chapter 11 Dealing with Difficult People owhere is it written that you have to get along with everyone. There are people in the world who should not, who must not, be on any team--ever. And they are not especially unusual. In the last chapter we talked about people whose intentions toward teaming were OK, but whose ability to team successfully was hampered by differences of opinion and approach. This chap- ter is about people who nature did not inculcate with the instinct or the will to team. They are not necessarily bad people, although some (the dark angels) are truly bad. All require action on the team's part--either distancing, discipline, or banishment. N Team Jerks On any given day, we can all be jerks--rude people unaware of how we come across. But the true team jerk goes beyond occa- sional jerkness to full-blown jerkhood. They are jerks par excel- lence. Compared to them, we are amateurs. A team jerk is usually its most talented member. He or she may have made some very important contributions to the enterprise. 76 WHERE TEAMS GO WRONG