This post originally appeared on The Well . It is reprinted here with permission.Having a tough boss can feel like a rite of passage. That is to say that most of us will, at some stage in our careers, come across this person. Whether he or she micromanages you or makes zero contact until tearing down work you put painstaking effort into, some bosses are just seemingly impossible to please. I experienced a Devil Wears Prada-esque manager or two early on in my own career, so I definitely understand how frustrating and demoralizing this can be. It sucks, but even when it seems like your boss can pretty much make or break your experience at a job, I’ve learned that you have more power than you may think when it comes to remaining encouraged and ambitious. Here are a few methods you can use to shift your mindset and set yourself up for success, difficult manager be damned.

The Well is the editorial hub of Jopwell , the diversity recruitment platform that connects Black, Latino/Hispanic, and Native American professionals and students with leading jobs and internships.