Do you need to deliver an effective service to challenging and, at times, unreasonable internal or external clients?   Do you worry that you’ll lose business, or suffer damage to your reputation, because you haven’t handled a particular customer well enough?  Do you need to improve the quality of your relationships with your clients in order to secure more repeat and long-term business or to avoid your function being out-sourced? Do you need to prove on a continual basis that you can build top quality relationships with the most difficult and demanding of clients?

Perhaps you want to know how to handle ambivalent and oppositional clients.   Perhaps you want to become more skilful at handling clients who appear, at times, obstructive to the work they have asked you to do.  Perhaps you want to learn how to work with a client who seems to doubt your competence even though they have engaged you.  Or a client who vies with you for control of the work you are carrying out for them.  Perhaps you simply want to understand how to work more effectively with clients who are, in the main, troublesome and obstructive by nature from your first contact with them onwards.  If so, this book is for you.

Managing Challenging Clients takes you through a highly practical, personal and insightful process.  It will introduce you to a valuable set of tools which will enable you to evaluate how you go about building, maintaining and managing your client-facing relationships.  It will help you to improve the level of influence you enjoy with awkward and challenging clients whether your customers work for your organization or another employer.  The book will help you to:

• Understand how to create and maintain influential, value-added relationships with the most challenging and difficult of customers.
• Review where your responsibilities to your clients begin and end.
• Recognise the risks some clients perceive that they face as they place their trust and reputation in your hands.
• Understand the importance of the interconnected issues of trust, control and involvement to the quality of dialogue you establish with your customers.
• Extend the range of influencing options available to you when working with your most controlling, manipulative or unreasonable clients.
• Assess at what point to cease working with a particularly challenging client.
• Give yourself the best chance of delivering a service which is perceived as valuable even when handling an unreasonable situation and a provoking character.

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Praise for the book

Aryanne Oade’s book is full of expertise, psychological depth and acute insights that will help you build rewarding and sustainable business relationships with even the most demanding, talented and toxic clients in the world. She helped me do it! Aryanne brilliantly investigates how to stay safe, sane and succeed in handling a variety of challenging clients and problem scenarios to achieve lasting results. Clear, intelligent and practical – with sections where you can apply learning to your own life and clients – this is a grown up, joined up and highly enjoyable book that will save you a whole world of grief and help you succeed. I found it’s advice pays off immediately.

GILES FORD | Co-Founder Alchemical Arts Consulting; former Global Head of Learning and Change, Deutsche Bank

 This is a fitting conclusion to the quintet of linked books by Chartered Psychologist Aryanne Oade designed to help practitioners and people at work with challenging workplace dynamics.  The book draws together an unusually powerful combination of coaching insight and practical understanding about relationship management, organizational behaviour and interpersonal dynamics. It demonstrates a rare capacity to get inside the process of a supplier-customer interaction to pinpoint the elephant traps, banana skins and other lurking dangers waiting to derail the unwary.  The structure is clear, helpful and designed with the reader in mind.  The author’s strongly held principles give the advice in this book a coherent message and feel. Aryanne maintains that it is always the supplier’s responsibility to fix the problem, no matter how unreasonable the client. She identifies generic tensions, and political and personal frustrations that commonly arise between suppliers and clients, and provides distinctive solutions to each one in a series of realistic and very human case studies and illustrations. Anxieties about trust, reputational risk and control are common sources of difficulty in supplier-client relationships and Aryanne gives a wealth of practical examples about how to defuse potentially explosive situations and re-balance relationships which have gone off centre. This book should be a vade mecum for all account managers, internal and external consultants, freelancers, subcontractors and professionals. I plan to recommend it for our students studying Leadership and Consultancy and Small Business Development because it is exactly what they need.

BARRY CURNOW | Head of Human Resources and Organizational Behaviour Department, The University of Greenwich Business School; Past President CIPD and IMC, former Chair ICMCI

This stimulating and readable book challenges Aryanne’s readers to accept responsibility for handling difficult client relationships at work, and offers practical solutions to assist them to take control of situations that are tough to resolve.  Aryanne’s central and compelling proposition is that each internal or external supplier must be accountable for finding solutions and building long-term, productive relationships with their clients even when faced with seemingly unreasonable behaviours and demands from them.  Her approach is to work through a number of scenarios to set the scene around different types of problem, and then to suggest ways to apply the learning to the reader’s own environment.  This is a practical book which acts as a guide to handling challenging customer relationships.  I found the book both thought provoking and highly engaging.

