At one of the companies I worked for, there were a couple supervisors who were more difficult to deal with than the others. Here’s what went right, what went wrong, and what you can do to make things go right.

We’ll call the first boss Martha. Martha was on the gruff side; initially, we struggled to get along. We had different natural ways of approaching problems, and of course, I felt that my way was better. Fortunately, I didn’t embarrass myself by saying so, and I eventually came to appreciate what she did for the company behind her gruff demeanor. I saw how she would take the heat for us hourly employees when her bosses didn’t like our progress. I saw how she picked up slack left by the company’s high turnover rate. I saw that no matter what crazy situations were thrown at her, she stuck with it and always got things done.

She wanted to get things done, just like I did. All it took for me to see that was a little bit of patience. Had I objected to her approach, I would have alienated her for no reason. The entire experience would have been a disaster rather than a relationship of mutual respect. I now make it an intentional goal to not judge coworkers based on a first impression, and to be open-minded about the “right” way to get the job done.

Sometimes, however, personal differences are less than stylistic; that’s just how the world works. Enter a lady we’ll call Joan. Joan generally bore a more smiling persona, but her actions were less enjoyable. Any suggestions that ran contrary to her precise orders were not taken well, regardless of how thoughtfully the idea was presented. There were many times when her orders were followed to the clear detriment of the company, over protests of her underlings.

Patience was exercised. Yet, things failed to improve. In the wake of her decisions it was tempting to snap back at her in a less than professional way. But that would have led nowhere. She surely would have learned nothing from my outburst, and I would simply find myself with a burned bridge and employment on thin ice.

What I did do was document what happened, put my head down, and focus on the job and the more pleasant coworkers around me. Had things gotten to a point where the work environment was blatantly hostile, I would have the documentation that I needed to protect myself. Fortunately, things didn’t get to that point, and I was able to gain some real-world experience.

Your relationship with your boss can make or break your job – so go the extra mile to be respectful. Don’t let them walk over you, but don’t walk over yourself by rushing to judgment. A bit of patience goes a long way.