The 9 Types – And What Comes Next

I’ve now made videos about all nine types of difficult people.

In this final video in the series, I reflect on what the book and the conversations around it have meant — and where my work is heading next.

The 9 Types of Difficult People has spent a sustained period in the top 10 of its Amazon category, and I’ve had the opportunity to speak about it at major conferences and large webinars. But what has mattered most are the messages from people who’ve recognised themselves in one of the types, or who’ve said it helped them handle a difficult situation differently.

Because most of us will spend around 80,000 hours of our lives at work.

Those hours can be shaped by friction and misunderstanding — or by clarity, courage and collaboration.

In this video I share why difficult dynamics don’t just sit inside individuals. They play out inside systems. And why the senior leadership team has such an outsized impact on what becomes normal in an organisation.

If you’re dealing with a challenging dynamic, or you’re interested in strengthening the team at the top, this is for you.

📘 The 9 Types of Difficult People — available now
🔔 Follow for more insights on leadership, culture and working relationships
🌐 Get in touch for coaching and senior leadership team development

The Worrier – Type 7

The workplace micromanager who can’t stop checking everything, and still ends up causing mistakes!

Ever worked with someone who hovers over every task, double-checks every detail and still ends up dropping the ball? That’s The Worrier, Type 7 in my 9 Types of Difficult People framework.

Worriers are so anxious about mistakes that they can become intense micromanagers. They stand over their team, trying to make sure nothing goes wrong, but that pressure often causes the very errors they fear.

In this video I share:

  • Why fear of mistakes can lead to constant checking and unexpected slip-ups
  • How to help a Worrier loosen their grip and let their team grow
  • Ways to shift their attention from “what might go wrong” to “what really matters”.

For more on tackling tricky workplace dynamics and helping teams thrive, check out my book The 9 Types of Difficult People or follow me here for more videos.

The Driving Force – Type 4

They can move mountains – or mow you down!

In this video, I unpack Difficult Person Type 4 from my book: the Driving Force.

You’ll learn:

  • Why they’re often seen as unstoppable heroes
  • The risks of their low tolerance for ‘timid’ colleagues
  • How to spot when they’re heading for overload
  • Practical tactics for getting win–wins and protecting your boundaries.

The Driving Force can be one of the most valuable people in your organisation – if you know how to channel their energy.

📖 Discover all nine types in my book The 9 Types of Difficult Peopl

The Martyr – Type 3

Some of the most difficult people at work are highly principled, uncompromising, and quietly self-sacrificing.

This video looks at The Martyr, Type 3 in The 9 Types of Difficult People.

Martyrs work harder than anyone else, care deeply about doing the right thing, and often step forward when others hesitate.

But under pressure, judgement, withdrawal, and unilateral action can stall progress and block decision-making.

If you’re leading, working alongside, or reporting to someone like this, understanding what’s really going on makes a big difference.

The People Pleaser – Type 9

The most dangerous word at work isn’t “No”. It’s “Yes.”

“Yes, I’ll sort it.”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“Yes, leave it with me.”

Because sometimes that “Yes” doesn’t mean agreement. It means avoidance.

In this final instalment of my 9 Types of Difficult People series, I explore Type 9: The People Pleaser.

Warm. Trusted. Well connected.
At their best, they create harmony and steady performance.

But under pressure, that desire for harmony can lead to avoided conversations, slipping standards, and important changes being delayed.

You can’t have real harmony if standards are falling.
And the standard you walk past becomes the standard you accept.

If you lead a People Pleaser, don’t just take agreement at face value.
If you are one, there’s good news: when you develop the confidence to have difficult conversations, you don’t lose your warmth — you gain your influence.

This is the ninth and final type in the series.
In the next video, I’ll wrap it all up and share some essential tips that will always help.

I’m Nick Robinson and I help leaders and teams to turn challenging dynamics into great working relationships. My book The 9 Types of Difficult People is an Amazon and WHS best-seller. My current focus is The Shift, an in-person development programme for Senior Leadership Teams who sense that they are not yet working as well together as they could.

