You know the feeling.

Perhaps it’s seeing her name pop up on the caller ID as the phone begins ringing. Maybe it’s the email that hits your inbox - the one that makes you sigh before clicking through, thinking “what does he want now?” Or even still, it’s all the time you spend breathing deeply and mustering strength before walking through the office doors for the meeting you don't want to attend.

Most of us have had - or currently have - those customer relationships that challenge us. They take a lot - time, energy, space, and often give very little - revenue, joy, satisfaction.

Have you given yourself permission to create a separation strategy for those customers? If that seems too great a step to take, I encourage you to allow yourself to be curious about what a day free from those relationships might look like for you - and for your team.

I’d love to hear about a time you parted ways with a customer - what was waiting for you on the other side?

This article originally appeared on LinkedIn; you can view it and connect with me here.