If every coach, boss and teacher was “the problem,” look for the one name that shows up on every roster.

Bad coaches exist, and so do unfair bosses and teachers who had it in for you. But a run of them, every season, every job, starts to say something about the only constant in the story. That is an uncomfortable thought rather than a cruel one, because the constant is also the part you can change.

Think back over the last three places you clashed with someone in charge and look for the shared detail. Maybe it is lateness, maybe tone, maybe going quiet instead of asking. Fix the one that shows up twice.