WENDY CARTWRIGHT | HR Director, Olympic Delivery Authority London 2012

Aryanne Oade’s new book addresses the important issue of creating and maintaining effective customer relationships extremely well. Those of us who supply expertise to clients know that the process depends on an effective and mutually respectful relationship but also that such a rapport is not always easy to achieve. Clearly based on much research and extensive practical experience, her insights into the rights, responsibilities and roles of both sides make this book essential reading for anyone who works with clients in any context.

PROFESSOR BRIAN D SMITH | Adjunct Professor SDA Bocconi and Managing Consultant, Pragmedic

Do you work in an environment marked by adversarial working relationships? Are your managers, peers and / or team members unable or unwilling to offer you sufficient levels of trust or support? Do you think that the quality of the work you do is compromised by the fragile workplace alliances you have to work within?

Perhaps you want to know how to work productively within the ineffective partnerships you experience at work. Or perhaps you simply want to know how to get things done with less difficulty when working with colleagues who are primarily oppositional and adversarial rather than open and co-operative. If so, this book is for you.

Working in Adversarial Relationships takes you through a highly practical, personal and insightful process. It will introduce you to a valuable set of tools which will enable you to step back from your day-to-day work and review how to operate more effectively with your key adversarial senior managers, peers and team members. The book will enable you to:

• Understand the impact of adversarial behaviour on you, your work and your workplace.
• Avoid the pitfalls and overcome the challenges of working with colleagues who do not extend support or trust easily.
• Improve your ability to manage workplace relationships characterised by higher than usual levels of oppositional and untrustworthy behaviour.

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Praise for the book

Aryanne Oade has written a highly practical guide book for people at any level of an organization who find themselves in an adversarial relationship. The step by step approach to understanding and learning to manage such relationships gives the reader hope and a fresh perspective that these relationships can improve. Reading this book is like having a personal coach at your fingertips. This reader friendly book is filled with compelling insight, real-life illustrations and practical to-dos. I can’t imagine any person who won’t find a mirror image in every section of the book.

HY POMERANCE Ph.D. | Chief Talent Officer, New York Life Insurance Company

Aryanne has taken on this sensitive topic and treated it with consideration and care. I found the book to be both practical and challenging. I particularly liked the variety of case studies from different sectors and found the end-of-chapter questions stimulating. Aryanne’s engaging writing style coupled with her extensive experience ensures that the reader gains valuable knowledge and understanding of this important topic.

KEVIN B. MACCOURT | Head of Learning and Development, AIB

Working life is filled with all kinds of human relationships, and unfortunately not all of them are positive. People who approach their work and their colleagues in an antagonistic and negative way are a normal part of almost all workplaces. When faced with the stresses and challenges that this entails it is difficult to know where to turn for advice. Aryanne Oade’s latest book provides just that advice. Not afraid to deal with the difficult issues, the book speaks with the voice of experience to provide everyone at work with real strategies for navigating the sometimes toxic relationships they find themselves in. Intelligent, readable and practical, the book is a must for anyone who seeks strategies for productively dealing with adversarial work relationships.

PROFESSOR CARL H. RHODES | Professor of Organisation Studies, Swansea University

In her latest book Working in Adversarial Relationships Aryanne makes a compelling case against the harmful effect of people acting and behaving in an adversarial way towards their colleagues. She intelligently offers a rational as to why these people behave the way they do. Her book is filled with gems that the reader is easily able to spot as they turn the pages. Her case studies keep the issues very real so that everyone can identify with their experiences from their own workplace. The part I enjoyed most about the book was that, as I read the pages, it felt like I was having a one-to-one session with Aryanne herself (real value for money). In writing this book Aryanne has put together powerful, pragmatic and very practical solutions that she expands and navigates her way through. The book provides a suit of armour to those who need to influence their most troublesome adversarial colleagues in the work place. In short this is a must read book.

TOORAJ SHADNIA | Senior Project Manager, Tube Lines

Whether you are challenged with a coworker’s lack of boundaries, a team’s lack of authority oversight, frequent uncomfortable confrontation, a manager who abuses his authority, a coworker who throws a wrench into progress every time, Oade has a solution.  Working in Adversarial Relationships is an important book…

IN BUBBLE WRAP | 800-CEO-READ

Do you lack influence at work? Do your values clash with those of your key workplace contacts? Do you find yourself getting into conflict with them over key decisions and problems? Do you waste time and energy arguing over what matters most and what might go wrong? If so, this book is for you.

