SkillSoft Glossary

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arrogant behavior: Behavior that tries to belittle others in order to elevate oneself. Arrogant people give the impression that they consider themselves to be better than everyone else when, in fact, they are basically insecure.
authority: The power or right to give orders and instructions and to make decisions.

blaming: Making statements that attribute fault or accountability for a negative outcome to some other person or situation.
busybody: An individual who seeks out information beyond the scope of his responsibilities and spreads it to others for the purpose of seeming more knowledgeable and powerful.

closed-ended question: A question phrased to elicit a short dichotomous response.
complaining: Expressing feelings of pain, dissatisfaction, or resentment, usually directed toward a specific person, object, or situation.
coworker: A person working with another worker, usually at or near a similar level of authority or responsibility in the workplace hierarchy.

feedback: Information communicated to an individual, work unit, or team about job-related performance or behavior.

hostile aggressive: An individual who uses intimidation and anger to get what he wants. A hostile-aggressive person tends to be resentful, offensive, belligerent, and a bad listener.
hothead: A hostile-aggressive personality type prone to sudden outbursts of anger and rage. Anger is triggered when the individual perceives a physical or psychological threat. Anger is likely to be followed by fear and suspicion.

initiative: An organizational program, project, or effort that has a specific purpose, goals, and objectives. See project.

knowledge warden: A passive-aggressive person who refuses to part with information in his control.

micromanager: An individual who asserts control by involving himself in the details of his work and the work of others.

negativity: Habitual conduct involving the tendency to resist or express skepticism toward positive or constructive behavior.

open-ended question: A question phrased to elicit a full meaningful response. An open-ended question may be phrased as a question or as a statement that implicitly requires a response.

passive aggressive: An individual who uses manipulation and secrecy to get what he wants. A passive-aggressive person typically comes across as quiet, shy, always nice, never defensive, and unassertive.
positive reinforcement: Specific praise or rewards targeted at a subject with the purpose of increasing the future frequency of a desired behavior.
procrastination: Behavior characterized by the deferment of actions, tasks, or decisions to a later time.
project: A collaborative enterprise with a defined beginning and end that is planned to achieve particular goals and objectives.

unresponsive aggressor: A passive-aggressive type who appears uninterested in communicating and may fail to respond to questions.

verbal assailant: A hostile-aggressive personality type who tends to attack with words. Verbal assailants are openly abusive, abrupt, intimidating, and overwhelming. They generally pick an aspect of an individual's behavior or personality to attack.

waffler: A passive-aggressive type who hates to make decisions, always wants to be on the winning side, and desperately wants the approval of others.
whining: Uttering unfocused, self-pitying statements with the purpose of soliciting sympathy or attention.