What is it about Anger?

Business Leader Post, October 15, 2012

Thomas D. Davidow, Ed.D.

When things happen to us over that we have no control, anger is a common emotional response. It is frequently accompanied by entitlement and/or a sense of physical and emotional strength. Although it can be a great motivator in sports and can lead to outstanding performances and wins, anger alone is debilitating. It drains our energy and burns us out. It is a losing formula. We need to integrate thought into our performance as well. For athletes, that comes in the form of training and skill development. For the rest of us, it comes from learning to step away from behavior that is fueled by anger alone.

A member of the Great Generation who fought in WWII and built his own very successful family business said two powerful things to me about anger:

“Anger is generated by fear.”

“The worst mistakes I made were driven by anger.”