The Art of Working With Third-Party Companies

When I studied theories and practices associated with Web Developing, I wish I had also taken a few human behaviour electives to flesh out my education! The basics of Web Developing are a piece of cake compared to personalities of people I’ve encountered during my 10 years as a Web professional, and I’m here to tell you that my experience working with a third party company got easier as I came to understand each culture. Have my experiences been identical? Hardly! I’ve had the pleasure of working for people who were super easy and I’ve put up with folks who are demanding to the point of being difficult. But, I’m here to tell you that if you know enough about the diverse personality types you may encounter, you can survive any situation and avoid career pitfalls. See if you don’t recognize some of these types as you go about working with third party companies.

## Bosses You Could Find Working with Third Party Companies:
The Bossy: Third party assignments can be delicate when a boss is “bossy.” Believe me, I know from certain types of people to work with at various assignments. One to One Leadership CEO Sean O’Neil writes that

The difference between being an assertive boss and a bossy one can come down to the bossy boss not caring about anyone’s opinion but his own.

I understood my place in this third party arrangement—and never forgot who was picking up the tab for my services—my company. That helped me survive a bossy boss as I further mastered the art of working with third party companies.

Super-friendly. When I look back at my experiences with types of people to work with during my third-party assignments, I thought the easiest would be a super friendly type. Boy, was I wrong?. I was hired as a contractor. I had a job to do and I wasn’t there to collect friends. I sought advice and learned to listen more than talk—to stay professional, busy and be respectful to send the right message. After all, I was being paid for my expertise; I wasn’t there to make friends!

The Demanding. Forbes magazine offers terrific advice for dealing with demanding bosses and I took advantage of their tips when I was assigned to a firm requiring me to function under continued demands from a somewhat unreasonable person. I had to realize that overly demanding third party companies tend to look at contractors and employees as commodities rather than assets. There was nothing I could do but show up every day and do the best job I could. After all, I wasn’t sent there to change her behaviour!

The Paternal. It’s bad enough when the boss started treating me like his “offspring” as I recall my experience working with a third party company. But, I managed to pull this off by keeping my wits about me and never forgetting that I already have a dad! I immediately recognized that employee/employer relationships tend to be paternal at this particular company–maybe because it was family owned-and-operated. I learned to work around the relationship and not overreact, which can happen when a boss acts paternal with both staff and consultants.

The Flurry. I went to work for a boss who seemed constantly in the middle of a hurricane, quickly realizing that if I didn’t adapt to his business style I would have gone crazy and not earned the salary my bosses were paying me. People who scurry around in constant motion have deep, unresolved, inner issues. Psychologists believe constant motion keeps them from dealing with them. Such issues have nothing to do with me or the work ethic I bring to every third party assignment. Keep this in mind if you encounter your own version of a flurry boss. You will survive—I know I did!

Your responsibility. As a software engineer mastering the art of working with a third party company, I learned that it’s not my job to play psychologist. I learned to shore up my confidence, stay cool, maintain a great attitude and work hard so people don’t run over me. I always knew that the art of working with a third party company required me to prioritize my company since they were paying my salary and I represented the brand. If you keep that in mind, you can overcome any crazy boss. Someday, you might even find yourself giving out the kind of advice I’m passing along in this post!