Think about a difficult boss, professor or other person. What made him or her difficult? How did you successfully interact with this person?

"I once worked at a locally owned shop where the owner was very demanding. When the owner would walk into the store, employees would announce over their headset system that the owner was in the building, so that everyone could be prepared for his entrance into their department. The owner had great intentions; however, his people skills were a little rough. I could see that he meant well, and I recognized that he wanted to do a lot of good things. When we interacted, I always took his feedback with the understanding that he didn't mean things as harshly as he might say them."

"I once worked with a peer who was very difficult in meetings and with interacting in groups of others. I took it upon myself to help this person interact better with others. When she would bark orders, I would reiterate what she was trying to say to the group in a more professional manner. It took some time, but she learned to behave in a way that made people want to work with her."