Anger is the noise of the soul; the unseen irritant of the heart; the relentless invader of silence. - Max Lucado

What makes you angry? Do you have a hot button? If yes, do people know how to push your buttons?

There are some situations in life when it is productive to be angry. However, at some point we have to get off the island of anger.

As a leader, anger can cloud your mind. The last thing you need when you are leading is a cloudy mind. A cloudy mind lacks peace and is filled with many uncertainties. It can be hard making effective decisions with a cloudy mind. Don’t find yourself on this island. This is a horrible place to be.

Life is to short to spend it being angry, bored, or dull. - Barbara Johnson

The fact of the matter is leaders have more opportunities to spend time on the island of anger. It may be because of poor decisions made in the past or it could be because you are letting your follower’s attitudes or actions control your leadership. Either way, it is unproductive to let anything cloud your mind and keep you from clearly seeing the task at hand to achieve your vision.

When leading yourself and others, you must practice three things.

1. Patience. One of the greatest attributes a leader can possess is patience. How many times have seen leaders make irrational decisions? Without patience, you will leave yourself vulnerable for defeat. So fight the urge to self gratify. Take an extra second, minute, hour, or day to get your thoughts together before responding to a situation with anger. A little patience makes a big difference in you being an effective leader.

2. Pouring. No, I don’t think you should try to drink your problems away. This method will lead to further problems. When I say you must practice pouring, you should have a healthy outlet removing anger from your heart. There are some things that will infuriate us. Losing all of your savings from making a poor personal or business deal should cause some anger. It shows we are human. But how will you pour this anger out of your system, in order for you to learn from it? Anything we hold on to and internalize has the possibility of raising its head again. Pour it out, learn from it, and get ready for the next challenge.

3. Pressing forward. It’s not enough to be patience and pour out your anger. You must simply move on. Whether a situation was good or bad, my mother would always say, “On to the next adventure.” She wasn’t implying to ignore the bad or good, but more importantly she was emphasizing the need for advancement and progression. It is hard to take your life to the next level if you are focusing on past failures or past accomplishments. You should learn from past and simply move on to discover your next adventure.

I want to leave you with some encouraging words from one of my studies.

Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for man’s anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. - James 1:19-20

You were created to make a difference in our world. God has invested in you. Are you letting your anger sabotage the blessing and plans he has for your life? How do you handle anger?

I want to hear your thoughts. Please leave a comment below, send me a tweet on Twitter, or leave a comment on Facebook.

Peace and Prosperity,

Bryant Hall, Sr.

CEO & President of MTN Universal, LLC

Coach, Speaker, Trainer of the John Maxwell Team