Managing Narcissists, Blamers, Dramatics and More...: Research-Driven Scripts for Managing Difficult Personalities at Work

From New York Times bestseller Mark Murphy comes the definitive guide to managing difficult people! Do you ever have to deal with giant egos, blamers, or people who find drama in every little thing? Do you have to work with anyone who always sees the negative in any situation?

This book gives you the research-backed scripts to manage the most difficult personalities on your team! You'll discover how to manage:

Dramatic Personalities: • Tackle attention-seekers who thrive on chaos by redirecting their focus to facts and eliminating the emotional vortex they create. Negative Personalities: • Counteract constant pessimism with fact-based questioning techniques that debunk cognitive distortions and encourage positivity. Blamers: • Stop the endless finger-pointing by fostering accountability and redirecting their energy toward collaborative problem-solving. Problem Bringers: • Transform chronic complainers into proactive contributors by guiding them to present solutions alongside their issues. Overly Sensitive Personalities: • Navigate hypersensitivity by maintaining emotional neutrality and addressing their concerns with clear, unemotional language. Advantage-Takers: • Set firm boundaries to prevent exploitation and ensure fairness while maintaining professionalism in every interaction. Confidently Incompetent: • Manage employees who overestimate their abilities by using factual feedback to reveal skill gaps and guide development. Narcissists: • Handle self-centered, grandiose employees with strategic flattery, boundary-setting, and unemotional communication to neutralize their disruptive impact. Talented Terrors: • Address skilled but toxic individuals who undermine teamwork by holding them accountable and aligning their behavior with organizational values.

This book gives you the specific scripts to improve even the most difficult personalities!

MARK MURPHY is a New York Times bestselling author, Senior Contributor to Forbes, and Founder of Leadership IQ. Mark's research and techniques have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fortune, Forbes, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Harvard Business Review, and U.S. News & World Report. He’s been a featured guest on programs including CBS News Sunday Morning, ABC’s 20/20, Fox Business News, CNN International, and NPR.

This audiobook is expertly read by Mike Norgaard, with audio engineering by Sam Platt. It was produced and published by Echo Point Books & Media, an independent bookseller in Brattleboro, Vermont.

© 2025 Echo Point Books & Media, LLC (Audiobook): 9798349125713

Release date

Audiobook: October 17, 2025