Hugo is furious.
He’s sitting across from me, arms crossed, face scowling, exuding bad energy. Sitting next to him is Maia. She’s signing the praises of a third colleague Denise, who is up for a promotion. “She gets glowing reviews from her supervisors. She’s clearly overdue for this promotion. I’ve worked a lot with her and think she’s ready.”
Hugo does not agree. “I have a lot of reservations about Denise,” he says. “In a recent meeting she just shut me down. She’s so…aggressive. And that accent….”
“Okay…let’s not get personal, and instead focus on her work accomplishments!,” I hear myself say in a pitched tone my children would be familiar with. “Have you seen her run meetings before, and what has your impression been?,” I say, gesturing to the woman and suddenly fumbling both their names. My blood pressure begins to rise. Hugo continues to glower … Read More