It looks like 2011 is going to be remembered as the “Year of the Showdown”. A few months ago, Charlie Sheen and CBS’s Two and a Half Men parted ways in a contentious, drama-filled split. The NFL lockout continues as billionaire owners argue with millionaire players over a new collective bargaining agreement. A shutdown of the Federal government is looming as Republicans and Democrats argue whether they should borrow more money in order to keep funding their already-unsustainable spending habits. Even Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony are getting divorced after seven years!

So why can’t we all just get along? Of course, I’m not personally involved in any of the above disputes, so I have no idea what’s been said or done behind closed doors. But, I’d bet dollars to donuts these conflicts probably boil down to one thing… a lot of unreasonable people.

In all fairness, I’m sure we’ve all taken an unreasonable stance a time or two. And in our own defense, it’s quite possible that our inflexible positions were necessary at the time… after all, you can’t compromise on everything!

But honestly, who looks forward to dealing with unreasonable people? Personally, I can’t stand it.

Unfortunately, it seems like dealing with people who are unreasonable is just a part of doing business. It’s the tenant who doesn’t think he should have to pay for his gas bill. Or the employee who thinks it’s ok to leave early and asks someone else swipe her time card later. It’s the co-worker who can’t be corrected when making a mistake because it hurts his feelings. Or the customer who orders an add-on part, and then complains that she got invoiced for it. It’s the boss or business partner who’s never wrong, so don’t even think about questioning his decision.

So what makes some people so unreasonable? I’d suggest that you go and ask them for yourself. But one of the biggest problems with people who are unreasonable is that they usually don’t think they are. Maybe their “unreasonability” comes from being selfish, prideful, stubborn, ignorant, vengeful, or insecure.

Yet as much as you desire to resolve the issue through a mature, professional conversation, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be able to come to an agreement with someone who’s hopelessly unreasonable. Even if you try to ‘stick to the facts’ and sort out the details of an issue, their reality is often formed by emotionally-charged interpretations, not what’s logical and true.

So what can you do if you’ve got people on your team who are completely unreasonable? Well, if you’re married or related to them, I’m afraid you might be stuck. Nonetheless, unreasonable people kill teamwork and productivity; and at some point, you’ll need to have ‘the talk’. No, it won’t be easy. As you may have already guessed, unreasonable people are hard to reason with. Just ask anyone who has to deal with them every day.