The Dark Strategist – Type 2

Some of the most difficult people at work aren’t disruptive or emotional. Instead, they treat others like chess pieces, objects to be moved around in the dark, in service of a grand plan.

In this short video, I talk about the Dark Strategist, Type Two in The 9 Types of Difficult People.

Dark Strategists are often insightful and ambitious. They like having a clear plan and working behind the scenes to perfect it.

Problems start when the plan begins to matter more than the people. Colleagues can be moved around without consultation, information may be withheld, and decisions taken quietly without buy-in.

The impact is often people feeling manipulated, excluded, and undervalued.

You’ll also hear what helps. How leaders and coaches can role-model inclusive collaboration, and why remembering that the map is not the territory can make such a difference. I also touch on how to influence a Dark Strategist by speaking their language and engaging with the big picture, the strategy, and the wider business model.

With the right coaching, Dark Strategists can become powerful, insightful leaders that people actually want to follow.

The Rock – Type 8

That “stubborn” colleague slowing everything down? They’re not blocking progress – they’re protecting the foundations.

Meet the Rock – Type 8 in The 9 Types of Difficult People

Rocks are the calm, steady figures who keep everything running smoothly… until change threatens the stability they’ve built. Their resistance isn’t negativity – it’s caution born from responsibility.

In this short video, I explain:

🎯 Why Rocks hold back when others want to move fast

🤝 How to earn their trust and turn them into allies

🏗 The leadership moves that make progress possible without breaking what already works.

You’ll learn how to lead through trust, not pressure – and how to build teams that balance safety with change.

From my book The 9 Types of Difficult People – helping leaders and teams turn challenging dynamics into great working relationships.

The Scary Specialist – Type 1

Ever worked with someone who gets results, but people keep leaving because of them?

This video looks at the Scary Specialist: the expert whose constant criticism and blunt honesty drive capable people out of the organisation.

In this video, I explore:

  • How their relentless criticism creates fear and silence
  • Why good people stop speaking up, disengage, or leave
  • The hidden cost of “brilliant but brutal” behaviour
  • What leaders must confront when expertise comes with a human price

Scary Specialists care deeply about standards. The irony is that their behaviour often destroys the very competency they value most!

For more on how to turn challenging dynamics into great working relationships, look out for my book The 9 Types of Difficult People, follow me here, or get in touch for more coaching and support.

The Empire Builder – Type 6

Empire Builders are the big personalities in the workplace: full of charisma, brimming with confidence, and often looking like natural leaders. They can inspire people to follow them almost anywhere. But when the pressure is on, that confidence is often revealed as bravado, and things can get very difficult. Dissent isn’t tolerated, complex issues are ignored, and anyone who challenges them may find themselves out in the cold.

In this video I explain how to recognise an Empire Builder and why their style can cause so much trouble when problems get complicated. More importantly, I share what you can do to handle them effectively: how to gain their trust, build open consensus with colleagues, and help them steer through the challenges they’d rather avoid.

This is type six in my series on the Nine Types of Difficult People, based on my book The 9 Types of Difficult People: How to spot them and quickly improve working relationships. If you want practical ways to turn tough dynamics into great working relationships, you’ll find them here.

 

The Revolutionary – Type 5

If you’re working with someone and it feels like you’ve grabbed a tiger by the tail, you might have a Revolutionary on your hands.

The Revolutionary is Type 5 of my 9 Types of Difficult People.

Revolutionaries bring passion and audacity in big doses. They know that to change one thing you often need to change three others first, and that you cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs.

Revolutionaries bring passion and audacity in big doses. They know that to change one thing, you often have to change three others first, and that you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs.

But that drive to change everything, and to do it fast, can cause problems at work:

  • They often go too far and end up treading on people’s toes.
  • They can move so quickly that they risk burning themselves—and their allies—out.
  • They grasp new systems and connections at speed, but don’t always see that others need time to build consensus.

If you are leading a Revolutionary, be sure you really want that tiger by the tail, and be ready to clear the path for them and repair relationships along the way. With the right leadership they can become truly transformational – watch this video to find out how.