Working Together and Handling Interpersonal Situations
Concepts
Interpersonal items test whether you address friction early, privately, and at the lowest level, and whether you keep the person and the problem separate. Key ideas: active listening (reflect back and check understanding before responding); separating intent from impact; constructive feedback (specific behaviour, its effect, what would help); psychological safety; and the difference between supporting a colleague and taking over their work.
Traps. Avoidance ('it will probably settle down'), going over someone's head as a first move, public correction, gossip or side-conversations, and absorbing someone else's task rather than helping them build capability. Another trap is treating a disagreement about the work as a personality clash. Be alert to options that sound 'supportive' but in fact remove the other person's ownership or hide the problem from them.
Rule of thumb. Raise it with the person directly, in private, within a day or two, framed around the work and a shared goal: 'the handover on Tuesday left the client without a contact - can we agree how we will cover that?' Escalate only when a direct conversation has been tried and has not worked, the behaviour is repeated, or there is a welfare, safety or conduct issue that cannot wait.
Worked example. A colleague repeatedly misses agreed actions. Weak: mention it to your manager in passing. Weak: quietly do the actions yourself. Strong: ask for a short private conversation, describe the pattern and its impact without labelling the person, ask whether something is getting in the way, agree one specific change, and set a date to check back.