There is a general belief in the PC world that we live in today, that getting angry is never the answer. That anger is the worst emotion and that those who are angry have either no control of their emotions or are too stupid to deal with a situation rationally. While anger is not the answer all the time it does have its place and learning how to use anger could improve your work life.
If you get angry at someone at work you will make them feel small. They will shrink away and you will likely not get the best out of them, you will lose them as a friend and they will never help you in the future. Anger and bullying are different things. Don’t get angry at people, get angry at situations. If you are a manager and can create an enemy it will cause your team to rally round and actually perform like a team. Whether it is a competitor, a problem, or a sales target. Getting your team angry at the current situation and showing them how it can be overcome will inspire them to do it. Get angry when the time is right and use it to inspire others.
If you look at many sports stars and athletes they say that they channel anger as a motivator for them and their teammates. If you are having a great time and smiling and then lose the ball you won’t trackback to win the ball back as much as you would if you were angry with the situation. Getting angry in these situations can make you run further, faster, tackle harder and work more.
Of course, you don’t want to lose control of your anger. Your office would consider you a psychopath if you shouted at your problems every day. You would get red cards regularly if you got angry and fouled the opposition every game. Yet controlled anger is a weapon that you can use to succeed. Wield it properly and you will have an advantage over the PC brigade.
