When it comes to staff management, as a business owner you have to know how to deal with many different kinds of people. This is a very delicate skill that takes time to develop, but it is critical to the success of your organization if you want to have an effective workforce that contributes to the growth of your company.

Employee personality tests are helpful in identifying the many different kinds of employees that exist. But whether you use this method or not, Inc. Magazine states that there are five traits – anger addicts, narcissists, passive-aggressive, gossipers, guilt trippers – that every owner must be on the lookout for. These individuals can make things difficult not only for you as the leader of the company, but for other members of your staff as well.

However, the first step in effective management is being able to accurately identify the personalities. Once this occurs, it becomes easier to not only prepare for what these individuals bring to the table, but also in knowing how to mold them into being valuable members of the organization. Failure in this area could have serious implications for the business, but mastery of this skill will make you more prepared on how to deal with similar individuals in the future.

Employee personality traits to be on the lookout for
Of the five difficult personality traits, two could pose the most difficult challenge. The first are those who enjoy gossiping. These individuals can make a work environment become toxic very quickly. Inc. suggests not to get caught in the trap of participating in such trivial talk and instead, nip it in the bud as soon as you see it.

Not only should this help limit future incidents, but it also presents an opportunity to turn the behavior around and encourage the employee to use their gift of gab in a more positive manner.

The other type of individual to be mindful of is the one who always seems to be perpetually angry. The magazine suggests quickly informing them that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated under any circumstances. However, this also a chance to uncover the deeper reason for such emotional and negative outbursts, and a savvy leader can use this as an opportunity to forge a bond and a deeper level of trust and admiration between themselves and the disgruntled employee.

Don’t leave anyone out
Obviously the primary theme of this article is in dealing with difficult employees, but it’s important to understand that other staff members need to feel as if they’re important as well. The Guardian writes that it is very easy for workers to feel as if they’re on the outside looking in, so it’s imperative as an owner to know how to handle these individuals as well.

The newspaper says that there are a number of different factors that can cause an individual to feel alone inside of a workplace, and awareness of these issues can strengthen anyone’s leadership skills. Small-business ownership presents many challenges, but with the right people skills, you can develop an effective and productive staff that can help an organization grow.