A Bad Temper is a Bad Career Move
The workplace is no place for emotional outbursts, especially fits of temper. I know first hand how detrimental a loss of self-control can be. Stress levels are high in many workplaces because layoffs have left remaining employees with an increased workload. But even when times are good, things can go wrong and people can find themselves becoming tense and angry.
Christopher Steiner addresses this issue in his article, Soothing Anger-Management Techniques. Keeping cool under pressure is easier for some than it is for others. As Steiner says, it’s a bad idea to suppress anger. Holding anger in can lead to either a huge, embarrassing outburst later or to illness, neither of which is good for your career.
Taking a deep breath and, silently, counting to ten is an age-old method that still works. Getting up and walking away – when possible – also helps because it gives you a chance to focus entirely on calming down before any decisions or comments are made.
Refusing to get sucked in to someone else’s mood is another great method for keeping a tense situation from getting out of hand. It’s only natural to feel defensive and angry when a supervisor or coworker is berating you, but if you can manage to listen to what’s being said and ignore the way it’s being said, some progress might be made. Taking a deep breath while you’re listening would give you double protection against an angry retort, as would making every effort not to take personally what the other person is saying. People often say things in anger that aren’t heartfelt sentiments. Keeping this in mind could go a long way toward to helping you stay calm.
One of Steiner’s suggestions is to avoid jumping to conclusions. This ties in with not taking things too personally. If someone is taking too long on the copier you need to use, don’t automatically assume that he’s deliberately trying to delay you or make you upset. The average person isn’t a mind reader and couldn’t possibly know what your deadlines are. Things go wrong all the time. Children get sick, cars crash and cause delays on major roadways, people make mistakes.
Short of being clairvoyant, no one can predict what’s going to happen. Getting angry when things go wrong only makes matters worse. It also hinders the creativity you’ll need to improvise and overcome whatever obstacle is in your path.
Steiner also recommends becoming familiar with your personal buttons. Everybody has them, those little pet peeves that always seem to get our blood boiling. Some people delight in pushing other people’s buttons, that’s why it’s a good idea to not only recognize what yours are, but to also devise ways to neutralize them so that you don’t find yourself flying off the handle just because someone keeps taking your favorite pen off your desk. Find another favorite pen or stop leaving it behind. If your button is an empty tray in the copier, then make it a point to check to make sure the paper tray is full before you start making copies or designate yourself as the one to make sure the copier always has plenty of paper in every usable tray. I know for a fact that these techniques work. And always remember that deep breathing.
Angry outbursts in the workplace are embarrassing and make everyone uncomfortable. They’re also very bad career moves that should be avoided at all costs. By practicing some simple, effective anger-management techniques, you can save your job and preserve your personal brand at the same time.
