Every day, there’s a new report concerning tension at the office. It’s not easy to deal with a boss who thinks he knows more than everyone else, a coworker who continually tries to force her ideas on you, or even a friend who is always trying to micromanage your every move.

Putting up with them talking over you is tempting, but it won’t get you anywhere. Being firm and letting the know-it-alls know they’re wrong without getting into a fight is the best approach to handling these situations.

We’ll talk about how to handle a snobby colleague in the workplace here. We’ll also discuss how to handle overbearing management styles.

1. Know Your Facts

Before we start discussing how to deal with a know-it coworker, let’s ensure that we understand what this person is doing. We need to be aware of our facts before effectively addressing any issues.

If someone constantly tries to tell us something we don’t already know, we have no reason to listen. If they are being annoyed, then we should try to ignore them.

If someone is giving advice that contradicts our experience, we should consider their valuable opinions information. However, if someone is telling us things we’ve never heard, we shouldn’t take their word for it.

We should only accept advice from people who have proven themselves trustworthy. This means that we should stick to people who have demonstrated good judgment and integrity.

2. Lead by Example

Leading by example is the most effective way to deal with an overbearing coworker. Don’t allow yourself to be bullied around by others. You will gain respect when you stand up for yourself.

Don’t let anyone push you around. When someone tries to bully you, respond firmly. Show them that you aren’t going to put up with this kind of behavior.

Even though you might feel intimidated by someone bullying you, don’t back down. Be confident and show that you’re willing to stand up for yourself. A bully may think twice before picking on someone who isn’t afraid to defend herself.

You can also use your position to help other employees who are being mistreated. Let them know that you’re standing behind them, so they will feel safe coming to you with problems.

When dealing with a know-it colleague, keep your cool. Don’t let them get under your skin.

3. Keep Your Sense of Humor

A lot of people forget that bullies are often very immature individuals. They tend to act out because they lack maturity.

This doesn’t mean that they don’t have feelings. They do, but they need to learn how to express themselves appropriately.

Instead of taking everything personally, try to see the humor in the situation. Bullies often find it difficult to admit they were wrong, so they often make fun of people instead.

It’s important to remember that they are not serious about hurting you or insulting you. They are simply using jokes to cover up their true intentions.

Try to stay calm and focused during confrontations. Make sure to remain polite and respectful. You don’t want to give the bully the satisfaction of seeing you lose control.

Be careful not to engage in personal attacks. Bullies usually like to pick fights, so avoid getting into arguments with them. Try to focus on the issue at hand rather than attacking them personally.

Bullying can become even more dangerous if you let it go too far. Keep in mind that you could lose your job if you let your coworkers treat you badly.

4. Pick Your Battles

Sometimes, you’ll encounter someone qualified to work in your field. Even though you wouldn’t want to fire them, you still need to ensure that they don’t cause any damage to your business.

You need to learn how to identify these types of workers. The best way to do this is to watch their performance closely. Pay attention to whether they are doing anything that causes harm to your company.

If they are causing problems, then you need to take action. If you notice that they are making mistakes, you must correct them immediately.

Ensure you explain to them what needs to be done correctly and what needs to be fixed. Once they understand what you expect from them, they won’t have much reason to bother you again.

The same thing goes for coworkers who are trying to sabotage your efforts. Instead of letting them get away with their bad behavior, you should speak up and tell them that their actions are unacceptable.

This will stop them from acting inappropriately in the future. If you ignore their actions, you risk dealing with a bigger problem later on.

5. Offer Constructive Feedback

You can still offer constructive feedback even if you cannot change someone’s personality. This helps others improve themselves while teaching them how to interact with others.

You show that you care about the individual’s well-being by giving helpful advice. This makes it easier for them to trust you.

You can also ask questions to determine whether or not they are open to receiving criticism. You can help them grow as individuals by asking them about their weaknesses.

You can also use this opportunity to teach them new skills. For example, when you notice that they are struggling with something, you can point out where they went wrong.

When you do this, you’re helping them become better employees. This will make your life easier because you won’t have to worry about dealing with difficult people all day.

6. Remain Professional

There may come a time when you feel angry or frustrated with a coworker. Unfortunately, this can be challenging to deal with.

However, there are ways to handle an argument without resorting to violence. The most important thing to remember is to remain professional at all times.

Don’t act like a child when arguing with someone else. Being disrespectful will only make things worse. Plus, you could lose your job if you engage in physical altercations.

Instead, try to stay calm and collected. Your anger fades once you keep your cool. In addition, you’ll avoid creating drama by remaining quiet.

7. Avoid Involving Your Boss

While you should never involve your boss in conflicts between coworkers, you can sometimes talk to them about a situation.

For example, you can mention that you see a coworker behaving badly and ask your boss for guidance. They can give you some tips on how to resolve the conflict.

If your boss disagrees with your solution, you can discuss it further. However, you shouldn’t let the matter go unresolved.

Ultimately, you don’t want to create more work for yourself. You also don’t want to put your boss in a position where he feels embarrassed.

It’s best to approach your boss privately, so no one else knows about the issue. Then, you can work together to solve the problem.

8. Empathize with The Know-It-All

The know-it-alls in our lives often think we’re rude when we don’t want to engage with them. They feel like we’re ignoring them or rejecting them. But the truth is, we don’t understand how they’re feeling. We’re trying to help, but they’re too wrapped up in themselves to let us in.

So how do we deal with someone who keeps getting under our skin? Try empathizing with him. You may never fully understand where he’s coming from, but you can still respect his feelings. And even though he doesn’t always respond well to empathy, it’s worth a shot.

9. Utilize Their Strengths

The person who knows it all…they’re called “know-it-alls.” They love to tell everyone else what to do and often try to convince you why you shouldn’t listen to anyone else. Know-it-alls are usually very opinionated, arrogant, and overbearing. However, there’s a way to use their strengths rather than letting them undermine yours.

Acknowledge that they have strengths while pointing out where you see weaknesses. Let them know that you appreciate their input, even though you don’t agree with every idea they offer. You can say something like, “I’m glad we had this conversation because I’ve been thinking about some things differently now that I’ve heard your perspective,” or “You bring up a lot of great points, and I’d like to hear your thoughts on…”

This lets them feel important while still showing respect for their opinions. If you disagree with them, explain why, and let them know that you want to keep talking about it. They’ll probably realize that you’re open to hearing their ideas, and they won’t be able to argue with someone who listens to them.

Conclusion

As long as you keep your cool around a colleague who thinks they know everything, they shouldn’t be an issue.

Don’t take things so personally. You shouldn’t argue with those who aren’t going to hear you out, either. You should be concentrating on finding a solution instead. You want to avoid adding extra stress to your own life by giving yourself more to do. Please schedule your urgent conversation for a more convenient time.

Working with a “know it” coworker can be stressful, but there are ways to ease the situation. You can utilize positive reinforcement, witty comments, or calm assertiveness the next time that know-it-all coworker tries to one-up you.

If you’ve tried to defuse the situation with this coworker and it hasn’t worked and you find that it’s affecting your work, you should bring it up with your manager or HR.

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