A potential manager was passed over for promotion because of the aggressive, combative way she responded to receiving unexpected information in meetings and to being asked to perform tasks unexpectedly. Although her pattern was to become co-operative and 'on-board' within a couple of hours, her initial reaction intimidated colleagues. The individual’s inability to change her reaction was limiting her career progression. Our facilitator worked with her on this issue and identified her metaphor. Receiving unexpected information was, for her, like being tugged sharply from behind by childhood reins. She would pull against them as a matter of course to reaffirm her independence before she could relax and be rational about the situation. With this new understanding she agreed with her manager that meeting agendas would be e-mailed in advance so that she could process the information before a meeting and give herself time to calm down. In addition, her increased awareness of her reaction and the trigger meant that she could now identify what happened just before losing her temper. As a result, the pattern started to loosen its control on her and over time developed into something more useful with a corresponding disappearance of the symptom. She has since moved on in the organisation and her new flexibility is appreciated.