Anger management is highly essential at the workplace, particularly when it comes to boosting emotional intelligence and cultivating an atmosphere of positive leadership. Anger is a universally-recognized emotion that everyone is familiar with. It can sometimes be a blessing, but more often than not, a bane. Getting out of control and regretting actions/words spurred by anger is something that is avoidable, especially in the workplace.
Workplace anger can be tackled by the right strategies, along with a deep-rooted effort to enhance EI (emotional intelligence). This refers to the ability to regulate and understand emotions, while also understanding and sensing others’ emotions accordingly. Those with higher emotional intelligence are usually better managers and leaders, while performing better at work, especially in terms of building superior interpersonal relationships. Those without empathy often have problems in adjusting to diverse and unique work environments. Here is a closer look at anger management strategies and other information that can help in this regard.
Noted psychologist Daniel Goleman has broken down EI into five core elements in his book Emotional Intelligence. In fact, he feels that EI matters even more than the IQ of an individual. Here are these components:
Anger management can be implemented constructively as a way of life. EI is vital for helping people choose anger that is constructive in place of the corresponding destructive nature of anger. Healthy anger means pausing and reflecting on feelings, sensations, and thoughts instead of reacting to anything. Anger is a distraction and reaction to negative emotions and suffering in most cases.
Anger stems from any perceived threat to physical and emotional wellbeing and also core needs and desires. Identifying the same will help understand arousal and triggers better. Empathy can be an excellent buffer against anger that is destructive, inclusive of verbal and physical aggression towards other individuals. It helps recognize the inherent humanity in not just oneself, but also others.
Workplace anger and other occurrences can be tackled by boosting emotional intelligence. Those with higher EI are usually seen to demonstrate lower aggression. Those with lower EI are more prone towards anger in workplace environments. There are several psychological advantages of higher emotional intelligence that are evident, including better anger control in place of negative reflection or suppression outwards.
Training in building emotional intelligence can also affect the management of anger arousal. Every individual can learn skills for boosting emotional intelligence and subsequently grow resilience to tackle several negative effects such as anger. Cognitive behavioral techniques can also be learnt for regulating emotions better while identifying distortions in thought processes.
For dealing better with workplace anger, here are some anger management strategies that may help.
The biggest thing to remember about anger is that it is not always an enemy that you have to vanquish. Rather, once the root cause is identified and you can reflect on your arousal triggers, it can be channelized into constructive and productive thoughts and actions. Embracing proper anger management will help foster better workplace environments and inculcate better leadership.
Why is emotional intelligence crucial in the workplace, particularly in the context of anger management?
Emotional intelligence is vital in the workplace, especially for anger management. EI helps people cultivate and develop empathy and identify triggers behind anger better. It helps control anger better and channelize it into constructive actions.
How can employees develop and improve their emotional intelligence for better anger management at work?
Employees can certainly develop and enhance their emotional intelligence for better anger management at the workplace. Some of the ways including following a mentally healthy lifestyle, taking time-outs or breaks whenever there is any emotional surge, reflecting and identifying the root causes of anger, meditation, mindfulness techniques, and deep breathing.
What are some common signs that indicate a lack of emotional intelligence in the workplace, and how does this relate to anger issues?
Some of the signs that indicate a lack of emotional intelligence in the workplace include perpetually blaming others, difficulty in asserting oneself, inability to cope with stressful situations, feeling easily misunderstood or stressed, holding grudges, and lacking empathy for others. It relates to anger issues, since all of these may be triggers for outbreaks of anger and avoidable verbal/physical aggression.
