By John M. Buckman
How do you manage emotion in the workplace without burying it or giving in to it? A recent medical study in Stockholm, Sweden, of 5,700 men and women found that workers who dealt openly with unfair treatment-by protesting directly or speaking up later when they were calmer–were less likely to have high blood pressure than those who directed anger at themselves by getting headaches and slipping into foul moods.
The classic mechanism to handle anger has been to back off, count to ten, go for a walk. This gives you a few minutes to calm down and regain perspective. But new techniques shift your anger from heart to head–from an emotional to a rational level.
Interrogate yourself. Ask yourself four questions: Is this important? Is my anger appropriate? Is the situation modifiable? Is it worth taking action? Such evaluation helps convert your anger into rational thoughts. The anger is then under control. If the answer to all of those questions is “Yes,” decide what result you want, make a plan, and follow it. Even one “No” answer means you need to change your angry reaction and move on.
Consider your options. If you feel that you have to address the scenario or situation that has made you angry immediately, imagine several alternatives.
- Put it in writing. The process of writing forces you to organize your head rather than lose it.
- Do a cost benefit analysis. Ask yourself, “Is getting angry going to buy me anything?” You may have to let it go, which is not the same as suppressing the anger. You’re taking a moment to make an intelligent choice about how you will behave.
- Don’t personalize. Angry people tend to distrust other people’s motives. Many things that annoy us about others–slowness, rudeness, recklessness–have nothing to do with us. Reminding yourself of that can convert potential anger into neutrality or even empathy.
If anger is a part of your every encounter, from standing in line to going into the fire station in the morning, you might want to learn how to chill out.
John M. Buckman is chief of the German Township (IN) Volunteer Fire Department in Evansville, Indiana, where he has served for 22 years, and the immediate past president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC). He was instrumental in forming the IAFC’s Volunteer Chief Officers Section and is past chairman. He is an adjunct faculty member in the National Fire Academy residence program, is an advisory board member of Fire Engineering, and lectures extensively on fire service-related topics.
