3 Difficult Workplace Personalities That Are Great Hires

The concept of personality types, temperaments and working styles has been foundational in organizational behavior for years. As entrepreneurs or managers, we frequently assess personality to determine ideal team composition and workflows. While toxic personalities certainly exist, many others that seem difficult can offer severe advantages to start-up organizations. Oppositionality, non-conformity, perfectionism and the fickleness that often accompanies abstract thinking should not be deal-breaking traits.

As a founder, I tend to have strong opinions about the working styles and personalities of those I consider creative, resourceful and hard-working people. At the same time, certain characters tend to clash within small teams, creating a challenging work environment. However, hiring managers can quickly write off people who are "difficult" as toxic — which can cost a startup its competitive edge. I, for one, appreciate the contributions that seemingly "difficult" people make. Here are three challenging personalities that frequently make great hires and give startup teams the edge they wouldn't have without them.