The Message of LeadershipSample

ANGER MANAGEMENT 101

"Anger makes dull men witty, but it keeps them poor."
-Francis Bacon

As a leader, I know that clear and effective communication is important. What does anger communicate to you? To me it communicates a lack of self-control and frustration.

As a young athlete, most of my coaches used the “angry screamer” approach to coaching. This is essentially a lot of yelling and intimidation but very little, if any, actual coaching. A coach is supposed to tell you how to do something, show you how to do it, and then encourage you to do it yourself repeatedly until you get it right.

Think about how God works as your coach. He gives us the information through His Word, shows us how to do it by the many examples in history and through leaders, and then He lets us go out and try it. Consequently, there is a lot of failure among followers of Christ. I expect believers around me to fail—don’t you? That tells me they are learning and trying new things.

So when we fail, God is not angry. He just helps us get back on our feet and lets us try again—sometimes without learning our lesson because that is up to us. He can only create the opportunity for us to learn—He does not control how we will process it.

When any leader lets anger get out of control, he can lose credibility. So if you are angry, watch out! It can have some serious consequences and can actually cause your team to fail. I never meta successful leader who could not control his temper. Uncontrolled anger is a sign of weakness—not leadership.

Essential Insight 20: Your uncontrolled anger may give you a moment of satisfaction but a lifetime of regret.