In the work I do coaching executives, I find many who are intellectually conversant about emotions and adept at expressing their personal feelings. But not every leader is comfortable being that open and transparent, especially when it comes to anger. This is unfortunate: expressing anger appropriately is a mark of a socially intelligent leader.
Emotions are part of the human experience, and the high pressure of leadership often brings them out into the open. Every leader has a different threshold of anger. It can build for a long time before it gets noticed, or it can grow suddenly and powerfully. Expressions can range from total denial to unchecked and explosive eruption.
Concealing anger may seem feasible in the short term, but it cannot be hidden for long. We’ve all seen leaders reveal their anger through verbal language, body language, reasoning and decision making—or the lack thereof. Your employees will typically sense your anger before you verbally express it.
On the other end of the spectrum, leaders who consistently allow anger to be outwardly and openly displayed damage relationships. No one wants to be the brunt of anger, especially from a superior. A leader’s thoughtless anger can crush a person’s self-esteem and cause numerous emotional or psychological issues, which detrimentally impact their ability to carry out their duties.
High Costs
Although the nature of anger has changed little through countless generations, the rules of order in the workplace have. The old-school management philosophy favored leadership dominance and control. Anger and intimidation were techniques to wield power, and employee fear was regarded as a means of respecting that power.
Those days are long gone. People no longer put up with oppressive leadership. They require their company to allow them to succeed, enjoy what they do, and have a sense of growth and value in their work.
Much research has shown that the effectiveness of an operation critically depends on the satisfaction of its people. Additionally, a collaborative and rewarding environment is necessary to recruit and retain the best talent. Employees who don’t feel they are benefitting from their job will leave.
Who Pays the Price?
And yet, leadership anger is still a pressing issue. I see how consistent anger causes people to deeply resent their leader. They typically respond with their own version of anger, and like their leader, it may be delayed or immediate. Angry employees bring debilitations to the organization. One of the most critical is a lack of trust for their leader. Any remaining respect or loyalty is tossed in the waste basket.
With employee distrust comes many calamities: disengagement, apathy, a lack of incentive and poor performance. Consistent leadership anger generates a toxic culture that can only spiral downward. A leader known for inappropriate expressions of anger develops a bad reputation, not only internally, but out on the street. Career prospects for a leader prone to anger are short and painful.
Fortunately, leaders can rectify anger issues and turn their culture around. I’ll dive in to this in my next post. In the meantime, what do you think? I’d love to hear from you. You can call me at 561-582-6060, let’s talk. And as always, I can be reached here, or on LinkedIn.
