Anger, Reactions, Objectiveness and Detachment

Objective

: expressing or dealing with facts or conditions as perceived without distortion by personal feelings, prejudices, or interpretations (merriam-webster.com)
— ob·jec·tive·ness noun 

Detached / Detachment

: exhibiting an aloof objectivity usually free from prejudice or self-interest detached observer>  

: freedom from bias or prejudice 

(merriam-webster.com)

Take a good look at this video. Nicholas Cage is an office manager who thinks he's turning into a vampire and so he is getting meaner and uncontrolled as the days go on (very funny movie, but with very dark humor). The sad thing is that I have seen this kind of behavior many times without anybody thinking they were turning into a vampire. I have worked for, beside and over people who have acted in a similar fashion and, although I don't condone venting so loudly, I have learned to keep my reactions at a rational level and very difficult to do when someone is yelling like that.

His doctor is remaining as calm as possible given the amount of hostile energy he is hurling and that type of reaction can take a lot of practice to maintain.

Controlling Anger

When a person feels they are near their breaking point, it can often be controlled by taking a few deep breaths. I had read that doing so help restore a sense of well-being to the body and mind (something to do with oxygen and breathing patterns). It also allows for a bit of extra time before you suddenly burst. I can't explain the science, but I know it works wonders when feelings of anger begin to fuel your fire.

Controlling Reactions

If a car backfires or a truck honks loudly, most people react with a jump and a scare because they are not expecting it. But, we all know that these things happen every single day in a busy city, so we should expect them to happen and therefore react less. It is a given that any workplace is going to have an irate manager, staff member or customer at some point. If that is the case, expecting it to happen will allow a person to deal with it more rationally instead of being surprised by it. I personally walk around as if a gun will go off at any moment, then when I hear a sudden, loud sound, It's not so bad.

Objectiveness

In the face of anger hurled toward you, remaining rational and objective will help to solve the issue quicker and without further incident, if handled correctly. If someone bursts out at you, take a deep breath, ask for them to calm a bit so you can follow what they have to say, ask them to sit with you, take some notes and offer suitable solutions in an intelligent discussion.

Detachment

In offering suitable solutions, looking in from the outside is a great way to get the irate person to see the whole situation from another point of view. People know this works, but it's difficult to get someone to indulge you when they are a fireball of emotions. 

There are a certain amount of negotiation skills needed to find solutions to outbursts but they are easy to learn. The hard part is for a manager to implement all four of the above skills on a constant basis as some workplaces can be very challenging, indeed. The fact of the matter is that great managers and leaders must practice these skills to avoid prolonged animosity and potential workplace violence. The time is now; there is already too much hostility in the world, so we must reserve the workplace for mental challenges, camaraderie and feelings af great accomplishment, no matter what we do for a living.