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Everyone knows who this is.  This is the…

‘Why does the boss pick on me?’, ‘why am I always first?’, ‘why did he/she say that to me?’, ‘why was I centered out?’, ‘blah, blah, blah why me?’, ‘blah, blah, blah poor me’, ‘I’m better than everyone else, so why me?’ crier of the team.

Nothing is ever this person’s fault.  Everyone should do everything their way.  They speak without thinking and expect to be known as the guru of whatever subject is at hand.  They wonder why they get ‘called out’ when they speak without filtering what they are saying.  They interrupt, are abrupt, don’t know when to stop asking questions and provide commentary on every single point of a presentation, especially if they do not appreciate the presenter.  They call their peers to re-hash every meeting, focused on any comments made by ‘the boss’…because those comments were all directed at the Drama Queen (or King), of course! 

So what do you do about this person?  How do you handle them?  Does ignoring them really work, or does it leave you ready to vent to your peers?!  What are they thinking?  Can you get inside their mind and understand why all the drama is required? Is this co-worker a narcissistic histrionic – everything is always about them to the maximum degree?  Is there hope for an histrionic?

Perhaps.  Let’s start slowly.  It does not serve anyone well to get upset, irritated or yell at the Drama Queen (or King).  You would only be enabling the ‘Drama-Queen (or King)-ness’.  You would need to start by trying to understand.  Perhaps, and most likely, this individual is insecure, has low self-esteem and needs constant validation.  The Drama Queen (or King) is really looking for you to make them –and keep them- the center of attention.  They are looking for you to validate their view of the negativity so they can continue to be in the drama.

Try this.

Ask the Drama Queen (or King) to put themselves in the other person’s shoes and ask them how they would handle the situation.
Ask the Drama Queen (or King) to consider the context of the comment that was directed at them.  For example, if the topic is low sales and their region has the lowest sales, would the comments be valid.
Ask the Drama Queen (or King) to reverse positions with you and hear what is being said from your shoes.
Ask the Drama Queen (or King) about the obvious – for example, they are region 1 so they will always be first in the discussion of results.  If you are brave, suggest that the Drama Queen (or King) as the meeting facilitator to start from a different direction.
Play back to the Drama Queen (or King) in exact words and tone what they have just said to you.  Ask them to respond to this.  It could be that they do not realize that they are always in Drama Queen (or King) –mode.

And last, but not least, humor may actually help diffuse some of the pent up emotion and quell some of the jitters, allowing the Drama Queen (or King) to see their own reflection in the mirror and correct their own behavior.  Validating their Drama Queen (or King) behavior only enables them to continue.  For the sake of, at the very least, the business, be honest with them and help them to resolve their issue.

Each Drama Queen (or King) is different, so handle with care.  Don’t forget to look in the mirror for the latent Drama Queen (or King) within each of us.

They are a common sight these days, distinguishable by a number of tell-tale characteristics.  One such characteristic is the odd combination of a gym bag and briefcase.  Another is the perplexing fashion-don’t of combining stockings or suit pants with sneakers.  Yet another is the half-robot appearance of a person so strapped with technological gadgets walking becomes, well, robotic; personal cell phone sticking out of one pocket, 3G company pocket phone/ email /organizer out of the other, MP3 device clipped to the lapel, laptop firmly in hand… and it may not stop there.  Who are these strange folk wandering around the cities of the world?  It seems, according to the experts, they are young professionals.  Typically in the age range of 20-35 these young professionals lead increasingly nomadic lifestyles where they may be away from their primary residence for hours, or even days, at a time.  Perhaps they are working one, two, or three jobs to make ends meet, perhaps they are splitting their time between the primary residence and a significant other’s primary residence, or perhaps, they just plain have a lot to do.  Whatever the reason it is becoming increasingly difficult to pin this nomadic species down, which is why so many of them are turning to WiMax wireless internet.

When living in a city things can get expensive quickly for young professionals.  The 3-year plan to success may seem just a blip in the life of an older adult, but three years of living off of ramen noodles and ketchup packets is an eternity to a young person working his or her way up the corporate ladder.  When just about everything is expensive the first items to go are those which are the least practical but most desired-life’s little creature comforts, if you will.  Things like cable television, or home wireless internet service, may get cut from the expense sheet fairly early in the game making the overpriced apartment seem like more of a large cinderblock than a cozy home.  

A great expense-streamlining solution for many young professionals in many US cities has been WiMax internet, which allows them to use their internet connection not only at home, but anywhere they go.  This means that instead of heading to an internet café the young professional can check his or her important emails before leaving the house, and free up a little of his or her valuable time.  It also means that those long, wasted, commutes from the outer-reaches of whatever city the young professional is in can now become productive power-computing sessions.  The value of on-the-go internet is putting hours back in the day.  For a young professional that probably already had about 27 hours worth of to-do list items crammed into that day, some of those little luxury time slots may get to come back into play.  With little more than a mobile air card, it is easy to plug into any laptop or even PC, and take advantage of one internet account anytime, anywhere.  Quit paying bills for a service that never gets used- since you’re never home anyway gypsy, and get high speed mobile broadband internet service to go.  Saving time and money?  Now that’s doing good business.