27 March

Somewhere out there, a man is furious with his team. They missed the deadline. Again. He lists their shortcomings with sharp precision, replaying every misstep in his mind. The anger feels clean, clarifying — almost energizing. It’s easier to be outraged than to admit how exposed he feels in front of his own boss.

Somewhere out there, a colleague is on the receiving end of that anger. She can feel the heat in his words, the tightness in the room. She tells herself he’s just difficult, just controlling, just impossible to please. What she doesn’t see is how much of his frustration is tangled up with fear — fear of losing credibility, of losing control, of not being enough.

Consider This:

Anger is often the safer emotion, standing in for fear, shame, or helplessness.