When a team member communicates with you in a passive-aggressive way, how do you handle it?

Our reader poll today asks: When a team member communicates with you in a passive-aggressive way, how do you handle it?

• I ignore it – they probably didn’t mean to come across that way – 18%
• I seek clarification – I point out how their message came across poorly – 51%
• I directly confront them and explain why their message was inappropriate – 25%
• I’ve never had someone be passive aggressive with me – 6%

Passive aggression is still aggression. When team members and colleagues communicate in a passive-aggressive way, letting it slide doesn’t resolve the conflict. Getting clarification, providing feedback, and clarifying behavioral communication standards is a must. If you simply ignore the behavior, it will not only continue with you but it will be used with other colleagues, customers, and business partners. Inappropriate behavior requires quick corrective action lest it continue and even get worse.

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

Did you enjoy this post?  If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog.  It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!).  SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!

These results were originally a SmartPulse poll in SmartBrief on Leadership which tracks feedback from more than 240,000 business leaders. Get smarter on leadership and sign up for the SmartBrief on Leadership e-newsletter.