Building Influence in the Workplace will enable you to:

• Identify your own workplace values and those of your key colleagues.
• Recognise behaviour you are likely to use as a result of your values, and anticipate the behaviour your key colleagues are likely to use as a result of theirs.
• Appreciate how to work effectively with people who approach things from a different perspective to you.
• Develop the confidence and know-how you need to gain greater influence with a range of your key colleagues and workplace contacts.
• Understand how to use values clashes productively to make better decisions, solve problems, resolve conflicts and manage risks.

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Praise for the book

“Aryanne has produced a very comprehensive exposition of the dynamics of influence in the workplace. It is grounded in practical and down to earth language and examples. This book is a must for those who seek to understand better and to develop their influencing effectiveness”.

PHILIP P. ANDERSON | Group Head of Executive Development and Sucession, AIB

“Building Influence in the Workplace provides the reader with an excellent model by which to analyse how they currently influence others and where and how they can improve their skill in this area. Easy to read and understand, with plenty of reflection points, readers who are committed to developing themselves in this area will find this coaching approach supportive and thought provoking. I particularly liked Aryanne’s challenge to her readers to consider the ‘price’ of being more influential and whether they are ready for the responsibilities greater influence brings.”

AMANDA WHITEFORD | Head of Learning and Development, Tube Lines

“This is an engaging and straight forward guide to influencing. The book will be of value to anyone who needs to influence others in a professional environment. It uses well thought out case studies to help the reader understand the different ways to influence others. The book provides exercises to help you get the most from each chapter and to consider how you can apply the learning from the case studies. It is written in a clear, concise and jargon-free style which makes it an easy and informative read.”

DR JULIE HODGES | Senior Teaching Fellow in Organisational Behaviour and Director of the Full Time MBA Programme, Durham University Business School

How To Identify, Respond To and Manage Bullying Behaviour in the Workplace

Are you subject to bullying behaviour at work? Are you responsible for managing someone who uses bullying behaviour at work? Do you want to know how to offer effective support to a friend or family member who is being bullied in the workplace? If so, this book is for you.

Managing Workplace Bullying introduces you to an effective toolkit through which to:

• Differentiate between bullying behaviour and aggressive but non-bullying behaviour.
• Understand the bullying dynamic at the heart of a workplace bullying relationship.
• Highlight what factors cause people to use bullying behaviour at work.
• Learn how to handle bullying behaviour effectively at the time of an incident.
• Recognise how to confront a team member who uses bullying behaviour.
• Identify how best to support a friend or family member who is subject to workplace bullying…and much more.

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Praise for the book

“This is a thought provoking and honest book written in an accessible conversational style… I believe that it will substantially enhance the understanding of anyone working in an organisational setting where bullying behaviours are all too often prevalent, yet widely misunderstood.”

RUTH SHAKESPEARE | Coordinator of Staff Counselling Services The Mid Yorkshire NHS Hospitals Trust

“This book offers comprehensive and practical guidance that can be easily accessed by line managers or HR Managers who need to understand the complexity involved in managing and reducing cases of bullying in the workplace. It is also an excellent reference for anyone who believes they are being bullied and needs help in recognising and responding to the situation.”

GILLIAN HARFORD | Senior Manager, Head of HR Strategic Services AIB

“Aryanne takes a pragmatic and user friendly approach designed to walk an individual through the many pitfalls, challenges and obstacles of what does and does not constitute bullying at work. I wish I had access to this valuable resource during my time as a practising HR Head and thoroughly recommend this to current practitioners.”

EDDIE COCHRANE | Executive Development Manager, University of Edinburgh Business School; former Head of Human Resources, a major retailer 

The Essential Toolkit for Identifying and Handling Political Behaviour in the Workplace

Do you want to acquire the knowledge, wisdom, skills and tactics which will give you greater influence in political situations at work? Perhaps you lack the confidence and know-how to handle the political element in your workplace. Perhaps you just want to make sense of the political behaviour you see going around you. Or perhaps you want to acquire a set of effective tools which will help you to work more productively with your colleagues in a highly political workplace environment. If so, this book is for you.

Managing Politics at Work will help you to recognise and manage political behaviour in situations where, if you don′t respond effectively, you will lose personal power and influence. The book introduces you to an effective political toolkit through which to:

• Identify and handle political activity in your colleagues.
• Recognise and manage your own political behaviour more effectively.
• Recognise how to form effective alliances and build influential relationships with politically minded colleagues.
• Have increased choice about how you conduct yourself in situations where the political factor is a consideration.
• Learn how to work effectively with others to get things done at work….and much more.

