If you’ve visited Las Vegas recently, you’re likely aware of one of the city’s latest attractions, the Sphere Arena. Did you know that the Sphere’s CFO abruptly but calmly quit his job recently? It happened in the middle of a meeting with his boss and other members of the leadership team.
Apparently, the CFO decided to no longer tolerate a boss who had yelled and screamed at him during the meeting.
Now, I’m not judging this action, but I’d like to use this reported experience as a way to help you become a more effective leader.
Leadership Tip
Nothing good comes from yelling and screaming at members of your team.
Yelling and screaming, as the Sphere’s owner did, solves no problems but potentially causes other ones: hurt feelings, talent loss, negative credibility, culture stifling, morale, and productivity challenges—to name a few.
If you’re the business owner, presumably you can do what you want, but realize there’s a limit to what behavior people will tolerate or how much they will take.
If you use yelling and screaming as a form of showing your displeasure at a disappointing result, you should develop more productive ways to express yourself. Consider adopting the following techniques for managing your disappointment:
- Start with self-awareness. Remain calm and express your feelings constructively.
- Understand the root cause of the problem being addressed.
- Determine the best solution going forward.
- Reflect on what happened and how it could be prevented from recurring.
- Provide constructive feedback to those you’re disappointed in.
If yelling and screaming is a form of feedback, then work on improving your form. Here’s what giving effective feedback should look like for any boss or leader:
- Remain calm and under control.
- Organize your thoughts before calling a meeting.
- Arrange to meet in private.
- Share with those you’re giving feedback to what you like about them.
- Clearly explain what has to improve and why.
- Conclude the meeting by expressing encouragement, support, and positivity.
What do people want from you? A demonstration that you care about everyone on your team, and you treat people with respect. It’s not that hard to do!
