Anger is a motivator. 

The right kind of anger has freed millions of people. Disordered anger has killed millions of people.

Anger can be the dead end of your work. Anger can be the dead end of your life.

We all know angry people at work. We have all been angry at work. 

Most of our anger is disordered because it’s defensive and self-protective. Defensiveness and self-preservation often kills your opportunity to do excellent work. 

Psychologists say anger can be a good motivator for people when it drives them to prove others wrong. And many people use it this way, but this is rarely a healthy approach. 

"Anger is an addictive substance - it creates more and more denial of what is true… It makes you keep up the fiction."  -Tim Keller 

I remember vividly my high school geometry teacher telling me that I would amount to nothing. That can be a motivator, and it was, but that motivator hurt me way more than it hurt him. 

On reflection, he was a great teacher. I was a spoiled brat. Maybe he did it to motivate me for good.

There are star athletes, CEOs, sales people, pastors, teachers, construction workers, and so many others experts who are motivated by the wrong type of anger. They look down on people and are motivated more to prove others wrong more than to assist others in flourishing.

In his book, Good and Angry: Redeeming Anger, Irritation, Complaining, and Bitterness David Powlison has a startlingly helpful chapter titled, Do You Have an Anger Problem? The entire chapter is famously only one word long:

"Yes". 

Anger’s Self-Destruction 

Anger destroys the one who is angry the most.

"Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly. A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.”  - [.no-reftag]Proverbs 14:29-30[.no-reftag]

Tim Keller says in his sermon, The Healing of Anger, “Anger has dangerous power. Anger is an explosive. Literally it's the dynamite of the soul and as a result, anger has the power to disintegrate things, to pulverize things like an explosive.” 

Keller goes on to outline 3 ways anger destroys the one who is angry.

• “Anger disintegrates your body. Anger is far worse on your heart than anxiety or sorrow, more than any other emotion, it’s even harder on your heart than extreme physical exertion.”
• “Anger disintegrates relationships. When you get angry you throw words around like weapons they have an enormous amount of damaging power and they wound people…angry words destroy relationships.”
• “Anger disintegrates your wisdom, your ability to make wise choices. When you get angry it distorts your view of things, your view of the situation, your view of yourself, your view of the world, your view of others — causing you to make stupidly destructive choices. It actually destroys your will. It destroys your ability to make intelligent choices.”

Anger Toward Others is a Dead End 

Anger can lead to murder in its very worst cases, but Jesus puts anger with another person on par with murder. Jesus explains how looking down on other people is the same sin as murder. 

 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”- [.no-reftag]Matthew 5:21-22[.no-reftag]

Jesus explains the urgency of reconciliation. 

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”-  [.no-reftag]Matthew 5:23-24[.no-reftag]

Jesus explains the practicality of making amends. 

“Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. -[.no-reftag]Matthew 5:25-26[.no-reftag]

Everything Jesus teaches leads to human flourishing. Everything Jesus teaches is practical at work — especially these words. We can do much better work by eliminating our tendency to look down on others, seeking to reconcile all relational fractures, and make amends for anything we owe in order to heal broken relationships. 

Slow Anger is Life Giving 

Anger is love in motion. Slow anger is life giving. 

God spoke the following words to Moses after his request for God to reveal His glory.

The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”  -[.no-reftag]Exodus 34:6[.no-reftag]

The very character of our all powerful God includes His gracious, merciful — slow to anger - love for us. This is why Jesus came to satisfy the anger of God and pay for all of our mistakes— while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8).

Jesus then commands  — exhorts us — to love the same way (John 15:12) wherever we go. 

Redeeming Anger at Work 

My 40+ years of work experience, my AI assistant Claude, and Tim Keller agree on the ways anger can be used for good in the workplace and the ways it can be destructive for all parties. Here is a mashup of our wisdom and how you can control your anger —  eliminating destructive behavior — using it as a patient force for good. 

1.  Admit it — When you sense anger, it’s a sign that something or someone matters.  Admit the anger to yourself and admit the anger toward them —- perhaps by saying “this really matters to me.” Take a minute to step back. If text, email or online, quit typing. If in person, ask if you can have a minute. The vulnerability of admitting it can disarm the entire situation.
2. Analyze it — You have to ask yourself, what is threatening you, what do you value that you’re afraid you might not get. What are you defending? Is it worth defending?  Are you acting in the good of others or in self-defense? Anger is always a sign of something we care for deeply. We need to check to make sure it’s more about others or a just cause and make sure it’s not self-defense. 
3. Transform it — This could be the fuel to solve an important opportunity. Slow down and seek the good of the other party as equally to your own. If it is for the good of the other person, use a surgical strike on the problem, not the person. The very thing that might have threatened you, might be what you should seek for the other party as a solution. Remove personal preferences and seek good all parties. 

Resources: 

Sermon: The Healing of Anger | Timothy Keller

Podcast: Love Your Enemies | Timothy Keller

Article: Leaders Make Peace | Howard Graham

Article: Lead Conflict for Good | Howard Graham

Document: Claude (AI Summary) How can anger motivate you positively at work? How is anger a destructive force in the workplace?

Book: Good and Angry | David Powlison

Video: The Advantage of Slow Anger | Howard Graham

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