Samantha was “sooooo p&##@d off” with her boss. “Enough is enough!” she vented, “That woman is driving me mad. She deliberately does things that she knows will irritate me and she blames me for things that have nothing to do with me.”

Bosses from hell do happen and although we cannot control how others behave and think, we can, through our responsive behaviour, at least temper the flames, or at best, douse them.

‘Meanies’ appear to enjoy throwing the bait and watching us thrash about once we’re hooked. If taunts and unjust criticism invoke reactionary behaviour from us in the form of angry glares, snappy retorts or sulky silence, the hell boss becomes fired up for round two.

The point is to become impervious to hooks. If you truly know your self and are secure within yourself, you will experience the kind of peace that is difficult to knock off centre.

To take a simplistic example, if the boss criticised you for having green hair, when in fact you are a brunette, you would probably wonder if she had forgotten to take her meds, but you sure as hell wouldn’t want to step on to the court and bash those balls of delusion back at her. You would remain neutral, secure in the knowledge that you are a brunette.

The same goes for your work. If your work is up to speed, you should have no need to leave your cocoon of peace, even if it means re-explaining your accountability in a neutral tone. With no-one to hit the balls to, she’s bound to quit the game. And maybe, just maybe, she has let a personal issue fuel her irrational tirades.

Whatever the situation, you remain in control of you.