Anger at Work: Learning the Art of Anger Management on the Job

I spent the better part of a couple of years working with a sharp entreprenuer. He continuously sabotaged his efforts to grow the business because of his inability to control his anger. His displays of anger were nothing short of explosive - vile language, throwing objects, turning beat red and stiffening like a board. The staff tension level rose considerably whenever he came into the office, which fortunately was not often. It was always hard to tell when he would blow but money was always a factor.What he never realized was his displays of anger only resulted in his staff being less productive. They were afraid to bring problems to his attention while they were still fixable. A great deal of time was spent trying to hide things from him. This staff worked very hard to do things right but his rigidity and insistance on doing things the same way as he had always done made it difficult in a rapidly changing industry.This book gave me a good understanding for what was going on. His explosions were mostly due to his own attributions for the intentions of his staff. His belief that people were trying to cheat him and that they were actively resisting his control only fueled his anger. In the end I was able to help him calm down to some extent. Years with good therapist and stronger motivation may have helped even more. The staff though was a little more receptive to understanding the reasons behind his anger. It may not have made it more tolerable but it did help them learn to hit the triggers a little less often.