How many times have you been in a grocery store, or any other public place, and watched a child throw a temper tantrum because he or she did not get exactly what they wanted, when they wanted it?
How did this make you feel towards a child?
How did this make you feel towards the parent?
What was the reaction of the surrounding people?
My first thought is generally not towards a child but to the parent. After all it is the parent’s responsibility to teach the child how to behave and contain their passions. Letting a child kick and scream in public reflects very poorly upon the parents. I could understand if this happens once or twice, until the child gets that message but I find it extremely disappointing when it occurs again and again.
It is also obvious that these kinds of temper tantrums make everybody in the immediate area extremely uncomfortable. My children have done this exactly once each. This is never repeated because it was extremely discouraged and not only did they fail to reach their goal of getting what they desired, but their action also caused an unpleasant reaction from my wife and me. My children quickly realized that behavior like that was not condoned or acceptable, and that it most often made the situation far worse.
What happens when it is somebody who's at an executive level in your company?
I have been the target of several of these types of rampages in my career history by both direct supervisors and fellow coworkers. My first reaction was complete incredulity. When this type of behavior was perpetrated by an immediate supervisor who happened to be the president of the organization, it resulted in a complete loss of credibility and respect.
At the executive level, how can you respect somebody who does not show the same respect to others, and doesn't respect themselves enough to control their temper? Is it fair to expect other employees to trust their judgment? I still know this person and I can tell you from first-hand experience that their credibility is extremely tarnished and whether they know it or not, many of their decisions are questioned behind their back. It was not because of a single outburst but due to repeated behavioral pattern.
We all get frustrated with situations are at work and at home. How does it reflect on us personally and how does it reflect on the image of your company? Is this lack of self-control tied to any other personality traits that can damage not only the reputation but the very stability of your organization?
I would submit to you that I have the executive level, it is.
The limiting factor is, that at an executive level how this type of behavior corrected? I've seen executive coaches brought in. I have seen personality coaches brought in and I have seen temporary improvements but have these solved the root problem?
When it is a child, acting like a child; it is easy to discourage this type of behavior. But, how is this behavior discouraged at an executive level?
It is my opinion that it will be the market, the customers, and the employee base (or lack thereof) that will eventually encourage corrective action. Employees will not care to stay in that kind of environment and therefore your company will not be able to retain top-level talent. This will cause degradation in service which in turn will cause deterioration in the company itself.
I suggest that we all remember this the next time that we're upset at work that we ensure that the employees (or employees) are aware of the situation that caused it and why we were not satisfied with the result. This must be done in a logical manner and cannot be viewed as an attack. If your employees, stakeholders, or even your customers are put into a situation where they see you lose control, you will lose all credibility and you will be questioned in everything you do throughout your tenure at your organization.
After all,
How different is an executive throwing a temper tantrum different from that child in the grocery store?
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