Betty在上司Pat那兒受了氣，同事Gray和人事部的Terry給她出謀劃策。Betty說自己沒救了，準備換工作。

T: Not so fast. Maybe what's needed here is a fresh approach. Let's start with Pat. Why is she mean?

G: Um...because she's not a very nice person?

T: Maybe...but maybe she has a hard time dealing with stress. Did you know Pat's division has been losing money this quarter? She's getting a lot of flack from the board of directors.

B: So you're saying perhaps she is not really mad at me?

T: Could be. What we do know is we can't get rid of her, so we might as well try to find a way to work with her.

Terry說，She's getting a lot of flack from the board of directors. Flack，就是批判的意思。不管怎樣，既然躲不開她，就得想辦法跟她搞好關系。

T: I think Betty should have a chat with Pat. Tell her you think you need more direction and guidance. Tell Pat you're sorry if you haven't lived up to her expectations. Now admittedly, what you're doing here is employing a strategy.

B: Yes, I think I get it. By offering a kind of truce and by being humble, maybe she'll change her tune and start being kinder.

T: Exactly! How is your relationship with the other managers in your department?

B: Very good.

Terry建議Betty找Pat談心have a chat with Pat. 告訴Pat說，如果自己沒能讓她滿意，請她原諒，同時表示自己需要更多的指導。Betty一聽就明白了，知道這是一種策略，通過改變自己的態度，促使 Pat改變態度。 Betty還說，跟其他上司關系都不錯。 Terry聽后很高興。

T: Ok, so spend some time getting to know them better. It's good to have friends that will go to bat for you in private.

G: That's sound advice. But of course, it's always a good idea to evaluate yourself to make sure there isn't some way to improve.

B: But what if I do all these things and Pat is still nasty to me?

T: Well, you can report her to higher-ups, but that should be a last resort.

G: You could also consider transferring to another department.

T: But you know, it's been my experience that 99% of the time, a little bit of effort can help overcome these sorts of problems.

B: I think you're probably right. I'll give it a shot! Thanks guys!

Terry 說， it's good to have friends that will go to bat for you in private，有朋友私下里幫你是最好的。不過，如果怎么做都沒用呢？ You can report her to higher-ups，向上級投訴，but that should be a last resort， 但這是不得已而為之。