Betty在上司Pat那儿受了气，同事Gray和人事部的Terry给她出谋划策。 Betty说自己没救了，准备换工作。
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说，She’s getting a lot of flack from the board of directors. Flack，就是批判的意思。不管怎样，既然躲不开她，就得想办法跟她搞好关系。
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建议Betty找Pat谈心have a chat with Pat. 告诉Pat说，如果自己没能让她满意，请她原谅，同时表示自己需要更多的指导。Betty一听就明白了，知道这是一种策略，通过改变自己的态度，促使 Pat改变态度。 Betty还说，跟其他上司关系都不错。 Terry听后很高兴。
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 说， it’s good to have friends that will go to bat for you in private，有朋友私下里帮你是最好的。不过，如果怎么做都没用呢？ You can report her to higher-ups， 向上级投诉，but that should be a last resort， 但这是不得已而为之。