Beware lest in your anxiety to avoid war you obtain a master.

- Demosthenes

e all have them: people in our professional lives we would rather avoid. It may be a client who requires a lot of extra effort for negligible return, a co-worker who chats incessantly, a competitor who is too eager to boast about achievements or a boss who never seems to have positive feedback for you.

You may feel that your day, and your life, will be easier and less stressful if you schedule your time so as to avoid these folks. You may arrange to be absent when you expect them to arrive. For example, when the regional boss comes to town you may have already scheduled an out-of-office client visit. Or you may ignore a call when caller ID lets you know that a high-maintenance merchant is on the line. You might do your best to avoid competitors or colleagues at tradeshows, just so you don't have to listen to a blowhard.

However, as with most challenges in life, the easy solution is rarely a wise solution and often has long-term, negative consequences. Consider the following:

• If you avoid certain customers, how will you learn about and remedy small issues before they become big issues? When will you up-sell these customers and thereby increase their sales and your profits?
• If you avoid the boss, how will you showcase your accomplishments and be recognized for your achievements? When will you share ideas for remedying problematic situations?
• If you avoid competitors, how will you keep your finger on the pulse of the industry and stay up to date on new products? How will you avoid getting blindsided by a prospect who knows more than you do about the market?
• If you avoid co-workers, how will you remain abreast of office politics? How will you learn about important developments that have yet to be announced in company memos or e-mails? Remember, today's co-worker may be tomorrow's superior.
• If you avoid colleagues, how will you learn about networking and training opportunities? How can you learn about unpublished job opportunities that may be a good fit for you?

Avoiding people has a two-pronged, negative effect. First, it takes away your power and forces you to be reactive instead of proactive. If you face such people head on, you are in control. If you avoid them, you put them in the driver's seat.

Second, avoiding people can open the door for inaccuracies or misconceptions about you. And even worse, your absence prevents you from being able to set the record straight; you might not even know that misinformation is being spread. Also, if you are inaccessible, it may appear that you are unable or unwilling to work hard.

Your peers might also get the impression that you don't respect you boss or your company enough to invest a little time in them. It may even give others the chance to take credit for your work.

So, take a deep breath ... and face the folks who make you feel queasy. Chances are, they're not as bad as you've imagined. By taking control, you will save yourself time, anxiety and stress, while improving your networking skills and reputation.