People, of whom there seem to be more all the time, can be tremendously difficult, and so our restless information economy has seen a great flowering of advice on how to go about working with them. All-star corporate consultants Rick Brinkman and Rick Kirschner have put their shtik down on CD-ROM.
At $1,500, Dealing With Difficult People is no cheap fix. But managers may find it more economical than a steady stream of workshops for squabbling minions. The CD-ROM made me cringe at times, yet it's full of commonsense advice.
Cute little buildings in a wee virtual village are the setting for readings, quizzes, and work-scene playlets, while the Ricks cavort around a laboratory. We learn about the many subspecies of difficult personalities - yes people, no people, whiners, and tanks. It's useful stuff, really. I can remember only one guy from my past who would have dodged all these tactics, and dealing with him might best have involved a fist or a .45.
There is, however, some urban blight in this town. For some reason, a beaming Dawn Wells from Gilligan's Island spins yarns about her difficult castaway friends and hawks her cookbook. The Ricks are basically gods of amiability, but their constant upness wears real thin in spots. And when they try to be funny, well, let's just say they should be prevented from ever again imitating the Beatles.
Dealing With Difficult People: $1,500. Athena Interactive: +1 (775) 322 8449, (800) 500 4294, www.athenainteractive.com.
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