Hi Brooke,

I have been having some trouble at work, particularly with working with my manager’s personality. I am typically someone who is very good at keeping my irritation in check, but there is something happening with my manager’s personality that I am having a hard time interacting with. I can feel myself getting my back up and that tingly anger creeping over me whenever I try to have a collaborative discussion with her, or when I feel like I am being micromanaged. We’ve talked about how I appreciate a conversation, not a debate, but I understand that at the end of the day, she is who she is and I can only control myself. The struggle here is that I recently behaved in an unprofessional way with her, which is really uncharacteristic of me. I want to figure out how to work with her so that it is productive and I don’t leave feeling angry, taken advantage of and dreading going to work each day.

I did try to work the model with this situation, but I had a really hard time with it. How can the model be used when you feel like you are being triggered by someone’s personality or energy?

I really appreciate any help or guidance you can provide.

Best,
Laura