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Praise for the book

“Aryanne′s treatment of this complex, subtle and important topic is comprehensive. Her highly readable text neatly mixes principles punctuated by examples to which many business leaders will relate. Her writing mirrors her style as a highly effective executive coach in the field. Readers are guaranteed a meaningful learning experience generated by someone with many years of practical know-how in this area.”

DAVID CAMPBELL former Regional Head of EMEA Corporate Audit and Global Head of Corporate Audit for FICC, Risk Management and CFO, Merrill Lynch; former Managing Director and Global Head of Internal Audit, ING Barings

“I would recommend this book to anyone leading an organization or team. It offers an interesting, frank guide to identifying and managing workplace politics. Aryanne Oade uses her wealth of experience in coaching and organizational psychology to provide a practical toolkit filled with case studies and tips for any business leader.”

FIONA CALNAN | Chief Executive Officer, UK Specialist Hospitals

“Aryanne Oade has written a guide for those perplexed by organizational politics. This book will be of great use to managers, HR leaders, organizational coaches, and anyone looking to understand how to negotiate through the choppy waters of life inside organizations. The style is easy, free from psycho-jargon and “HR-speak” and provides loads of practical and clear advice.”

MICHAEL MOLINARO | former Executive Director, Learning and Development, UBS

The Complete Guide to Setting Up and Managing a Coaching Practice

This book guides you through a comprehensive, practical and personalised process as you negotiate the pitfalls and reap the rewards of:

• Working alone.
• Selling and marketing your business.
• Taking sole responsibility for decision-making and problem-solving.

The book will enable you to establish and develop your coaching business by helping you to decide how to handle ten key aspects of your practice.

Buy this book from Amazon or Amazon.com

Praise for the book

“Aryanne Oade’s book Starting and Running a Coaching Business is the perfect companion to any individual who has recently made the exciting decision to go it alone……Commendation must go to Oade for writing a book that is both sufficient in depth and, at the same time, can be read so effortlessly.  The 10 chapters are clearly delineated, making it easy for readers to dip in and out when they are looking for advice on specific issues.  It is a reassuring and definitive toolkit for anyone considering, or indeed for those already pursuing, a private coaching practice.” YSEULT FREENEY, The Irish Psychologist April 2009.

“…a joy to read and could easily become a revisited bible for coaching entrepreneurs.” SARAH MCCARTHY, The Coaching Psychologist, Volume 5 No 2, December 2009.

“The author takes a pleasingly measured and carefully crafted approach…There is a lot of wisdom (and experience) here too.” COLIN COOMBS, Coaching at Work, Volume 4 Issue 3.

“This is a sensational book for people who are looking to start a coaching business.” IAN CRAWFORD, Candor Training and Consultancy, reviewed in SmallBizPod April 2009.

“As someone who has hired coaches, been coached, now coaches others, and has run a viable business for the last two years, I can only say that I wish Aryanne had written her book sooner. While there are many business start-up texts, for the coach thinking of setting up on their own, this packs genuine, practical advice into every page and is likely to become a definitive reference.”   DAMIAN GRIFFITHS, Director VProfessional, Former IT Director Addleshaw Goddard and Eversheds.

“This is a book that presents an often complex topic in a logical, easy to read and readily digestible way that is immediately useful to anyone busy setting up their business. In particular the clear, concise chapters and sub-sections allow the reader to easily identify and focus on a particular area of interest, without having necessarily to read the entire book in one go. If you are setting up – or are thinking about setting up – a coaching business, or for that matter any other small business, I recommend it – highly.”  ADRIAN OLSEN, Managing Director and Head of Global Project Finance Bank of Ireland Corporate Banking.

“I would readily recommend this book to anyone thinking of setting up their own business, whether or not it is in the field of coaching. It covers the whole spectrum of what it takes to organise and run your own enterprise. Based on many years solid experience in the coaching industry, the writer offers useful insights, encouragement and support. The book is packed with both invaluable advice and a good deal of common sense.” RANDINI WANDURAGALA, Consultant Shared Profits Former Head of Policy World Vision UK. Former Advocacy Manager Asia Tsunami Response Team World Vision International.

“This book will prove useful to both experienced and newly qualified coaches who are thinking about setting up their own business. It is pragmatic with its advice, and also thought provoking. A good practical read.” LINDA GRANT, Leadership Development Manager Skipton Building Society.