Jeff*, like me, is a writer, a speaker, and the head of a consulting company. As far as I can tell, he’s professional, well respected, capable, honest, and has a popular following. Someone we both know has asked us to collaborate on a project and there’s clearly a mutual benefit to our working together.
It all sounds great except for one thing: I don’t like Jeff.
Something about him rubs me the wrong way. He seems too self-serving or egocentric or self-satisfied. I don’t know what it is exactly, but I know I don’t like him.
I mentioned that to the person who wants us to work together. She told me, essentially, to get over it. “You don’t have to like him,” she said, “but you’d be smart to work with him.”
So how do you work with someone you don’t like?
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