this sort happen, but they take a good deal of effort to achieve—and raw,
unmitigated courage. If you’re set upon by anger from the moral high
ground, and cannot say what David’s wife said, it’s better to say nothing at
all. Go somewhere else for the night, and get help in the morning.
The Anger from Below Explosion
This explosion will occur almost entirely behind your back. It starts quietly,
as whispering by the water cooler, perhaps by someone like Brittany, who
wears her authority issues like a rock concert T-shirt. Immature, she may
be, but underestimate her at your peril. The rumblings grow louder at
happy hour gripe sessions. An eruption may be heralded by postings of
Dilbert, the Che Guevara of corporate revolt. Just before the explosion
you may see a list of the “seven habits” taped to your door, with ironies
underlined in red. The blast itself may come as an ambush.
Brittany, accompanied by what looks like a lynch mob, stands
at your door. “We need to talk about morale problems,” she
says. Her henchmen wave their torches, muttering under their
breath.* * *“Got a minute?” your boss asks. “Sure,” you answer.
She steps into your office and carefully closes the door.
“I’ve been hearing some disturbing things about you,” she says.
“I think we need to talk about them.”If you’re a manager, I promise there will come a time in your career
when you face an explosion from below, either from an angry mob at a
“team building” session or hearing second versions of your actions blown
so far out of proportion that you sound like a third-world dictator. When
the explosion occurs, what you do next may determine the course of the
rest of your career. There is only one effective immediate response: Lis-
ten quietly and think carefully about what you’re hearing. Here are some
ideas about what to do when the dust settles.
DON’T IGNORE THE PROBLEM. It’s tempting to see the whole issue as
caused by personality problems that will intensify if you pay attention to
262 ❧Explosions into Anger