections with no agenda. Even if you just chat, you've created an opportunity for ideas to be born.
Ori Brafman is the coauthor of The Chaos Imperative: How Chance and Disruption Increase Innovation, Effectiveness, and Success.
From the
November 2013 issue of
O, The Oprah Magazine
