Anxiety, stress, disappointment, conflict, betrayal. If you’re human, you have probably experienced these things—in relation to other humans.

It’s no different in the workplace. We’re all in some sort of relationship with someone—peers, direct reports, vendors, customers, investors and other stakeholders. Buttons will be pushed. Drama is bound to happen.

I’ve seen it especially during tight deadlines, or when two parties have opposing agendas coupled with equally opposing personalities.

So what do we do when other people push our buttons and we sense we’re about to “go postal”? Well, there are two paths we can take: We can choose to react or respond.