No one aspires to meet the client, colleague or supervisor whose mere mention is synonymous with pain.However, challenging people (and the situations they create) are a fact of work life.

Chances are high that you will encounter one of these individuals along the way. If you’ve landed in a tight spot with someone who just isn’t playing fair — it can feel like a tidal wave of emotions.

Unfortunately, the experience can leave us feeling off balance and not quite like ourselves.

Feeling undermined or attacked is traumatic and emotions can run quite high. (This si completely normal.) Most of us will immediately formulate an internal counter-attack or argument. However the opportunity for this play out in real life, is often dependent on the existing power dynamic. In some cases, we simply have to process the situation to move through it.

If you are not in the position to openly…