Some careers are controlled by one person's imagined reaction. A story about what they might do if you stepped forward. That story runs in the background of every decision about whether to apply, whether to speak, whether to challenge, whether to move. For many people that story is rooted in fear of retaliation at work, whether the risk is real or assumed. In most cases, it has never been tested. It shows up around promotions, visibility, and challenging senior stakeholders.

Gaslighting has become one of those terms that gets used loosely. In corporate settings, it is often thrown around to describe any disagreement or difficult manager. That is not helpful. Not every uncomfortable conversation is gaslighting. Understanding Gaslighting in the Workplace But when it is happening, the experience is distinctive. The conversation stops being about what happened and starts being about you. The term itself comes from a 1930s play in which a husband mani