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Almost everyone has been faced with a co-worker or even a manager who makes the job at hand more challenging – and sometimes downright annoying and stressful – than it has to be. If you are tired of cynics, controllers and other drama queens and drama kings at work, help is at hand. After working with over 2,500 CEOs and their executive teams over the past decade, business consultants Jim Warner and Kaley Klemp have compiled sometimes humorous and always practical strategies they say can quell drama-on-the-job.

In their new book, The Drama-Free Office: A Guide to Healthy Collaboration with Your Team, Coworkers , and Boss (OnCourse Publishing), Warner and Klemp use real-life examples of professional relationships set in a fictionalized company they’ve dubbed the Riva Corporation to show how the workplace can take a toxic turn. They also show how changing your reaction and participation in the drama is key to moving toward a more creative and collaborative workplace.

Recognize these drama queens or kings?

Using a fictional Riva Corporation case study, Warner and Klemp trace a team leader as she interacts with her boss and four difficult team members who exemplify one of four roles. The characteristics of these personalities are likely to sound all-too-familiar if you’ve ever wasted time, energy and resources coping with workplace drama.


The Complainer whines, waffles and is convinced everything is happening to him or her. “Complainers excel at playing the injured party; they elevate griping to an art form,” the authors write. “When trouble arises, they look for a bad guy to take the fall, because nothing can possibly be their fault.”

The Cynic discounts, snipes and withdraws. “They view others’ feedback as jealous or judgmental attempts to undermine their efforts and attack their position,” Warner and Klemp explain.

The Controller steamrolls, micromanages and is obsessed with winning. It’s his or her job to tell people what to do and they often using insults and rants in the process.

The Caretaker is typically highly productive as long as they don’t take on more than they can do – or until they move into a leadership role. Obsessed with feeling appreciated and helping others, the Caretaker “balks at making tough decisions, having difficult conversations, or holding boundaries,” the authors write.

By changing how you react and interact with drama-inducing people in the workplace, Warner and Klemp say you can shift tensions and negative patterns into more productive modes of communication and working together.

Tips to move from office drama to a healthier work environment:
Get rid of your own drama. Take time to consider your personal responsibility in office drama and proactively work on understanding and building better relationships.

Analyze the drama in co-workers. Maximize the odds for shifting behaviors by considering the kind of person you’re dealing with and crafting your approach to the way they contribute to drama in the work place. For example, Warner and Klemp outline how you can “coach” a caretaker by showing you appreciate them for setting boundaries and making tough decisions. Then offer to take things off their plates – but establish clear limits.

Faced with a boss who’s a complainer? The authors advise staying calm and non-judgmental and avoid being drawn into gossip or pity parties; don’t become their confidants, either. Instead, recommend a solution when you present a problem to a complaining boss. Then offer to take responsibility for implementing that solution.

Think before you confront. Sometimes reality involves having to accept a dysfunctional relationship at work. You can’t always improve or eliminate all sources of office drama. So consider the possible side effects – including making the situation possibly worse – before directly confronting a boss or co-worker over their behavior.

How managers and team leaders can soothe drama during meetings:
  • Stop and take a breath.
  • Suggest to drama-prone people that they acknowledge their shift into drama.
  • Encourage each person to accept responsibility for negativity in the meeting.
  • Grant what Warner and Klemp call an “absolute pardon” for the drama – then forgive and move on.
  • Focus on collaborating!

Work on developing rapport with drama-making colleagues

Use appreciation, ground rules and expectations to get the person’s attention. Be sure to show appreciation when things are going well – it’s especially crucial to acknowledge cooperative behavior that you want to encourage.

How team leaders can spark authenticity instead of drama at brainstorming sessions:

  • Solicit and praise curiosity and creativity.
  • Make sure you seek input from all participants.Designate someone to record the session.
  • Look for patterns and themes that emerge.
  • Keep asking, “What if…”
  • Use the group to figure out and consolidate options.
  • Set a time limit for the session.
    Always conclude with a round of appreciation.
Sherry Baker is a writer from Atlanta, Georgia. She last wrote the article onHow to Take Charge of Your Professional Career for Synergy.
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