How to Work with Difficult People (Without Losing Yourself)

BUY THE BOOK! How to Work With Complicated People by Ryan Leak https://amzn.to/4y8aXDB New York Times bestselling author Ryan Leak joins Oprah at her tea house for a practical conversation about navigating difficult workplace relationships. Drawing from his book How to Work with Complicated People Ryan shares why the people we work with, more than the work itself, often determine how fulfilled we feel on the job. He breaks down four strategies for working through challenging dynamics, introduces the idea of an “expectations detox” and offers a powerful reminder: we’re all complicated to someone else. This conversation isn’t about fixing other people, it’s about growing ourselves through greater self-awareness, understanding, and emotional maturity. Oprah and Ryan are also joined by listeners with real workplace dilemmas, tackling questions about bridging generational divides, leading with empathy while still meeting goals and setting healthy boundaries with colleagues who seem beyond complicated. It’s a practical and relatable conversation filled with tools to help anyone build stronger relationships at work and beyond. 00:00:00 - Welcome Ryan Leak, author of “How to Work with Complicated People” 00:04:50 - People problems at work 00:07:00 -We never think we’re the problem 00:07:58 - 4 ways people deal with complicated people 00:11:30 - Importance of partnership 00:12:20 - Expectations detox 00:14:50 - Our unrealistic expectations 00:15:38 - What should we do in the moment 00:18:20 - Be the adult in the room 00:21:00 - Generational differences 00:24:00 - Questions to ask 00:27:50 - How to communicate better 00:29:20 - How to set the tone as a leader 00:33:00 - You choose your reaction 00:34:28 - Why half of Americans quit 00:39:10 - When is it not possible 00:43:00 - How to grow yourself 00:44:40 - One word Ryan lives by Follow Oprah Winfrey on Social: https://www.instagram.com/oprahpodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/oprahpodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/oprah/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/oprahwinfrey/ Listen to the full podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0tEVrfNp92a7lbjDe6GMLI https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-oprah-podcast/id1782960381